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Elon Musk Tried to Insult Ryanair and Ended Up Making It Money

8 2
23.01.2026

The CEO of the budget airline handled a feud with Elon Musk in the most brilliant way possible.

BY CHLOE AIELLO, REPORTER @CHLOBO_ILO

Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary during a press conference in Dublin. Photo: Getty Images

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary may not have realized he was starting a feud with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk when he told Reuters he wouldn’t be installing Starlink internet on his planes—but that’s exactly what happened. 

A little over a week later—and following a series of insulting social media exchanges and the launch of Ryanair’s so-called Big “Idiot” Seat Sale—and O’Leary says he’s managed to turn the drama into ticket sales.

“We do want to thank him. We’ve had over three or four million hits on this seat sale our IT team launched yesterday,” O’Leary said........

© Inc.com