Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is once again making headlines, this time not for his endeavors in the space or electric vehicle industry, but for a rather unusual proposition to the world’s most famous online encyclopedia. Musk recently expressed his willingness to donate a staggering $1 billion to Wikipedia, under one quirky condition: they must change their name to “Dickipedia.”
Musk’s peculiar offer came during a series of Twitter exchanges, where he engaged with his followers on a variety of topics. In response to a user’s suggestion that Wikipedia should go through with the name change, Musk humorously replied, “One year minimum. I mean, I’m not a fool lol.”
The Twitter community was quick to react to Musk’s proposition, with one user warning Wikipedia, “They’re always asking for donations, so be careful. They might come to collect.” Others were more amused by Musk’s suggestion, comparing it to a “cage match challenge.”
In addition to the name change, Musk added a touch of humor by requesting a cow and a poop emoji to be included on his Wikipedia page, showcasing his playful side on the social media platform.
Musk’s tweet, which included a screenshot of Wikipedia’s homepage stating, “Wikipedia is not for sale” and featuring “a personal appeal from Jimmy Wales,” also touched on the Wikimedia Foundation’s fundraising activities. Musk questioned the need for such substantial funds, given that the entire text of Wikipedia can fit on a smartphone, prompting him to ponder, “So, what’s the money for? Inquiring minds want to know…”
This recent exchange isn’t the first time Elon Musk and Wikipedia have crossed paths in the virtual realm. Earlier this year, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales criticized Musk for his decision to restrict content related to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Musk’s response to Wales was, “Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is to have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?” In contrast, Wales emphasized Wikipedia’s commitment to free speech, highlighting their principled stand that eventually led to the unblocking of the platform in Turkey.
As of now, Musk’s offer to donate $1 billion to Wikipedia, contingent on the name change, remains a lighthearted exchange on social media, generating considerable attention and amusement from his followers. Whether Wikipedia will consider this unique proposition is yet to be seen, but it certainly has added an intriguing twist to Musk’s presence on Twitter.