Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, recently used his social media platform, X, to criticize fellow tech billionaire Vinod Khosla for allegedly restricting public access to a California beach. Khosla, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, has been involved in a legal battle over Martin’s Beach, a scenic spot along the San Mateo Coast, for over 15 years. After purchasing properties surrounding the beach in 2008, Khosla limited public access, including closing the road leading to the beach.
He has faced multiple lawsuits from conservation and surfer groups, who accuse him of violating public access rights. Musk’s post included an image of a beach sign that read “No plebs allowed,” along with jabs hinting at their political differences. This sparked a heated reaction from Khosla, who responded with a series of tweets.
“You owe me an apology for spreading falsehoods,” Khosla wrote. I think this post of yours needs a community comment for being a fraudulent photo.
Musk criticizes Khosla’s beach restrictions
I have never put up this sign or anything even remotely like this.”
Musk replied sarcastically, “Sorry I made a sign about you restricting access to a public beach. That was so extremely terrible. Please forgive me,” followed by a prayer emoji.
He continued his taunts, suggesting he would throw a BBQ party on Khosla’s beach. The feud highlights a longstanding issue regarding Khosla’s actions. In 2020, the California Coastal Commission sued Khosla, maintaining that the public had a right to use the road leading to the beach.
The commission argued that his measures to limit access were unlawful. Khosla has faced multiple legal challenges over his control of Martin’s Beach, raising questions over the balance between private property rights and public access to natural resources. The outcome of this ongoing dispute remains uncertain, but it continues to captivate the public and highlight critical issues of access and rights.
