Why did Elon Musk say Scott Galloway never had a clue, and why does Galloway call Musk a traitor?

Elon Musk replied to a clip of Scott Galloway discussing a possible Tesla and SpaceX merger, in which Galloway said Tesla is the patient and SpaceX shareholders are the organ donors, given Tesla's falling deliveries and sales. Musk posted that Galloway never had any clue. Galloway said it struck him that this, rather than harsher names he had used, is what provoked Musk, and he explained his traitor-to-the-West label with a wartime analogy about a supplier switching off guidance systems on allied bombers mid-mission.

• Galloway said the remark that triggered Musk was the claim that one group of shareholders might be taken advantage of.
• Galloway said he felt validated by the response rather than threatened.
• Kara Swisher added that Vladimir Putin had praised Musk that same week.

▸In their words

“I've called him a menace, an addict, and a traitor to the West.” Scott Galloway · at 9:42 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Pivot (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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