Elon Musk has been criticized after warning Taylor Swift about a potential decline in popularity.
In case you missed it, the 33-year-old pop star was named Time magazine's 2023 'Person of the Year' on Wednesday (December 6).
The impressive accolade means she now joins the long list of people who've also been awarded such as Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, the late Pope John Paul II, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, and 2022 honoree Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The 'Anti Hero' songstress, who achieved billionaire status in 2023, shared her excitement on the social media platform X, owned by Musk, writing: "[ Journalist Sam Lansky] has such a wondrous way with words, and I’ve loved reading his pieces for over a decade. If you’ve ever been around him, you know he’s just the best type of person: Curious. Interested. Hilarious. Intriguing and intrigued."
Check out Swift's tweet below:She continued: "I have tRuSt iSSueS when it comes to interviews but I couldn’t be happier that I did this one with him. I was blown away to see quotes from people I adore and admire like Stevie Nicks, Greta Gerwig, Shonda Rhimes, Phoebe Bridgers, Natalie Maines, Kenny Chesney, and Lucian Grainge."
"I was so happy he spoke to fans Madison and McCall who were so eloquent, loyal, and kind," she said, before adding: "I’m really reflecting on this year, and all the years that led up to it. Can’t say thank you enough times."
At first, the Tesla owner congratulated Swift but added in a follow-up post: "Some risk of popularity decline after this award. I speak from experience lol."
The unsolicited advice from Musk - who received the same honor in 2021 for influence in "solving the globe's most intractable challenges" - was not received well on social media, as many angry Swifties took to their pages to slam the Space X founder.
One user blasted: "Nah, You are not Taylor Swift. Your popularity declined because of your own idiotic decisions being brought to light. Taylor is a good person and additional coverage isn't a risk for her."
Another person harshly criticized: "It’s because you’re a f***ing loser lmao. Miss Swift will be just fine because she’s unproblematic and talented and people actually like her. Jealous much?"
A third commented: "Your popularity declined because you’re a bad human.. not because you were (mistakenly) named Time Person of the Year."
A fourth added: "Your popularity declined because you’re an idiot who turned a successful company into a laughingstock, hope this helps!"
Lastly, someone else shared: "Taylor Swift is literally a self-made billionaire. She got there with talent, creativity, and work. Elon Musk was made a billionaire off of the work and ideas of others. He got there without talent, creativity, or actual work."
Compared to Musk, it's highly unlikely that the 'Love Story' hitmaker's popularity will decline as she has been in the music industry for 17 years, and yet her popularity continues to reach astronomical heights.
The singer will resume her record-shattering Eras Tour next year, in Europe, Asia, and North America.
