"Hate is a mask for love"— Fans react to Shark Tank Mark Cuban’s dig at Elon Musk

On December 29, 2024, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the owner of the social media platform X, called for users to post more positive, beautiful, and informative content. His tweet aimed to reshape the platform’s atmosphere, encouraging users to focus on constructive and uplifting interactions.

"Please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform," his tweet read.

However, this tweet triggered a viral reaction when Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur and mentor on Shark Tank, replied with the remark, “You first.” This interaction sparked negative reactions from fans, and some of them took to X, tweeting their opinions.

"hate is a mask for love," one fan commented.

"Why you try so hard to get @elonmusk attention? We all can sense your desperation," another user wrote.

"I love that Elon is still living rent free in your head," a netizen said.

"Well... his company did catch a rocket. And has a constellation of satellites serving internet... everywhere... plus something about a car and a boring company, and some communications platform. But you're right, he's nowhere near as accomplished as you," one tweet read.

Some fans defended Elon Musk, saying Mark Cuban's comment is "egreciously inaccurate."

"@mcuban reeks of bad-faith vibes. Suggesting Elon isn’t modeling this behavior is egregiously inaccurate," an X user commented.

"I guess you have never seen Musk's posts about SpaceX and Tesla, along with his loving America and free speech? So the question is, where are yours?" another netizen said.

"Pathetic. Yes you Mark. You lack in every metric of power both in this exact response and in the social battlefield against Elon. You simply point the finger back in your reply while appealing to some witty humour," one user commented.

"Elon is the MOST inspiring human being alive or to ever have lived. Thanks to him, humanity has something to look forward to. What have you done, Mark? We love @elonmusk," one person wrote.

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Elon Musk garners support from fans on X

Fans on X have been contrasting Mark Cuban’s focus on basketball with Elon Musk’s broader contributions to technology and humanity. Many highlighted Musk’s efforts in developing rockets and spearheading projects aimed at benefiting mankind, noting that his ventures not only generate profits but also serve a larger purpose.

Elon Musk’s supporters rallied to his defense, highlighting his numerous contributions to innovation and global connectivity. Many fans described Elon Musk's suggestion as a positive gesture, encouraging others to approach it with kindness.

They cited initiatives like Starlink, his satellite internet project, as examples of the positive impact he has already created. Fans noted that Musk frequently shares updates about his projects on social media, which they view as uplifting and meaningful content.

Some questioned Mark Cuban’s critique, arguing that Elon Musk’s extensive track record of achievements spoke for itself and needed no further validation through social media posts. This isn’t the first public disagreement between Cuban and Musk. In an earlier instance, Cuban challenged Musk’s remarks about Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Elon Musk had controversially likened the AfD’s policies to those of the US Democratic Party under Barack Obama, drawing backlash. Cuban used Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok, to challenge his stance, with the chatbot identifying the Republican Party, Musk’s preferred affiliation in recent years, as the closest match to the AfD.

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Watch Shark Tank episodes airing every Friday on ABC.