Elon Musk Says The Idea Of Creating A Phone Makes Him 'Want To Die' But He Will If There's A Need — Although He's 'Got A Lot Of Fish To Fry'

It's not every day a billionaire says a product idea makes him "want to die." But leave it to Elon Musk to put a stake in the smartphone hype—while still keeping one hand on the shovel.

At a Pennsylvania town hall in October, someone cut straight to the point:

"I want to know when the X phone's coming out."

Musk didn't hesitate. "Man, I sure hope we don't have to make a phone. That's a lot of work," he said. "The idea of making a phone makes me want to die. But if we have to make a phone, we will. But we will aspire not to make a phone."

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The crowd laughed. Musk didn't. He made it clear this wasn't about competition—it was about pressure. Specifically, pressure from tech giants like Apple and Google.

"They need to make sure they don't have a heavy hand in the App Store… or they will create a forcing function for there to be a competitor."

This wasn't the first time Musk toyed with the idea. Back in November 2023 at the New York Times DealBook Summit, he gave the same energy when asked if he'd ever make a phone—especially as rumors swirled about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teaming up with legendary Apple designer Jony Ive on a sleek AI-powered device.

"I don't think there's a real need to make a phone," Musk told Times journalist and CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin.

"If there's an essential need to make a phone, I'll make a phone. But I've got a lot of fish to fry."

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And if you're wondering what a Musk-designed phone might look like? Don't. He's already mentally past it.

"You've got basically a black rectangle. How do you make that better?"

His answer: skip the screen altogether. When asked what the future of communication looks like in his head, he pointed there literally.

"Yeah, good phrase—in the head. A Neuralink."

"The best interface would be a neural interface directly to your brain. So that would be a Neuralink."

So no, Musk doesn't want to build a phone. He thinks it's a "black rectangle" dead-end. He'd rather hook your brain up to a chip than join the smartphone war.

But if Apple picks a fight?

He'll sigh. He'll grumble. And then—he just might build it.

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