what did elon musk say about ryanair
Elon Musk recently engaged in a public feud with Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary over the airline's decision not to install Starlink Wi-Fi on its planes.
Feud Origins
The spat began around January 14, 2026, when O'Leary dismissed Starlink for Ryanair's short-haul flights, citing high costs—about $200-250 million annually from antenna drag increasing fuel use by 1-2%—and low passenger willingness to pay. Musk fired back on X, calling O'Leary an "utter idiot" who "should be fired," escalating the exchange with personal jabs.
Musk's Key Statements
Musk trolled the situation playfully yet sharply:
- Suggested buying Ryanair outright: "Should I purchase Ryanair and appoint someone named Ryan to manage it?"
- Questioned acquisition costs in follow-up posts.
- Retorted to Ryanair's jab about X outages: "Perhaps need Wi @elonmusk?" with his buyout quip.
O'Leary's Response
O'Leary shrugged off the insults, calling Musk's fuel drag math clueless—"What Elon Musk knows about flights and drag would be zero"—but thanked him for free publicity boosting ticket sales. He even offered Musk a free ticket and held a press conference labeling Musk a "r**** d t t" while celebrating the buzz.
Business Context
Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost carrier, prioritizes cheap fares over in- flight Wi-Fi, estimating under 10% of passengers would pay despite Starlink's appeal elsewhere. The feud highlights tensions between tech disruptors like Musk's SpaceX and traditional airlines, with O'Leary viewing it as a sales win.
Trending Buzz
Online forums like Reddit lit up with threads mocking both sides, from "Elon Musk is an idiot" posts to speculation on a real buyout—Ryanair's market cap makes it feasible for Musk's wealth. As of January 21, 2026, O'Leary dismissed any buyout seriously.
TL;DR: Musk insulted O'Leary as an "idiot," floated buying Ryanair amid a Starlink dispute, but O'Leary turned it into a PR coup.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.