Elon Musk Vs. Michael O'Leary: Billionaire Troll Meets Airline Maverick In Epic Starlink-Ryanair Showdown

Elon Musk is one of those people who mastered the art of turning everyday disagreements into viral spectacles.

With his razor-sharp wit, unfiltered opinions, and a penchant for provocative humor, he thrives on chaos that doubles as free publicity. Whether he's memeing his way through boardroom battles or firing off late-night posts that spark global headlines, Musk treats X, his own social platform, as a personal playground for trolling, debating, and occasionally roasting opponents in real time.

Backed by his staggering wealth (still making him the world's richest person) and control over companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and X itself, he rarely backs down from a fight, especially when it involves technology he believes in.

That signature style is on full display in his latest public clash: a fiery, insult-laced feud with Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary.

What happens is that, Musk clashes with Ryanair, and turns it into one of the most entertaining billionaire-versus-CEO showdowns of the year.

It began innocently enough in mid-January 2026, when Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary publicly ruled out equipping Ryanair's massive fleet of Boeing 737s with SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet.

As the boss of Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost airline, he cited practical concerns: the added antennas would bring extra weight and aerodynamic drag, potentially hiking fuel costs by about 2% on short-haul routes where most passengers fly for just an hour or so. And this addition would cost his company not less than $250 million in extra fuel.

O'Leary also doubted customers would pay extra for Wi-Fi anyway, given Ryanair's ultra-low fares and focus on keeping operations lean.

Musk, spotting what he saw as misinformation, couldn't resist jumping in on X.

He swiftly labeled O'Leary "misinformed," arguing that SpaceX's latest low-profile designs would cause a far smaller penalty, closer to 0.1–0.3% at most, and accused the Ryanair chief of clinging to outdated aerodynamics.

What started as a technical rebuttal quickly spiraled into classic Musk territory: blunt personal attacks.

He called O'Leary an "utter idiot," an "imbecile," a "retarded twat." and worse.

He even suggested that the Ryanair boss should be fired for rejecting Starlink.

Musk even said that he would consider buying Ryanair, and replace O'Leary with "someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge" because "it is your destiny."

He made a playful dig at the airline's late founder, Tony Ryan, after which he ran a poll asking followers if he should do it.

The response? Overwhelmingly yes, with thousands voting in favor and turning the hypothetical into meme fodder across the platform.

O'Leary, no stranger to controversy himself with his own famously abrasive style, hit back just as hard.

In interviews and a packed Dublin press conference, he dismissed Musk as an "idiot" who knows little about running an airline, mocked X as a "cesspit" and Musk's outbursts as "Twitshit" or "Twitter tantrums," and shrugged off the insults with Irish bluntness.

He pointed out the obvious regulatory roadblock: EU rules bar non-European citizens like Musk from controlling a major airline, making any full takeover fantasy impossible.

The exchange escalated into pure theater, especially since Ryanair's X account itself is known for its being unmistakably cheeky, unapologetic, and brutally sarcastic. Its account has long been operated by a snarky, no-nonsense character who can roast everyone (including passengers and themselves) without mercy, but in a way that's oddly endearing and entertaining for those who are into the joke.

What's more, Ryanair wasted no time capitalizing on the buzz.

The airline launched cheeky promotions like the "Big Idiot Seat Sale" (with not-so-subtle nods to Musk) and thanked him publicly for the free exposure.

O'Leary later revealed the drama had boosted ticket sales by a noticeable margin, perhaps 2-3% in the immediate aftermath, proving that even negative attention can pay off for a brand built on provocation.

“Elon Musk apparently took great umbrage and resorted to insulting me on X at the weekend, calling me an idiot," he said at a press conference in Dublin as he launched a seat sale that is claimed to be "only available for Elon Musk and any other ‘idiots’ on X."

"It is very good for our bookings and you know, we love these PR spats that drive bookings on Ryanair," he told reporters. "I’m sure it does wonders for Elon Musk and his X, or whatever subscribers he has on X as well, to be fighting with somebody."

"They’re up about 2% or 3% in the last five days, which, given our volumes, is a very significant boost," he added.

In the end, this isn't truly about satellite antennas or fuel burn percentages.

It's a collision of two larger-than-life egos: Musk's disruptive, meme-driven bravado clashing with O'Leary's no-nonsense, cost-cutting swagger. Both men love the spotlight, both wield sharp tongues, and both know how to turn a spat into sustained headlines.

The insults fly, the polls rack up votes, the sales tick up, and the internet watches with popcorn in hand.

Whether it fizzles out or escalates further, one thing is clear: this billionaire-versus-CEO showdown has delivered exactly the kind of chaotic entertainment Musk's X was built for.

As long as the verbal fireworks continue, neither side seems ready to land the plane.

Regarding X (formerly Twitter), O’Leary said: doesn't believe in things like social media. And X in particular, according to him, is a "cesspit."

"I am not a member, never subscribed, don’t participate in it. But I find my personal objection to social media is anonymity," O’Leary said, who then added about recent issues on X about Grok.

"I think the most recent controversy with Grok undressing children or undressing women is, frankly, offensive," he said. "I don’t understand why governments don’t make it illegal. Women and children, and the occasional man I presume as well, should be protected from not having your images nudified."

"There’s enough porn out there for those who want to watch porn."

"Am I happy for Ryanair to be on it? Yes, I am. We have to be out there, whether it’s on Facebook or Instagram or God help us, we’re on TikTok. We have one of the biggest corporate accounts on TikTok, which I think, personally, is the greatest amount of rubbish I’ve ever seen. Talking airplanes, Jesus, is this what the world is coming to?

Further reading: Outrage As Elon Musk's AI Keeps Undressing People, And That There Isn't Much Anyone Can Do About It