Trending badgeTrendingPosted 2 hours agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownElon Musk Just Got The Takedown Of The Century, And The Internet Thinks He's Veryyyy Butthurt"The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the 'most wealthy person in the world.'"by Siena GiljumBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLinkHot Topic🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Politics Elon Musk might have somewhat faded out of the American political landscape since he stepped away from the Trump administration, but he's still toiling away, making millions of dollars a day and posting incessantly on X, the platform he acquired in 2022. The Washington Post / Getty Images Joyce Carol Oates, 87, is an acclaimed American writer, best known for novels like A Garden of Earthly Delights and Blonde. Rosdiana Ciaravolo / Getty Images You're obviously wondering how these two connect. It all started when Roland Gutierrez, a Texas state senator, posted a video saying that Musk is poised to become a trillionaire "on the backs of the American taxpayer." You won't be shocked to hear that Musk didn't like it very much. He replied on his own platform, X, saying that Gutierrez is a "taker, not a maker. All you've done your whole life is take from the makers of the world." He also wrote, "I have been given nothing." elonmusk / Via x.com BuzzFeed TrendingHot TopicLet's chat about all things PoliticsSee our Politics Discussions That's when Oates stepped in. "So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates- scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend's or relative's accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated , uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the 'most wealthy person in the world,'" she wrote. JoyceCarolOates / Via x.com Musk didn't like that one very much either. elonmusk / Via x.com He's not even mad, though, guys. elonmusk / Via x.com Soooo chill about all of this, in fact. elonmusk / Via x.com In response, Oates suggested a sawdust recipe I personally can't wait to try. JoyceCarolOates / Via x.com In the world of not-almost-trillionaires, people were obsessed with Oates's read of the Tesla CEO. iAMYStifiEdLF / Bluesky / Via x.com ratlimit / Via x.com SketchesbyBoze / Via x.com Techno_occult / Via x.com One person said that Musk "seems to have no capacity for a normal level of appreciation" and wants to leave everywhere (e.g., South Africa, Canada, Earth). "that's because when he gets there, he has brought his own self along; & whatever club he's invited to join has been devalued by the invitation," Oates replied. JoyceCarolOates / Via x.com People also noticed that Musk seemed to immediately start posting about film and literature. Many thought it was an effort to prove himself "cultured" against Oates's point.
Joyce Carol Oates basically tweeted that Elon Musk is an uncultured psychopathic swine, so distant from being a human he can't understand artAnd his response is to start making 5th grade level comments on okay sci-fi movies on movie twitterThis dude is so pathetic man, my god pic.twitter.com/ZOj8yK7YO0- bill (@ConsciousNomad) November 10, 2025 ConsciousNomad / Via Twitter: @ConsciousNomad Let me know what you think in the comments (or, if you happen to be Elon Musk, whether you need some ice for that burn).