DUBLIN/SAN FRANCISCO – The long-standing digital feud between the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary reached a boiling point today. After a series of public insults, Musk took to his social media platform, X, to ask his followers a high-stakes question: “Should I buy Ryanair?”
The move comes after O’Leary, the outspoken head of Europe’s largest budget airline, publicly labeled the Tesla and SpaceX founder an “idiot” during a recent interview.
The Starlink Spark
The clash was ignited by a disagreement over Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service. Musk had suggested that Ryanair should equip its fleet with Starlink to provide high-speed Wi-Fi to passengers.
O’Leary, known for his relentless focus on cost-cutting, flatly rejected the proposal. He argued that the hardware required would increase “drag” on the aircraft, leading to higher fuel consumption and an estimated $250 million annual cost.
“I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk. He’s an idiot—very wealthy, but still an idiot,” O’Leary stated on Irish radio, adding that X had become a “cesspit.”
“Restore Ryan as the Rightful Ruler”
Musk, never one to back down from a public spat, fired back on X, calling O’Leary “misinformed” about aviation physics. The exchange took a theatrical turn when Musk posted a poll to his millions of followers:
“Buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.”
The “Ryan” in question refers to the airline’s late founder, Tony Ryan. Musk sarcastically suggested he would buy the company just to put someone actually named “Ryan” in the CEO chair, effectively firing O’Leary. As of Tuesday afternoon, over 77% of respondents have voted “F Yes” in favor of the acquisition.
Market Reaction and Speculation
While many analysts view Musk’s poll as a joke, investors are watching closely. Shares of Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) saw a slight uptick in after-hours trading following the viral post.
Musk has a history of using X polls to signal major business moves, most notably before his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022. With his net worth currently estimated at over $600 billion, a takeover of Ryanair—valued at approximately $25 billion—is financially feasible, though legally complex given airline ownership regulations in the EU.
Ryanair’s official X account responded with its signature cheekiness, posting a screenshot of an X outage and asking: “Perhaps you need Wi-Fi, @elonmusk?”
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