Musk–Ryanair feud turns X outage into viral spectacle

What started as a routine technical glitch on Elon Musk-owned social media platform X quickly escalated into a high-profile war of words between two of the world’s most outspoken business leaders.

After X experienced its second service disruption in three days, users complained about frozen timelines and posts failing to load. Ryanair’s official account joined the chatter with a light-hearted jab at Musk, posting, “perhaps you need Wi-Fi @elonmusk?” The joke might have ended there, but Musk, never one to miss a public exchange, replied with a quip that instantly went viral.

“Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?” Musk wrote, turning the airline’s name into a punchline. The post racked up millions of views within hours, igniting memes, debates, and a fresh round of commentary.

The humour, however, masked deeper tensions between Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. Their clash had already been brewing days earlier, after O’Leary was asked during an interview on Irish radio station Newstalk about rumours that Ryanair might install Starlink, Musk’s satellite-based internet service, on its aircraft.

O’Leary dismissed the idea bluntly. “I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk. He’s an idiot, very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot,” he said on air.

Those remarks quickly circulated on X, prompting a sharp response from Musk. Sharing a post about the comments, he fired back: “Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him.” The exchange drew cheers from supporters on both sides and criticism from others who saw it as an unedifying public spat.

O’Leary, for his part, doubled down by explaining why Ryanair had rejected Starlink on financial grounds. Installing satellite internet would require fitting each aircraft with an external antenna, a move he estimated would cost the airline between $200 million and $250 million annually.

“That’s about one extra dollar per passenger,” he said. “And the reality for us is we can’t afford those costs.” He added that Ryanair’s budget-conscious customers would not pay for in-flight connectivity. “If it’s free, they’ll use it. But they won’t pay one euro each to use the internet. So, we’re not putting it on board.”

He also took aim at Musk’s platform itself, saying he would not pay attention to “anything that Elon Musk puts on that cesspit of his called X.” Emphasising his distance from online feuds, O’Leary remarked, “No, I would not waste I don’t have any social media accounts. Thankfully, I am too old to get involved in the cesspit that is social media.”

The episode has become a talking point well beyond aviation circles, symbolising a clash of egos and business philosophies in the digital age. Adding irony, old posts of Musk musing about buying Twitter have resurfaced. In 2017, he wrote, “I love Twitter,” later replying to a suggestion he buy it with, “How much is it?”

That casual exchange foreshadowed his eventual $44 billion acquisition of the platform in 2022. Now, under its new name X, it once again sits at the centre of a Musk-led controversy — this time featuring Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers.

While Musk’s suggestion of buying Ryanair and firing its CEO appears firmly rooted in sarcasm, the episode shows how quickly humour, pride, and business disagreements can collide in public view.