“This wasn’t a debate,” Musk tweeted after the fact. “It was an ambush. If CBS thinks they can play that game with me, they’re sorely mistaken.”
Musk’s $1 billion project was supposed to be a lifeline for CBS, whose ratings had been on a slow decline. The network had hoped to use the show as a way to tap into Musk’s massive fanbase and bring a younger, tech-savvy audience into their viewership fold. Now, with the show dead in the water, CBS finds itself scrambling to fill the void.
In a tweet that has since gone viral, Musk announced his decision: “CBS is done for. They don’t deserve my show, and they don’t deserve your attention. Moving on.” The tweet garnered millions of likes and retweets, with fans and critics alike weighing in.
One of the top responses to Musk’s tweet was from his loyal follower base, with many of them declaring they would stop watching CBS altogether. “If Elon’s out, we’re out,” one user tweeted. “Who needs biased media when we’ve got SpaceX launches to watch?”