Elon Musk is hitting back at the Wall Street Journal after the outlet accused him of an adulterous affair, encouraging a defamation lawsuit and sharing photo evidence that casts doubt on the outlet’s report.
A Sunday article, which Musk described as a “hit piece,” accused the Tesla billionaire of engaging in an adulterous affair with Nicole Shanahan, the then-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, in fall of 2021.
The article claimed that the adulterous affair ruptured a longtime friendship between Brin and Musk, ultimately contributing to a divorce between the couple.
Musk even went so far as to have “dropped to one knee” and begged forgiveness from Brin for encroaching upon his then-wife, according to the Wall Street Journal article.
Brin and Musk are two of the world’s wealthiest people, with the former providing early investment for Tesla.
Musk quickly denied the veracity of the article after its publication.
Yeah, that was Sergey and me yesterday afternoon!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022
He shared a picture of himself and Brin together, saying that the photo was taken over the weekend, seemingly refuting claims that the men were no longer friends.
Is the Wall Street Journal telling the truth?
A lawyer for Shanahan released a statement rejecting the Wall Street Journal’s report as an “outright lie” and “defamatory,” the New York Post reported.
The Wall Street Journal, which cited “people familiar with the matter,” has stood by its reporting in the story.
Kirsten Grind and Emily Glazer are listed on the article’s byline.
Lawyer for Sergey Brin’s wife Nicole Shanahan backs @elonmusk saying, “Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory.”
Yet @wsj says “We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting.”
??♂️
— Dave Lee (@heydave7) July 27, 2022
Musk accused Wall Street Journal investigation editor Michael Siconolfi of having “zero journalistic integrity” for his role in publishing what he called a “hit piece.“
The real problem here is that @michaelsiconolf has zero journalistic integrity
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022
Musk suggested that Shanahan could sue the outlet for defamation, arguing that his own public profile would make it difficult to win a defamation case as a litigant.
Musk shared a picture of himself hanging out with Brin in response to a tweet from Siconolfi claiming their friendship had been destroyed, seemingly catching the mainstream media editor red-handed.
______, ______ your ? are on ? pic.twitter.com/Ioq3EGOQj3
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022
Musk has claimed that dishonest media coverage of him is motivated by demand for clicks and internet traffic.
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