--- title: "Elon Musk Pretends Not to Know About the Horrible Accusations Against His “Good Friend” Puff Daddy" description: "Elon Musk is now claiming that he was unaware that his friend and investor Sean \"Diddy\" Combs had a violent reputation that preceded him." date: "2024-10-03" modified: "2024-10-03" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-puff-diddy-accusations" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "celebrities" - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Pretends Not to Know About the Horrible Accusations Against His “Good Friend” Puff Daddy ![Elon Musk is now claiming that he was unaware that his friend and investor Sean "Diddy" Combs had a violent reputation that preceded him.]() *\Image: Marc Piasecki / Jemal Countess /Getty for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation / Futurism\* ## Ignorance and Malice Multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk is now suggesting that he was unaware that his friend and investor Sean "Diddy" Combs had a violent reputation that preceded him. "How many people in music & entertainment knew about this?" [the billionaire posted on X](), quote-tweeting a [*Daily Mail*]() screenshot about Combs allegedly abusing a child and spiking drinks with horse tranquilizer. As of late, [Combs has been accused]() of a laundry list of crimes ranging from [sex trafficking]() and [rape]() to [blowing up cars]() and being [involved in the murder of Tupac Shakur](), with a [class-action lawsuit featuring 120 co-plaintiffs]() among the [many court cases he's facing](). While it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility that the 53-year-old billionaire had no idea that Combs — who invested a [rumored $10 million]() to help [fund Musk's Twitter takeover]() — was allegedly such a terrible person, it seems mighty unlikely that he was clueless. ## Fake Love Notably, Musk's tweet appears to be the first time the multi-hyphenate business owner has acknowledged Combs publicly despite [bragging in private about their friendship](). In their new book "Character Limit" about the Twitter takeover, *New York Times* reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac recounted an instance in the midst of the deal when the entrepreneur seemed to use his proximity to the 54-year-old rapper to dismiss concerns about racism. When speaking with Twitter executives in 2022 about the potential for extremism on the site, Musk addressed a man named Detavio Samuels, who at the time was CEO of Combs' media startup Revolt TV. "'I don’t know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,' \[Musk\] said, using a nickname for Combs," the *NYT* writers relayed. "'You know, he’s a good friend of mine. We text a lot.'" So cringe-worthy was that dismissal that "some of the Twitter executives had to resist the urge to bury their heads in their hands," the writers continued. Given that he was at least on an old-nickname basis with Combs, it does seem very bizarre that Musk would not have known about his famous friend's extracurricular activities — but perhaps he truly was that oblivious. **More on Musk:** [*Elon Musk Has Wiped Out a Shocking Amount of Twitter's Value In Less Than 2 Years*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()