Happy Birthday, Elon Musk! Here's a look at tech czar's most memorable moments

American Billionaire and Twitter CEO, Elon Musk is as famous for his tweets as for his pioneering work with SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and Twitter. Musk may have created an unfathomable amount of wealth for himself, but that doesn’t prevent the world’s richest man from stirring the pot frequently. His frequent posts on Twitter, which have resulted in more than one lawsuit and even led to investigation by government agencies, are a staple of the platform.

On his birthday, we delve into some of the most significant Twitter moments that have stirred conversations and impacted markets.

A new currency for Tesla

In a surprise move, Musk announced that customers could buy Tesla vehicles using Bitcoin. The announcement marked a significant shift in Tesla's payment methods, making it one of the first major corporations to accept a cryptocurrency as a legitimate form of payment. This tweet provoked considerable debate around Bitcoin's viability as a currency and influenced Bitcoin's value in the market. However, just months later Musk would announce that the company was pausing accepting Bitcoin payments over climate concerns. 

You can now buy a Tesla with Bitcoin

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2021

Dogecoin for Tesla merchandise

Not limiting his interest to Bitcoin, Musk expanded Tesla's cryptocurrency repertoire to include Dogecoin. A tweet announcing the acceptance of Dogecoin as payment for Tesla merchandise was a significant endorsement for the meme cryptocurrency, leading to a surge in Dogecoin's value. 

Tesla will make some merch buyable with Doge & see how it goes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2021

Disagreeing with Bernie Sanders

In a rather pointed exchange, Musk challenged Senator Bernie Sanders' assertion that the rich should pay their fair share of taxes. This tweet, marked by its provocative tone, led to a drop in Tesla shares, exemplifying Musk's influence on his own company's stock.

I keep forgetting that you’re still alive

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021

Challenging the UN's World Food Programme

In response to the UN's claim that $6 billion could solve world hunger, Musk challenged the organization to provide a transparent plan detailing how the money would be used. He pledged to donate the amount if the UN could substantiate its claim. 

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.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021

Baby Shark Boost

When Musk tweeted about the viral sensation "Baby Shark," it led to a 10 per cent surge in the stock of Samsung Publishing, a major investor in the company behind the popular children's song. This incident demonstrated Musk's broad influence, affecting even seemingly unrelated markets with a single tweet.

Baby Shark crushes all! More views than humans. https://t.co/48Ol3ZzhjP

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2021

Feud with Mark Zuckerberg

Musk's rivalry with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg became a viral event when he challenged Zuckerberg to a cage fight. Though it began in jest, the feud turned into a publicity boon for Meta's upcoming Twitter rival.

I’m up for a cage match if he is lol

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2023

Putting cocaine back in coke

After his raucous purchase of Twitter for $44 billion, which involved its own brief spate of legal troubles for Musk, the eccentric billionaire jokingly announced that he would be purchasing the Coca Cola Company. Musk joked that he would reintroduce one of the ingredients from the original recipe, the leaves of the coca plant, which are used to refine cocaine. The tweet became one of the most liked tweets on the platform. 

Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022

Asking critics to remain on Twitter 

Just days ahead of the Twitter board accepting his buyout deal, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX posted on Twitter asking his critics to remain on the platform. 

I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022