- Elon Musk agreed to make a contribution of around $6 billion but on one condition for the World Food Programme
- Offers to sell stocks and give around $6 billion to WFP.
- But he has a condition that WFP will have to show how its accounting is done.
- David Beasley, WFP director, has invited Musk for a chat on the same topic.
Elon Musk threw a challenge at the United Nations over the weekend. It was not about his companies or his current favourite – the Dogecoin, but about something as serious as global hunger.
In a response to United Nations World Food Program (WFP) director David Beasley – who told CNN that a one-time payment of 2 per cent wealth of Musk or billionaires alike can solve global hunger – Musk, kind of, agreed to give his money but only if the UN comes up with the right strategy.
“If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it,” Musk tweeted in a response to a tweet by Dr Eli David, who is a co-founder of a company called Deep Instinct.
David tweeted out a screenshot of the CNN article mentioning Beasley, along with some snark on WFP’s work towards eradicating global hunger. Musk joined him to send some provocative tweets, however, with conviction, later adding: “But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.”
Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has a total worth of over $300 billion, and according to Beasley, 2 per cent of this wealth – which should be around $6 billion – will “help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated.” However, Beasley issued a clarification in the same Twitter thread about the article that he thought may have been misunderstood.
Beasley wrote: “We’ve never said $6B [billion] would solve world hunger. This is a one-time donation to save 42 million lives during this unprecedented hunger crisis. The $8.4B you refer to covers what we needed to reach 115 million people in 2020 with food assistance. We need $6B plus NOW on top of our existing funding requirements due to the perfect storm from the compounding impact of Covid, conflict and climate shocks.”
He, then, hit back at Elon Musk through separate tweets. ““Let’s talk: It isn’t as complicated as Falcon Heavy, but too much at stake to not at least have a conversation. I can be on the next flight to you. Throw me out if you don’t like what you hear!” – Beasley wrote on Twitter directly tagging Musk.
Amused by the clarification from the WFP director, Musk replied back, saying, “Please publish your current & proposed spending in detail so people can see exactly where money goes.” He even posted a link to an article that alleged sexual abuse by UN officials.
Musk has a history of being vocal about serious topics, even though he is famous for his eccentric actions, such as smoking marijuana on a spacecraft or giving an unpronounceable name to his youngest child, or sending the value of his favourite cryptocurrency, Dogecoin, through the roof by buying a pet dog. But the thought of selling stocks to contribute to the eradication of world hunger is a move inspired by his brother, Kimbal Musk, who has devoted his life to sustainable eating.
For now, the challenge seems still open from both ends. While Musk wants WFP to show its ledger to the public, WFP’s director wants the tech honcho to have a conversation about how billionaires can solve world hunger.
Originally published in India Today, November 1, 2021, https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/elon-musk-says-he-will-immediately-spend-6-billion-to-end-world-hunger-if-un-can-prepare-right-plan-1871845-2021-11-01
