How contractually binding is a tweet? It is a question that we have pondered for some time, and now it may be put to the test as one of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk has declared how much in taxes he will be paying in the coming year.
To that end, the figure of $11 billion has been thrown around by the recently named Time Person of the Year.
For those wondering, I will pay over $11 billion in taxes this year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2021
The issue of taxes has been a particular sticking point, not just for Musk, but for tech billionaires in general and founders in particular.
Earlier this year we saw Musk use a Twitter poll to determine whether he should sell his Tesla stock in lieu of paying taxes, with people on social media voting that he do it.
At the time of writing it looks like Musk has indeed followed through, selling an estimated 10 percent in Tesla shares, but using Twitter as a vehicle for decisions on billion dollar companies can only lead to sleepless nights for board members.
There is also the matter of this tweet grabbing headlines, with the above figure being one of the largest recorded tax bills in US history, provided it actually happens. As such, it could easily be viewed as a publicity stunt by Musk, along with being another display of the massive personal wealth he has accrued over the years.
With the likes of Musk and Jeff Bezos leapfrogging one another for the world’s richest person title, as well as both vying to dominate the commercial space travel industry, it’s clear that billionaires operate in a different stratosphere to us mere mortals.
Either way, we hope Musk sticks to his word and pays what is owed to the United States government.
