Musk "Exposed to Significant Assassination Risk... Hope No Bad Things Happen"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Twitter, said he is "facing a considerable assassination risk."

According to Fox Business in the U.S. on the 4th (local time), Musk said during a discussion on Twitter Spaces the previous night that there is "definitely some risk" to his safety.

He said, "Honestly, the risk of something bad happening or literally being shot is quite high. I will never do an open car parade," adding, "If someone wants to kill me, it wouldn't be that difficult, so I hope they don't."

The discussion took place about a month after Musk acquired Twitter. During the two-hour discussion, he mentioned the importance of freedom of the press and his future plans for Twitter.

He emphasized, "Throughout history, freedom of the press has been very rare, unique, and uncommon," and added, "Because it is so precious, we really have to fight hard to protect it."

The discussion was held just one day after the release of the "Twitter Files," which included internal Twitter controversies over the platform's restriction of a 2020 New York Post article containing drug allegations about Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Musk said the files show that Twitter acted "like a subsidiary of the Democratic National Committee (DNC)" ahead of the 2020 presidential election, suggesting that more files may be released in the near future.