Elon Musk made an unexpected appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, marking a sharp reversal after years of publicly ridiculing the annual gathering of global political and business elites. The world's richest person announced his arrival minutes before taking the stage, posting on X that he would be speaking shortly and asking followers what he should say.
Musk joined BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink on a panel, his first Davos appearance at a time when his political and economic influence has rarely been higher. During the discussion, he spoke about Tesla's ambitions in Europe, saying he was optimistic that approval for the company's self driving technology could come as early as next month.
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvSE24uEPBQ</social>
He also used the moment to inject humor into the tense geopolitical atmosphere surrounding the forum. Musk joked about President Donald Trump's recent rhetoric toward Greenland and Venezuela, poking fun at the newly announced Board of Peace. Playing on the word "peace," he quipped about taking "a little piece of Greenland, a little piece of Venezuela," drawing laughter from the audience before adding, "All we want is piece."
Musk did not shy away from criticism, taking aim at US tariff policies that he said were hurting the deployment of solar energy. He argued that high tariff barriers had artificially inflated costs, noting that China dominates solar manufacturing and related technology, making protectionist measures economically counterproductive.
The appearance was striking given Musk's long standing hostility toward Davos, which he has repeatedly described as elitist, unaccountable, and detached from ordinary people. His presence underscored the contradictions of his current position as both a vocal critic of global institutions and a central figure in debates shaping technology, defense, energy, and geopolitics, many of which now unfold on the very stages he once dismissed.