Writer Stephen King has hit back at Elon Musk for ‘putting his personal brand on everything’, after the billionaire said King was ‘dead-naming X.’
The 76-year-old writer had refused to call the social media site previously known as Twitter by its new name X, causing Musk to respond to him.
On Wednesday, King posted: ‘According to the New York Times, terrorists may be paying for blue check marks on Twitter (I refuse to call it X).’
In response, Musk appeared to make anti-transgender joke and replied: ‘Stop deadnaming X. Respect our transition.’
Deadnaming is when someone uses a former name of a transgender person without their consent.
The 76-year-old writer had refused to call the social media site previously known as Twitter by its new name X, causing Musk to respond to him
The spat between the two on Wednesday was not the first time to two had clashed heads on the platform
In response, Musk appeared to make anti-transgender joke and replied: ‘Stop deadnaming X. Respect our transition’
King had been referring to a story by the Times concerning a report from the Tech Transparency Project that found X was ‘potentially violating US sanctions.’
The report highlighted that they had been accepting payments from ‘accounts that include Hezbollah leaders and Houthi groups.’
In a statement to Variety, X said: ‘Our teams have reviewed the report and will take action if necessary.
‘We’re always committed to ensuring that we maintain a safe, secure and compliant platform.’
King then posted again on X, saying: ‘Dear Elon: Twitter. Twitter, Twitter. Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. Twitter, Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. And so on. F*** your need to put your personal brand on everything.’
The author then added: ‘Just because you bought it doesn’t mean you own it.’
The spat between the two on Wednesday was not the first time to two had clashed heads on the platform.
In 2022, the two sparred after King responded to a report that highlighted how Musk was going to charge for blue check-marks.
In 2022, the two sparred after King responded to a report that highlighted how Musk was going to charge for blue check-marks
The bestselling author, named the King of Horror, has sold over 350 million book copies worldwide
King tweeted: ‘F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron.” He added, “It ain’t the money, it’s the principle of the thing.”
Musk at the time replied to King, saying: ‘We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8 [per month]?’
King notes on his website that he is a Democrat and is open about his political views on the platform.
The bestselling author has sold more than 350 million book copies worldwide, with books like IT, Carrie, The Shining and the Green Mile all being turned into blockbuster movies.
On Wednesday, Musk announced he had moved the state of incorporation for his company SpaceX from Delaware to Texas.
The move followed Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick voiding Musk’s compensation package from Tesla, which helped make him the richest person in the world.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a shareholder, who said Musk’s ties with directors who negotiated the $56 billion package weren’t disclosed.
The plan had a $55.8 billion maximum value, and $2.6 billion fair value at the grant date, making it by far the largest CEO pay package in corporate history.
McCormick in her ruling found that the process leading to the board’s approval of his 2018 compensation package was ‘deeply flawed’ because of how close Musk was to some of its members.