In a classic display of online banter turned headline-grabbing drama, Elon Musk has clashed publicly with Ryanair and its outspoken CEO, Michael O’Leary, igniting speculation about everything from in-flight internet to a potential airline acquisition.
The spat began earlier in January 2026 when O’Leary firmly rejected installing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on Ryanair’s fleet of over 600 Boeing 737s. He argued the required antennas would add drag and weight, imposing a roughly 2% fuel penalty—translating to hundreds of millions in extra annual costs for the ultra-low-cost carrier. O’Leary went further, dismissing Musk as knowing “zero” about aviation and drag, labeling him an “idiot” and calling X a “cesspit.
“Musk hit back hard on X, branding O’Leary an “utter idiot” who should be “fired” and disputing the fuel impact figures (claiming they’re exaggerated by a factor of 10, with real drag closer to 0.3% based on other airlines’ experiences).Tensions escalated on January 16 when X suffered a widespread outage in the US, with users struggling to post or load feeds. Ryanair’s official account seized the moment with a cheeky jab: “perhaps you need Wi-Fi
“Musk fired off the now-viral reply: “Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?” The punny question exploded across the platform, racking up millions of views, memes, and enthusiastic replies (including users named Ryan volunteering for the CEO spot).The exchange didn’t stop there. Over the following days, Musk doubled down, asking Ryanair “How much would it cost to buy you?” and declaring “I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air.
It is your destiny.” He even posted variations like “Buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler” and called O’Leary a “retarded twat” who needs firing.Some media outlets and X users reported or shared images suggesting Musk had pinned a poll asking if he should buy Ryanair—with votes heavily favoring “yes” (around 79-80% in screenshots circulating). However, Musk’s actual posts centered on rhetorical questions and jokes rather than a formal poll attachment.
Parody accounts and meme pages amplified the idea of a poll, boosting betting odds on platforms like Polymarket (briefly doubling from 5% to 10% on the long-shot takeover).Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline with a market cap around $35 billion, remains firmly in the no-frills camp—prioritizing cheap fares over extras like free Wi-Fi. Starlink is already equipping other carriers (such as Qatar Airways), but Ryanair sticks to its model of avoiding add-ons that could raise ticket prices.
The feud highlights a broader clash: Musk’s vision of universal connectivity versus Ryanair’s relentless cost-cutting. While a real buyout seems unlikely (airlines are notoriously tough investments, as the old joke goes: “How do you become a millionaire? Start as a billionaire and buy an airline”), the episode has delivered peak internet chaos—memes, name puns, and billionaire trolling in equal measure.As of January 19, 2026, the banter continues, proving once again that when two outspoken CEOs collide online, the internet wins.
