Tesla's Musk: I'll dump Trump if US dumps Paris climate deal
Commentary: On Twitter, the Tesla CEO says he's done all he can to persuade President Donald Trump to remain in the global pact.
Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.
Might he stop advising the president?
These are tense times.
President Donald Trump is teasing the world about whether the US will stay in the Paris climate agreement, an international accord aimed at combating climate change. Trump tweeted Wednesday that he'll announce his decision on the agreement "over the next few days."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who agreed to advise the president on this and other important business issues, said last week he thought Trump would ultimately stay in the climate accord.
On Wednesday, however, Musk took to Twitter to threaten his own withdrawal. Musk said he would stop advising Trump if the president pulls the US out of the global pact.
He first tweeted: "Don't know which way Paris will go, but I've done all I can to advise directly to POTUS, through others in WH & via councils, that we remain."
Don't know which way Paris will go, but I've done all I can to advise directly to POTUS, through others in WH & via councils, that we remain
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2017
Asked by follower Luke Schnoebelen what he would do if the US withdrew, Musk tweeted: "Will have no choice but to depart councils in that case."
Will have no choice but to depart councils in that case
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2017
Some might see that as an almost Trumpist threat. Do what I want, or I'm out of here. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk isn't the only one in the tech industry speaking out against the US leaving the Paris climate agreement. Twenty-five companies, including tech giants Intel and Microsoft, signed a letter arguing in favor of the climate deal that will run as a full-page ad in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, reported Bloomberg. Apple CEO Tim Cook also reportedly called the White House to urge the president to keep the US in the agreement.
Musk parting ways with the president would surely be painful for a government that has struggled to enjoy universal acclaim in the tech world, which has especially battled Trump's travel ban on people from certain Muslim-majority countries.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has already withdrawn from Trump's economic advisory team. Musk's departure would leave few big tech names left at Trump's side.
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