After calling Elon Musk an Idiot, Ryanair CEO now ‘agrees’ with him; says: Good news is that …
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has responded to Elon Musk’s “idiot” and “insufferable chimp” remarks, taking their public feud to a ‘profitable’ new level. After a week of trading insults on social media, the airline chief said that he “agrees” with the Tesla billionaire on his comments and that the online spat has driven a massive surge in business for the budget carrier.Speaking in an interview in Dublin on Wednesday (January 21), O’Leary revealed that the high-profile argument has led to an increase in Ryanair website footfall and bookings. He also seized the moment by announcing a “Big Idiots Seat Sale,” offering 100,000 seats for just £17 (€16.99).“I think I probably agree with him. I have four teenage children who regularly call me an idiot and insufferable chimp. The good news, though, is that it has delivered a dramatic increase in footfall coming to the Ryanair website over the last five days,” O’Leary said. “We have seen a significant increase in bookings, and as a result, we’ve launched a “big idiots seat sale” for the current three days where people can buy Reiner tickets for just 17 quid and travel during January, February, March or April. So it’s all good stuff, and if it helps Reiner bookings and help Reiner sales, I’m all in favour of it,” he added.
CEO Michael O’Leary invites Elon Musk to invest in Ryanair
O’Leary and Musk’s feud escalated further when the Tesla CEO launched a poll on X (formerly Twitter) asking his 220 million followers if he should “buy Ryanair and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler.” O’Leary responded by welcoming the idea of Musk as a shareholder, however, he quickly pointed out a major legal hurdle: Musk’s citizenship.“It’s a good publicity for Ryanair and X. Elon Musk is very welcome to buy shares in Ryanair, I think it would be a very good investment for him. I think it’d be a great investment for Elon Musk, certainly a better investment than X has been for him,” he said.To thank Musk for the free publicity, Ryanair CEO also said that the company is sending a free round-trip ticket to the X office. O’Leary encouraged Musk to “sample the Ryanair service” personally“To encourage him, we’re sending a round trip to the Twitter offices. A free flight for Mr Musk. And I think he should come and sample Ryanair service…just 17 quid.. this summer,” he said.
