After being called out by one of the UN’s directors, Elon Musk is ready to sell some of his Tesla (TSLA) stock “right now” if the agency can explain how $6 billion will alleviate world hunger.
His comments, which were met with some backlash, came as UN World Food Programme (WFP) director David Beasley asked some of the wealthiest individuals to offer up some resources on a “one-time basis” to help put a permanent end to world hunger. Beasley specifically name-dropped Jeff Bezos and Musk to donate $6 billion to the cause, which would feed 42 million people.
“It’s not complicated,” Beasley stated during his appearance last week on CNN’s Connect the World. If Musk alone donated the funds, it would equal approximately 2% of his wealth.
On Sunday, researcher Dr. Eli David tweeted, “In 2020, the UN World Food Program (WFP) raised $8.4B. How come it didn’t “solve world hunger”?” Musk responded to the tweet stating that he would gladly donate the money if the UN could break down how his $6 billion would fix a problem that has plagued the world since the beginning of time.
Beasley shot back at Musk, clarifying his comments and providing ways that the funds would help millions of citizens.
“@elonmusk! Headline not accurate. $6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation,” he tweeted.
After Beasley fired off another tweet inviting the Tesla frontman to sit down and talk about the matter, Musk tweeted, “Please publish your current & proposed spending in detail so people can see exactly where money goes.”
While Beasley has invited Musk to take the chat offline, it is unclear if the two have lined up a time and place to chat.
As of Monday, Musk’s net worth stood at $311 billion.
