Elon Musk apologises to British Thai cave rescuer after calling him a 'pedo'
Elon Musk and British caver Vern Unsworth
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, he had written: 'You know what, don’t bother showing the video. We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.'
Tesla Inc founder Elon Musk apologised to British caver Vern Unsworth for comments he made about him following the rescue of a dozen Thai schoolboys and their football coach from a cave in northern Thailand.
Musk, the South African-born innovator and billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX, found himself in hot water after insulting Vern Unsworth, calling him a "pedo."
"His actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr. Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader," Musk said in a tweet. "The fault is mine and mine alone."
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, he had written: "You know what, don’t bother showing the video. We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it." He later deleted it.
The chief executive of the tech giant offered to assist the rescue mission by providing a submarine. The request was turned down.
British diver Vern Unsworth, 63, was one of the instrumental members who helped in the rescue mission. CNN reports him as saying that Musk's submarine “wouldn’t have made the first 50 meters into the cave” calling the whole thing “just a PR stunt.”
Asked if he would take legal action against Musk over the allegation, Unsworth said: "If it's what I think it is yes."
The caver told AFP he would make a decision when he flies back to the UK this week, but said the episode with Musk "ain't finished".
Earlier, Tesla investors demanded an apology from the CEO Elon Musk following his remarks on the British Thai cave rescuer on Sunday.
Loup Ventures, a venture capital firm, published an open letter to Musk on behalf of investors, saying the comments to Unsworth “crossed the line” and calling for an apology.
Gene Munster, head of research at Loup Ventures wrote: “Over the last 6 months, there have been too many examples of concerning behavior that is shaking investor confidence.
"Your behavior is fueling an unhelpful perception of your leadership – thin-skinned and short-tempered," the letter said. "The exchange with Vern Unsworth crossed the line. I suspect you would agree given you deleted the string from Twitter, but it will take more than that to regain investor confidence."
He has had a series of angry social media dust-ups with Wall Street analysts, journalists, employees and others. It has raised more concerns about the Tesla CEO's stability and leadership abilities.