--- title: "Elon Musk Just Got Roasted to His Face and Seemed to Have No Idea" description: "Twitter CEO Elon Musk just got absolutely roasted on Twitter — something that completely flew over his head." date: "2023-04-10" modified: "2023-04-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-roasted-paul-graham" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Elon Musk Just Got Roasted to His Face and Seemed to Have No Idea ![Twitter CEO Elon Musk just got absolutely roasted on Twitter — something that completely flew over his head.]() *\Image: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Roasted Twitter CEO Elon Musk just got absolutely roasted on Twitter — a joke that appears to have flown completely over his head. Paul Graham, venture capitalist and founder of Y Combinator, highlighted an extensive list of "unicorn" companies making the rounds on social media that were comprised mostly of software ventures, with a notable lack of manufacturing and other heavy industries in the mix. "Making physical stuff is hard," Graham [argued](). "But don't let that deter you, if that's what you're interested in." "Major misallocation of capital IMO," [replied Musk](), a billionaire who is in the midst of running a multi-billion-dollar software company [into the ground](). "Most on this list won’t make it. Not enough talent in manufacturing and heavy industries." "Interesting point, but an example might make it clearer," Graham [quipped back](). "Can you think of a prominent person who's currently wasting his talents in software when he could be working on manufacturing and heavy industries?" ## Shots Fired The investor's remark was a [clear shot at Musk](). Over the years, Musk made a name for himself being the CEO of several industry-leading manufacturing and heavy industries, notably EV maker Tesla and space company SpaceX. But Musk's controversial foray into social media software has been far less successful so far. The billionaire bought Twitter for an eye-watering $44 billion last year and has made a [huge mess]() of the company's operations since then, causing its [value to crater]() and [engineers to mass-resign]() in disgust. Graham's jab [clearly didn't land](), with Musk failing to acknowledge he was the one being roasted. "Once prominent, they’re one of the few to have succeeded," an oblivious Musk [wrote]() in response to Graham's jab. "Too much talent is chasing software, much like Hollywood has too much talent chasing acting." ## Real Bummer Musk's disastrous acquisition of Twitter has even had effects on his far more successful heavy industry ventures. His decision to buy Twitter last year [enraged Tesla investors](), some of whom [argued]() last year that he abandoned Tesla while the carmaker was going through a crisis. In short, Musk seems to be well aware he's stuck with an ailing software company dragging his reputation as a successful entrepreneur down. Case in point, his most recent actions like [banning links to competitors]() on Twitter and [hardcoding his own account]() into the company's source code practically reek of desperation. This time, however, Musk wasn't in on the joke — perhaps a sign that he's more detached from the ongoing "[flaming dumpster]()" than we initially thought. **More on Elon:** *[Jealous Elon Musk Blocks All Links to Substack on Twitter]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()