Elon Musk Alarmed by Falling Population Rates

Controversial tech CEO says most people are under the “false impression” that there are too many people, when that’s just not the case.

QUICK FACTS:
  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned that birth rates are falling globally, in a recent interview with the head of Axel Springer, a media company that owns POLITICO, Insider, and several other publications.
  • During the 45-minute interview, the technology mogul told interviewer Mathias Döpfner that he thinks falling birthrates might be the next biggest threat to the future of humanity.
  • Musk claims that it’s a myth that the planet is overpopulated and the “ridiculous population estimates” from the United Nations and others need to be updated with more current data.
WHAT ELSE MUSK SAID:
  • “Most people in the world are operating under the false impression that we’ve got too many people. This is not true. Earth could maintain a population many times the current level. The birth rate has been dropping like crazy,” Musk said during the interview.
  • “If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble, mark my words.” He cited the population of Japan as an example of shocking depopulation saying that “ridiculous population estimates from the [United Nations]” should be “updated, because really, they don’t make any sense.”
BACKGROUND:
  • The Tesla CEO has become a polarizing figure in recent months as he makes a bid to buy Twitter and many believe that he has a plan for a hostile takeover if that bid isn’t accepted. 
  • Musk has caused controversy, however, with his “neural link brain implant” with experts saying the program could be dangerous and is “probably a bad idea.”

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