Yann LeCun, the Vice President and Chief AI Scientist of Meta, and Elon Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, have become embroiled in a highly intellectual argument on social media, making it one of the most notable nerd fights of 2024.
Although LeCun and Musk have been engaging in debates on X.com (formerly known as Twitter) for some time, their recent clash has reignited the feud, with both individuals hurling insults at each other.
The dispute apparently began when LeCun took over one of Musk’s X posts, which advertised job openings at xAI, Musk’s AI company. From there, tensions escalated day by day until Sunday, June 2, when LeCun took a metaphorical nuclear approach. The head of Meta AI unleashed a 379-word rant, criticizing Musk’s treatment of scientists and labeling the billionaire tycoon as a threat to society.
To put it into perspective, an average news article typically ranges from around 350-450 words.
Before delving further into LeCun’s outburst, which goes as far as accusing Musk of promoting “absurd conspiracy theories” and attempting to dismantle democracy, it’s important to understand why one of the world’s most respected computer scientists and one of the most renowned business moguls of all time are feuding in the first place.
Musk’s public disagreement with Meta dates back to the time when he was just an ordinary verified user on Twitter (when Meta was still known as Facebook). For instance, back in 2020, he famously responded to criticism from a Facebook AI scientist by tweeting, “Facebook sucks.”
Fast forward to the week of May 27, 2024, and we find Turing Award recipient LeCun subtly criticizing Musk in response to a recruitment post for Musk’s xAI artificial intelligence company, as shown in the image below:
[Image: Yann LeCun’s post]
In subsequent exchanges between LeCun, Musk, and various onlookers-turned-commentators, Musk questioned LeCun’s scientific expertise by asking, “what science have you done in the past five years?” In another post, he insinuated that LeCun lacked the skills to run a company, stating, “Yann is just following orders.”
Musk’s followers may argue that this particular exchange is relatively mild coming from the billionaire’s side. However, LeCun, seemingly eager to present his perspective and set the record straight, has potentially elevated the feud to its highest point.
[Image: Excerpt from Yann LeCun’s post]
Unfortunately, due to its length, we can only capture a portion of LeCun’s post in the image above.
After the initial lines mentioned above, where LeCun mentions his ownership of two Teslas and his satisfaction with the company’s products, the tone quickly turns sour. He criticizes Musk for his treatment of scientists and the “hype” surrounding his recent claims that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) would be achieved by 2025.
Furthermore, LeCun accuses Musk of undermining democracy:
“Elon’s behavior undermines democracy. He is trying to circumvent the established scientific process, which is based on peer review, consensus-building, and rigorous evaluation of evidence.”
Perhaps the most provocative remarks from LeCun portray Musk as a conspiracy theorist who spreads falsehoods and misinformation:
“Elon Musk is now a conspiracy theorist who peddles lies, misinformation, and absurd theories.”
As of the time of this article’s publication, Musk has yet to respond to LeCun’s recent comments.
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