’Not a fan of...’: Why Salman Rushdie wants Elon Musk to ’be the first man on Mars’

British-Indian author Salman Rushdie who has survived multiple stab wounds, and faced threats for his book The Satanic Verses, recently expressed his discontent and dislike for billionaire Elon Musk. Rushdie said he would like Elon Musk to ‘just leave’.

Salman Rushdie further added that Elon Musk does not defend free expression. The author expressed his disappointment when he was interviewed by El Pais at the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia.

Speaking about Elon Musk's Mars expedition, Salman Rushdie said that Musk had mentioned that it would take seven years to get to Mars. “Seven years have already passed, and I really want him to leave,” said Rushdie.

Elon Musk ‘does not defend free expression’

Salman Rushdie further added the Elon Musk does not defend free expression, and instead, curates the discourse of the extreme right.

“Elon Musk doesn’t defend free expression. His social network curates the discourse of the extreme-right. Appropriating a noble cause — such as freedom of expression — when what you really do is the opposite is very dishonest. I’m not a fan of Mr. Musk. And I would love for him to be the first man on Mars," Salman Rushdie said.

Elon Musk and free expression

Time and again, Rights groups and journalists have criticised X (formerly Twitter) CEO after the social media platform complied with a request from the Turkish government to block numerous accounts in the country, including those of several prominent journalists and news outlets.

In February 2025, majority of the accounts blocked were primarily associated with the Gulenist movement, which Turkey blames for the 2016 coup attempt, as well as pro-Kurdish, left-wing, and liberal individuals and outlets, reported The Middle East Eye.

Additionally, in 2024, several other accounts of journalists had been mysteriously suspended from X without warning or notice as to why. The only thing all the accounts had in common was they had been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, as per a report by The Guardian.