Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize by European Parliament member Branko Grims. The nomination comes with Musk’s fight for free speech as Grims submitted a petition to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citing the billionaire’s work on human rights and toward peace through open dialogue.
Despite the recognition, Musk has spoken out against the award, saying, “I don’t want any prizes.” The candid CEO’s opinions on censorship and his polarizing purchase of Twitter, now renamed X, have raised a lot of eyebrows.
Musk’s takeover in 2022 has been hailed as a revolutionary step toward betterment in free expression. Since then, he has lifted the bans on several noted conservative figures and relaxed content moderation policies, espousing free speech. This development has not been without its consequences, however: critics say that X has, in fact, actually become a playground for misinformation and harassment.
The nomination has garnered mixed responses online. Some pointed out that Nobel Peace Prize nominees can literally be anyone, and sometimes, in doing so, the prize is watered down in terms of importance. Others have mentioned that X still enforces some limits on what users can say about certain topics, citing ongoing controversies over words such as “cisgender.”
As the discussion progresses, an implication of sorts with respect to Musk’s candidature and further influence on virtual discourses develops into a contentious issue.
