As the world burns around us, I find a small comfort in the fact that Elon Musk, despite his billions, will never be funny. The Tesla tycoon may have bought Twitter and gained influence over the president, but he cannot purchase the ability to make people genuinely laugh.
A clip from Joe Rogan's show captures Musk attempting to tell a joke about two economists eating piles of shit. He stumbles over the word 'shit', forgets the punchline, and chuckles to silence until Rogan forces out a laugh. The joke, likely written by someone else, is butchered in delivery.
Musk's comedic efforts reveal an emptiness. He lacks self-awareness, empathy, and curiosity about the world. Even standing next to Donald Trump, he is a black hole of charm. Those who laugh at his jokes have ulterior motives; without his money, people would flee.
Being funny requires engagement with others, but Musk is incapable. He reacts defensively to criticism, as when author Joyce Carol Oates eviscerated him on X. He knows his laughter is not genuine, and no AI robot with a laugh track can change that.
