Elon Musk has joked about buying the United Kingdom after a satirical post claimed that the billionaire had purchased the country to “establish free speech” there
Elon Musk joked about buying the United Kingdom after a satirical post claimed that the billionaire had purchased the country to “establish free speech” there.
The joke came from US-based satirical website The Babylon Bee, which posted an article claiming that Musk had bought the UK.
Musk responded to the post on X with a brief question: “How much is it?”
The exchange drew attention because of Musk’s history of turning jokes about buying companies into reality. Most notably, he responded “How much is it?” in 2017 to a suggestion that he buy Twitter. Five years later, Musk completed his $44-billion acquisition of the social media company.
Musk and the ‘How much is it?’ question
Musk’s latest response echoes his brief reply from 2017, when a Twitter user suggested that he buy the platform.
The comment resurfaced after Musk went on to acquire Twitter in 2022. He initially agreed to buy the company for $44 billion, in a deal that valued the platform at $54.20 per share. The acquisition was completed in October 2022.
Musk’s interest in Twitter was closely linked to his views on free speech. In March 2022, he publicly questioned whether Twitter adhered to the principle that “free speech is essential to a functioning democracy”. He later said his aim was to make Twitter a platform for free speech.
More from BusinessThat history gives his latest response an added layer, although the Babylon Bee’s UK story is satire and there is no indication that Musk is actually attempting to buy Britain.
Why the Babylon Bee has a Musk connection
The Babylon Bee has its own history with Musk and Twitter’s free-speech debate.
In March 2022, Twitter locked the Babylon Bee’s account after the satirical website posted a joke naming Rachel Levine, a transgender US government official, as its “Man of the Year”. Twitter said the account had violated its hateful conduct policy and required the offending post to be deleted before access could be restored. The Babylon Bee refused to remove the post.
The incident became part of the wider debate over Twitter’s content moderation policies and Musk’s push for greater free speech on the platform.
The Babylon Bee later said that Musk had contacted the site following the suspension. According to the site’s CEO Seth Dillon, Musk had asked about the account and discussed the possibility of buying Twitter. The account was eventually reinstated by Musk after his acquisition of the platform.
Musk announced the reinstatement of the Babylon Bee account in November 2022, alongside those of comedian Kathy Griffin and academic Jordan Peterson.
