Writer Stephen King has hit back at Elon Musk for “putting his personal brand before anything else,” after the billionaire said King “called X dead.”
The 76-year-old writer had refused to call the social media site formerly known as Twitter by its new name X, prompting Musk to respond to him.
On Wednesday, King posted: “According to the New York Times, Terrorists May Be Paying for Blue Checkmarks on Twitter (I refuse to call it X).”
In response, Musk appeared to make an anti-transgender joke, replying, “Stop naming X. Respect our transition.”
Deadnaming occurs when someone uses a former name of a transgender person without permission.
The 76-year-old writer had refused to call the social media site formerly known as Twitter by its new name X, prompting Musk to respond to him
The argument between the two on Wednesday was not the first time the two have clashed on the platform
In response, Musk appeared to make an anti-transgender joke, replying, “Stop naming X. Respect our transition.”
King referenced a Times story about a report from the Tech Transparency Project that found X “may have violated U.S. sanctions.”
The report highlighted that they had accepted payments from “accounts of Hezbollah leaders and Houthi groups.”
In a statement to Variety, X said: “Our teams have reviewed the report and will take action as appropriate.
‘We always strive to ensure we maintain a safe, secure and compliant platform.’
King then reposted to X saying, “Dear Elon: Twitter. Twitter, Twitter. Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. Twitter, Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. And so forth. F*** your need to plaster your personal brand on everything.”
The author then added, “Just because you bought it doesn’t mean you own it.”
The argument between the two on Wednesday was not the first time the two have clashed on the platform.
In 2022, the two clashed after King responded to a report highlighting how Musk would charge for blue checks.
In 2022, the two sparred after King responded to a report highlighting how Musk would charge for blue checks
The bestselling author, dubbed the King of Horror, has sold more than 350 million copies of his book worldwide
King tweeted: “F*** that, they should pay me. If that is introduced, I will disappear just like Enron.” He added: “It’s not about the money, it’s about the principle.”
Musk replied to King at the time: “We have to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot be completely dependent on advertisers. How about $8 (per month)?”
King notes on his website that he is a Democrat and is open about his political views on the platform.
The bestselling author has sold more than 350 million book copies worldwide, with books such as IT, Carrie, The Shining and the Green Mile all being turned into blockbuster films.
On Wednesday, Musk announced that he had moved the incorporation status of his company SpaceX from Delaware to Texas.
The move came after Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick invalidated Musk’s compensation package from Tesla, making him the richest person in the world.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a shareholder who said Musk’s ties to executives negotiating the $56 billion package had not been made public.
The plan had a maximum value of $55.8 billion and a fair value of $2.6 billion at grant date, making it by far the largest CEO compensation package in company history.
McCormick found in her ruling that the process leading to the board’s approval of his 2018 compensation package was “deeply flawed” due to Musk’s close relationship with some of his members.