MUSK VERSUS MADURO

Elon Musk’s had his fair share of online spats - for example, when he accused South African opposition party the Economic Freedom Fighters of “pushing genocide” for chanting "Kill the Boer, the farmer" (part of an anti-apartheid song) at a rally in Soweto… only to be branded “illiterate” by its leader, Julius Malema.

Well, now it’s Venezuela’s freshly re-elected president Nicolás Maduro who’s felt the need to blast the Tesla boss. Musk had used his social-media platform X to accuse the socialist leader of election fraud. Maduro hit back by alleging the billionaire was seeking to control the world through his companies. He cited the example of Ecuador, which is already in Musk's deep pocket, and warned Argentina, which has the largest share of the world's salt-lake lithium resources, to be wary of the lithium-hungry tech investor.

Venezuela's been hit by post-election riots following the 28th-July vote. Given his influence and reach, Musk's tweets are seen by some as pouring gasoline on the fire.

Which side of the spat are you on and why?

Video Credit: La Tercera