LinkedIn's Creator Admits Hiring Security Following Allegations Linking Him to Jeffrey Epstein by Elon Musk
Approximately two months ago, Elon Musk appeared on Tucker Carlson's podcast and started discussing the infamous client list of Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased alleged pedophile. At the time, Donald Trump had promised to make this list public if he was re-elected, and Musk, who was supporting Trump, claimed that certain individuals were anxious about this possibility. He particularly pointed out LinkedIn co-founder and tech billionaire Reid Hoffman, mentioning that Hoffman was "terrified" of a Trump victory.
Now, in an interview with The Sunday Times, Hoffman claims he's had to hire security due to threats from right-wingers following Musk's comments. "It's frustrating when someone spreads baseless lies that result in threats of violence from MAGA supporters," Hoffman said, expressing his anger and sadness at Musk's defamatory statements. Hoffman, who had a connection with Epstein, had been publicly supporting Kamala Harris at the time.
This verbal exchange between Musk and Hoffman seems to be yet another manifestation of the political power struggles that are prevalent with Trump returning to the White House. Musk, who had endorsed Trump, now has the power to target his adversaries, while Hoffman is forced to hire security guards to protect himself. This incident is also a reminder of the politicization of the Epstein scandal, a scandal that surprisingly had bipartisan ties among the wealthy and influential.
During his conversation with Carlson, Musk talked about Hoffman in relation to Epstein:
Elon: If Trump wins, the Epstein client list will become public, and some of Kamala's billionaire backers are worried about that.
Tucker: Do you think Hoffman is uncomfortable?
Elon: Yes, and Gates.
Tucker: I'm just asking because you can tell that they're nervous...
Elon: Yeah, Reid Hoffman was my business development director at PayPal 24 years ago.
Tucker: Does he seem nervous to you?
Elon: Yeah, he's terrified of a Trump victory.
Tucker: Because of the disclosures that would follow?
Elon: I think he's ideologically not aligned with Trump, but I think he's concerned about the Epstein situation.
Hoffman's connection with Epstein has been well-documented. The Wall Street Journal had reported that Hoffman had visited Epstein's island in 2014 and was also reportedly responsible for introducing Epstein to several influential tech industry figures, including Peter Thiel (as per Thiel's own admission).
If Musk is looking for Epstein-related adversaries to criticize, he needn't look beyond his new boss, the president-elect of the United States. Trump has a history of association with Epstein. The two were neighbors in Florida, reportedly partied together, and Trump once said about Epstein: "I've known Jeff for 15 years. He's a lot of fun to be with. It's even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Other reports about Trump's association with Epstein surfaced before the election, including a taped interview with Epstein, where he claimed to be Trump's "best friend" for ten years. However, there is no public evidence that Trump ever visited Epstein's island.
Epstein, who died in a prison cell in 2019, was associated with a significant number of wealthy and influential individuals. As Musk noted, Microsoft's Bill Gates is one such person who had ties with Epstein, even making several trips to the pedophile's island. A number of other powerful tech executives, including the co-founders of Google, Sergei Brin and Larry Page, have also been subpoenaed in connection to ongoing Epstein-related litigation.
- As Musk mentioned during his podcast interview, the potential release of Epstein's client list, if Trump had been re-elected, had caused anxiety among tech billionaires like Reid Hoffman and Bill Gates, due to their past associations with Epstein.
- In the face of Musk's defamatory statements and potential public scrutiny, Hoffman has felt the need to invest in security technology to safeguard himself, demonstrating how the future of technology may intersect with personal safety in the political arena.
