Many people know about the rivalry between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, two of the wealthiest CEOs in the world. They always seem to have differing opinions, and AI Yann LeCun, Zuckerberg’s associate and Meta’s Chief of AI, may have inherited the beef.

In June 2024, LeCun took to X, taking a swipe at Musk, and seemingly hinting at his allegiance to Zuckerberg. But is it a real feud borne of a difference in opinions, or has Meta’s Chief of AI just inherited his master’s nemesis? 

If many did not know that the award-winning scientist and Meta’s chief of AI, Yann LeCun, has it out for Elon Musk, they do now. The talented academic took to X with a long post-titled: “My opinion on Elon Musk.” The post was an instant hit, going viral and racking up engagements on X, as well as other social media platforms. 

In his tweet, LeCun’s started out by listing things he likes about Musk as well as subject subject matters he agrees with the Tesla CEO on. Some of those areas include his taste in cars and his belief in the technology he is building. However, the tweet also revealed that they have differing opinions on many other topics.

LeCun accused Musk of being a corporate dictator, citing his ill-treatment of scientists and habit of hoarding forward-looking research. He insists that secrecy slows progress, and Musk seems to excel at it. 

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But while Musk’s treatment of his scientists does not not sit right with LeCun, it doesn’t end there. The AI expert is also ticked off by Musk’s very vocal opinions on political issues, journalism, and academia. LeCun says they are all wrong and can be dangerous for democracy and civilization. 

Additionally, LeCun also accused Musk of supporting dangerous conspiracy theories. But not also did LeCun accuse Musk of supporting conspiracy theories, he believes the Tesla founder especially uses his social media to promote and serve his selfish interests.

Another reason LeCun dislikes Musk is that he believes the man is singlehandedly worsening the already corrupt democratic process. He seemed to imply that Musk needs to improve the way he is running content moderation on X. He called the act something that should be handled like a complex trade-off, but Musk treats it otherwise. 

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To no surprise, the viral post drew attention from many users with varying reactions. Some praised LeCun for the things he talked about, while others criticized them, causing him to rise to his own defense.

A good example was when one netizen claimed the post was on point. Still, he should not be delivering it because he is a member of Meta, an outfit they believe is a much more significant threat to society than Elon’s ramblings on X.

The feud between Mark Zuckerberg has been ongoing for years, and neither party seems interested in giving in. They even threatened to get physical with each other in a cage match in 2023. It casts doubts on the purity of LeCun’s accusations; after all, he could have inherited Zuckerberg’s opinions about Musk. 

Given how popular the tweet quickly got, Musk almost had no choice but to respond. In response to LeCun’s post, Musk shared a meme that implied that the scientist was desperate for his attention. The meme comprises fake text messages on someone’s home phone screen, and LeCun is represented as an embittered man. He captioned the meme with a colorful statement that showed his desire to end the attacks. 

One who rose to Musk’s defense is Emad Mostaque, the founder and former CEO of Stability AI. Mostaque shared a post that seemed to mock LeCun’s style, boasting similar lengths, but rather than barbs for Musk; it included witty jokes and praise for the Tesla CEO.

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Before LeCun made the post, he and Musk had verbal exchanges on X over the past week. One interaction saw Musk question his claims of being a scientist and not a businessman when he asked him if he had actually done any “science” in the past couple of years. It’s safe to say their beef is not going away soon.

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