I am not racist: Elon Musk brings up Indian partner, son named after Chandrasekhar
Elon Musk used his family and company leadership record to reject racism allegations in an interview with The Economist. The exchange widened into a defence of his immigration views, his criticism of Britain and his activity on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back against accusations of racism, saying his personal life and the people leading his companies show the opposite. During a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, the billionaire pointed to his partner, who is of Indian heritage, and revealed that one of their children was named after Nobel Prize-winning Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The conversation largely focused on Musk's political views, immigration, and his activity on X, where he has often been criticised for amplifying controversial opinions. When The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes asked him about allegations that he promotes racist or far-right ideas, Musk strongly rejected the claim.
"My partner is... she's half Indian and I have four children with her," Musk said, referring to Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. "One of them was named after a famous Indian physicist... so I would say I'm not racist."
The physicist Musk referred to is Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American astrophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983. Earlier this year, Musk had explained on X that his son's name, Strider Sekhar, combines two inspirations: "Strider," the alias of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, and "Sekhar," a tribute to Chandrasekhar.
Musk also defended the culture at his companies, saying diversity exists across leadership roles.
"And also... if you look at the people that are employed at my companies... we have senior executives of all races. I don't think there's any racism there," he said.
What Musk said about immigration and Muslims
The discussion then moved to his comments on immigration, particularly his repeated criticism of immigration policies in Europe and the UK. Asked whether his views amounted to being anti-Muslim, Musk said his objections were not based on religion but on what he described as incompatible values.
"If people are coming to a country with antithetical views, I am against that," he said.
He added, "I'm against rape and murder. I'm against the imposition of rules and laws that are contrary to what we've come to accept in the West," while accusing parts of the traditional media of misrepresenting his position.
Earlier in the interview, Musk also dismissed suggestions that he supports the far right. Instead, he argued that positions such as stronger borders, safer cities and controlled government spending represent what he called "normal" views rather than extremist ones.
The interview also featured a heated exchange over Musk's criticism of Britain. Beddoes challenged his portrayal of the UK on X, arguing that crime data and her own experience contradicted the bleak picture Musk often shares online. She also questioned his decision to promote a controversial film criticised for its anti-immigrant messaging, though Musk largely defended sharing it as simply recommending a movie people could watch.
The interview comes as Musk continues to face scrutiny over his political commentary on X, with critics accusing him of influencing public opinion on issues ranging from immigration to European politics. Musk, however, insisted he was being unfairly labelled and maintained that his views have been consistently misunderstood.
Elon Musk has pushed back against accusations of racism, saying his personal life and the people leading his companies show the opposite. During a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, the billionaire pointed to his partner, who is of Indian heritage, and revealed that one of their children was named after Nobel Prize-winning Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The conversation largely focused on Musk's political views, immigration, and his activity on X, where he has often been criticised for amplifying controversial opinions. When The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes asked him about allegations that he promotes racist or far-right ideas, Musk strongly rejected the claim.
"My partner is... she's half Indian and I have four children with her," Musk said, referring to Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. "One of them was named after a famous Indian physicist... so I would say I'm not racist."
The physicist Musk referred to is Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American astrophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983. Earlier this year, Musk had explained on X that his son's name, Strider Sekhar, combines two inspirations: "Strider," the alias of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, and "Sekhar," a tribute to Chandrasekhar.
Musk also defended the culture at his companies, saying diversity exists across leadership roles.
"And also... if you look at the people that are employed at my companies... we have senior executives of all races. I don't think there's any racism there," he said.
What Musk said about immigration and Muslims
The discussion then moved to his comments on immigration, particularly his repeated criticism of immigration policies in Europe and the UK. Asked whether his views amounted to being anti-Muslim, Musk said his objections were not based on religion but on what he described as incompatible values.
"If people are coming to a country with antithetical views, I am against that," he said.
He added, "I'm against rape and murder. I'm against the imposition of rules and laws that are contrary to what we've come to accept in the West," while accusing parts of the traditional media of misrepresenting his position.
Earlier in the interview, Musk also dismissed suggestions that he supports the far right. Instead, he argued that positions such as stronger borders, safer cities and controlled government spending represent what he called "normal" views rather than extremist ones.
The interview also featured a heated exchange over Musk's criticism of Britain. Beddoes challenged his portrayal of the UK on X, arguing that crime data and her own experience contradicted the bleak picture Musk often shares online. She also questioned his decision to promote a controversial film criticised for its anti-immigrant messaging, though Musk largely defended sharing it as simply recommending a movie people could watch.
The interview comes as Musk continues to face scrutiny over his political commentary on X, with critics accusing him of influencing public opinion on issues ranging from immigration to European politics. Musk, however, insisted he was being unfairly labelled and maintained that his views have been consistently misunderstood.
Elon Musk has pushed back against accusations of racism, saying his personal life and the people leading his companies show the opposite. During a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, the billionaire pointed to his partner, who is of Indian heritage, and revealed that one of their children was named after Nobel Prize-winning Indian physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. The conversation largely focused on Musk's political views, immigration, and his activity on X, where he has often been criticised for amplifying controversial opinions. When The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes asked him about allegations that he promotes racist or far-right ideas, Musk strongly rejected the claim.
"My partner is... she's half Indian and I have four children with her," Musk said, referring to Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. "One of them was named after a famous Indian physicist... so I would say I'm not racist."
The physicist Musk referred to is Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Indian-American astrophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983. Earlier this year, Musk had explained on X that his son's name, Strider Sekhar, combines two inspirations: "Strider," the alias of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, and "Sekhar," a tribute to Chandrasekhar.
Musk also defended the culture at his companies, saying diversity exists across leadership roles.
"And also... if you look at the people that are employed at my companies... we have senior executives of all races. I don't think there's any racism there," he said.
What Musk said about immigration and Muslims
The discussion then moved to his comments on immigration, particularly his repeated criticism of immigration policies in Europe and the UK. Asked whether his views amounted to being anti-Muslim, Musk said his objections were not based on religion but on what he described as incompatible values.
"If people are coming to a country with antithetical views, I am against that," he said.
He added, "I'm against rape and murder. I'm against the imposition of rules and laws that are contrary to what we've come to accept in the West," while accusing parts of the traditional media of misrepresenting his position.
Earlier in the interview, Musk also dismissed suggestions that he supports the far right. Instead, he argued that positions such as stronger borders, safer cities and controlled government spending represent what he called "normal" views rather than extremist ones.
The interview also featured a heated exchange over Musk's criticism of Britain. Beddoes challenged his portrayal of the UK on X, arguing that crime data and her own experience contradicted the bleak picture Musk often shares online. She also questioned his decision to promote a controversial film criticised for its anti-immigrant messaging, though Musk largely defended sharing it as simply recommending a movie people could watch.
The interview comes as Musk continues to face scrutiny over his political commentary on X, with critics accusing him of influencing public opinion on issues ranging from immigration to European politics. Musk, however, insisted he was being unfairly labelled and maintained that his views have been consistently misunderstood.
