It was on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that Elon Musk and Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, argued after the airline’s official account made a joke about the X “blackout” on 16 January.

The exchange was mainly due to Ryanair not using Starlink technology on its planes, which sparked a discussion that led Musk to threaten to buy Ryanair.

The tension began to build when Michael O’Leary told Reuters that he does not install Starlink, believing passengers do not need Wi-Fi on short-haul flights. The CEO of the Irish airline also explained that installing Starlink would increase fuel costs.

perhaps you need Wi-Fi @elonmusk? https://t.co/eq82qcLqKv

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) January 16, 2026

In response, Elon Musk said that O’Leary was misinformed. From then on, the exchange of words became more intense, with O’Leary accusing Elon Musk of having no knowledge of aviation and calling him an “idiot” in a post on X.

Elon Musk was not happy and returned the insult to the Ryanair CEO. And when Ryanair published the joke about the X “blackout,” Elon Musk stated that O’Leary should be fired and that he should buy the company and put someone named Ryan in charge.