Thai cave: Insecure Elon Musk calls British diver a "pedo"
What's the story
In what can only be called an infantile and bitter reaction to criticism, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has lashed out at veteran British cave diver Vern Unsworth after the latter called Musk's efforts to aid the Thai cave rescue a "PR stunt". Unable to stomach Unsworth's comments, Musk, in a baseless attack, called the diver a "pedo" via a Tweet, now deleted. Here's more.
Quote
What Musk's deleted Tweet read
"You know what, don't bother showing the video. We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it," wrote Musk on Twitter. The tweet was deleted shortly thereafter.
Vern Unsworth
Unsworth was instrumental in the rescue; Musk, not so much
For those unaware, Vern Unsworth is credited with kick-starting the rescue operation of the trapped Wild Boars youth soccer team, and roping in world class divers like Rick Stanton to assist the operation. Additionally, Unsworth spent six years exploring the Tham Luang cave where the team was trapped, and his unparalleled knowledge of the cave system was instrumental in the success of rescue operation.
Twitter Post
What Unsworth said here evidently irked the haughty Musk
Cave rescuer on Musk: “It was a PR stunt. It had no chance of working.” pic.twitter.com/uPgRMQLkRx
— Quoth the Raven (@QTRResearch) July 13, 2018
Looking back
Musk seems to be extremely touchy about his submarine
Before his baseless attack on Unsworth, Musk was already edgy about criticism of his submarine. At Musk's behest, SpaceX engineers had fashioned a mini-sub with parts from the company's Falcon rocket. Musk had claimed that the sub would be able to navigate the cave's narrow passageways and extract the team safely. However, when rescuers called the sub "not practical", Musk went on a rant.
Twitter Post
Musk earlier took to Twitter to defend his submarine
Moreover, based on extensive cave video review discussion with several divers who know journey, SpaceX engineering is absolutely certain that mini-sub can do entire journey demonstrate at any time.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 10, 2018
Unsworth's actions
Vern Unsworth considering legal action against Musk
Unsworth, who is being hailed as a hero in the Thai cave rescue, was understandably irked by Musk's comment. Speaking to The Guardian, Unsworth said that he was "astonished and very angry" for the baseless attack. When asked about whether he'd pursue legal action, the veteran diver said, "Yes, it's not finished". "I think people realize what sort of guy [Musk] is," added Unsworth.