Musk Scolds Dilbert Creator Over Population Control Poll

Elon Musk scolded Dilbert creator Scott Adams following a Twitter poll asking users whether “elites” are trying to reduce the population.

Adams asked his 800,000-plus followers if they believed a “group of elites or leftists” wants to reduce the population of the planet, and nearly 75 percent said they believed it. Just over six percent called the theory nuts. Almost 55,000 people voted in the poll.

“It is a very common sentiment, mostly implicit, sometimes explicit,” Musk tweeted in response to the poll, though he was not mentioned or tagged in the original tweet. Musk has though spoken about his concern over the population before.

How many of you believe some group of elites or leftists or someone important wants to reduce the population of Earth?

— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) December 29, 2022

Musk’s tweet included a link to a New York Times article on activist Les Knight. The headline read: “Earth Now Has 8 billion Humans. This Man Wishes There Were None.”

The response led to a back-and-forth between the two with Musk eventually telling Adams to “run antivirus software in your brain.”

“I stipulate that people with no real power or influence do hold that view. Apparently that triggers confirmation bias that the UN, the WEF, Bill Gates, George Soros and governments want the population to decline from current levels. This is the Right’s Drinking Bleach Hoax,” Adams tweeted.

Musk snapped back by claiming this argument about population control is not a “left” or “right” issue.

“This is neither a ‘right’ nor a ‘left’ issue. Run antivirus software in your brain,” Musk wrote.

The Twitter owner was so excited about the Times article that he provided Adams and others with a link to get past a pesky paywall.

“Stay tuned,” Adams tweeted after someone told him to cross getting fact-checked by Musk off the bucket list.

I don’t think we should divide issues semi-randomly into “left” and “right” tribes, as it inhibits critical thinking.

The idea that there are too many people generally stems from the axiomatic flaw that Earth’s environment can’t sustain its current population.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2022

Adams is best known for creating the comic strip Dilbert, which was previously turned into an animated series. In recent years, he’s gained attention for his musings on Donald Trump and other political affairs, authoring books like Win Bigly.

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