Elon Musk Says He’s Got No Problem Being Hated — ‘I’ll Say What I Want to Say and if the Consequence Is Losing Money, So Be It’

Jeannine Mancini Tue, July 21, 2026 at 7:30 PM GMT+3 6 min read

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Most executives spend years trying not to offend customers, advertisers or investors. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has taken the opposite approach, arguing that worrying about being liked is a weakness—and one he's never wanted to have.

"I'll say what I want to say and if the consequence is losing money, so be it," Musk told CNBC in May 2023 after being asked whether his outspoken comments and social media posts concerned him because they could cost him customers or advertisers.

Why Musk Doesn't Chase Approval

The comment wasn't a one-off.

"I have no problem being hated, by the way," he said during The New York Times DealBook Summit later that year. "Hate away."

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He then explained why he believes chasing approval can become a liability.

"I think it is a real weakness to want to be liked," Musk said. "A real weakness. And I do not have that."

For Musk, speaking candidly matters more than avoiding controversy, even when it brings financial or reputational consequences.

Putting Conviction Ahead of Consensus

That philosophy has become a defining characteristic of Musk's leadership.

Over the years, he's made headlines for comments on artificial intelligence, free speech, politics and government policy. His acquisition of Twitter, now X, prompted several major advertisers to pause spending on the platform, while his public remarks have periodically fueled debate on Wall Street about how much of Tesla's valuation rides on Musk himself.

Even so, Musk has continued to argue that changing his views simply to avoid backlash would be the bigger mistake.

The mindset echoes a line from the 1987 film "The Princess Bride," which Musk referenced to illustrate his thinking.

"Offer me money. Offer me power. I don't care."

The message was simple: incentives mean little if they require compromising deeply held beliefs.

A High-Risk, High-Conviction Style

Whether that approach helps or hurts shareholders remains a subject of debate — and few people have put a finer point on the financial stakes than "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary.

"This company doesn't just move with earnings — it moves with Elon's tweets," O'Leary wrote on X in 2025, amid a public feud between Musk and President Donald Trump that sent Tesla shares sliding. "One post and the stock can swing 10%."

O'Leary framed that volatility as the price of admission for owning a piece of Musk's ambition, not a reason to walk away. It's also a reminder of just how much of Tesla's public narrative — for better or worse — is tied to one person's willingness to say exactly what he thinks.

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Backing Founders Who Think Differently — Without the Single-Person Risk

For investors, that dynamic highlights a broader reality about innovation. Many of the entrepreneurs building disruptive companies aren't trying to win popularity contests, and their stock price shouldn't hinge on a single tweet either. They're focused on long-term execution, even when their ideas initially draw skepticism.

That's one reason some investors look beyond established public companies to earlier-stage businesses pursuing ambitious ideas — before any one person's headlines can move the needle.

Mode Mobile, for example, has built a platform that lets users earn rewards from everyday smartphone activity while developing what it calls an "EarnPhone" ecosystem. The company remains privately held, giving everyday investors an opportunity to get in before any potential public offering — and before its story is tied to any single outspoken founder's Twitter feed.

Musk's philosophy won't resonate with everyone. But his message has remained remarkably consistent over the years, if speaking honestly comes with criticism—or a 10% swing in market cap—he considers that a price worth paying rather than a reason to stay quiet.

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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market

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Arrived

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors canbuy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.

Realberry

Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access.Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3.4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests.

FarmTogether

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Immersed

Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.

Fundrise

Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio.Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.

Mode Mobile

Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte's fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.

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For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.

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This article Elon Musk Says He's Got No Problem Being Hated — 'I'll Say What I Want to Say and if the Consequence Is Losing Money, So Be It' originally appeared on Benzinga.com