Elon Musk May Be Callous, Insensitive And 'Extremely Cruel' But 'Black Swan' Author Nassim Taleb Is Praying For His Safety Amid Rift With Trump

On Monday, Nassim Nicholas Taleb expressed concern for Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk while criticizing his personality.

What Happened: Taleb, a Lebanese-American options trader and strategist who is known for his book "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable," took to X, formerly Twitter, and said, "I may find @elonmusk callous, insensitive, even extremely cruel (& non-nuanced), but I root for him & pray for his safety."

Why It's Important: The comment came amid Musk's ongoing feud with President Donald Trump over the "Big Beautiful Bill," a sweeping tax-and-spend package that adds trillions to the federal deficit.

Last month, Taleb also called on others to support Musk's stance. "Whatever you thin[k] of @elonmusk, you must support him in this. The Trump budget is a lunacy; it will bankrupt America," he wrote at the time.

Musk, who previously headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been vocal in his criticism, calling the bill "a disgusting abomination."

On Saturday, Musk announced the formation of a new third party called the "America Party." Trump responded by calling the idea "ridiculous" and Musk "off the rails."

According to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, Musk's current net worth stands at $346 billion, reflecting a $15.3 billion decline in the latest change and a $86.7 billion drop year-to-date.

Price Action: On Monday, Tesla shares dropped 6.79% to close at $293.94, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that TSLA shows a short-term downward trend but maintains a solid upward trajectory over the medium and long term. While its growth ranking remains strong, its value score is relatively weaker. More detailed performance data is available here.