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In the final episode of Last Week Tonight for 2023, host John Oliver recapped Elon Musk's year, poking fun at the billionaire and CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk's year kicked off with the removal of the verified status for blue-check holders on X and concluded with an endorsement of an alleged antisemitic conspiracy theory, as per CNN.
Oliver kicked off the segment by playfully comparing Musk to various fictional villains, stating that he could "pull off pretty much any bad guy in a movie." He compared him to DC Comics supervillain Lex Luthor and a Bond villain. He also stated that he could play someone who bought a media company, space's first racist sheriff, and a less appealing version of Billy Zane's character in Titanic.
John Oliver commented on Elon Musk challenging Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight
During the segment, John Oliver delved into what Musk did throughout the year and spoke about him test-launching powerful rockets and recalling two million cars due to safety concerns. He also highlighted how Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, to a cage fight.
The focus then shifted to Musk's ownership of X, formerly known as Twitter, and the controversies surrounding the platform. Musk's endorsement of an alleged antisemitic post led to a mass exodus of advertisers, prompting Oliver to play a clip of Musk from a November 29 interview.
In the clip, the CEO was seen responding to companies that said they would withdraw their advertisements from the social media platform.
"If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f*ck yourself," he said.
After playing the clip, John Oliver replied by saying:
"Wow, it is hard to say what’s most embarrassing there. The fact that the world’s richest man is playing the ‘you’re not breaking up with me, I’m breaking up with you’ card, or that he’s doing it to confused silence while wearing a jacket from Ralph Lauren’s ‘Midlife Crisis’ collection. He’s clearly going for a bad boy there but ended up looking more like…Chip from Rescue Rangers."
Despite the jabs, John Oliver acknowledged Musk's impact on the automobile industry. However, he didn't shy away from addressing the recalls and safety concerns surrounding Tesla vehicles. The episode also delved into Musk's marketing strategies, which included challenging Mark Zuckerberg to a fight and unveiling a dancing robot to promote a Tesla prototype.
While Oliver acknowledged some positive aspects of Musk's ventures, he raised concerns about the growing influence and control his companies exert over critical sectors. He stated that Musk's companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, X, The Boring Company, Neuralink, and xAI, have control over "the internet, the power grid, the transportation system, objects in orbit, the (U.S.'s) infrastructure and its energy supply."
