“Money Can’t Buy Happiness”: Endorsed by the World’s Richest Man, Netizens Amused

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest man with an estimated fortune exceeding $800 billion, expressed agreement on social media with the old adage, “Money can’t buy happiness,” on the 5th. His post quickly stirred a wave of tongue-in-cheek responses from netizens.

At this point, Musk’s personal net worth has already surpassed $850 billion, setting a new world record for individual wealth. He leads the second-richest billionaire by over $578 billion, and his fortune is greater than the combined wealth of the world’s second to fifth richest individuals.

However, despite such immense wealth, Musk doesn’t seem particularly happy. On X, he posted: “People who say ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really know what they’re talking about.” Musk also included a sad emoji in his post.

Musk’s post garnered over 50,000 comments within just eight hours. Some netizens joked, asking Musk to send them money so they could “experience what it’s like for the rich to be unable to buy happiness.” Others asked him to give them $1 million, so they too could see for themselves that money can’t buy happiness.

There were also more serious comments, with netizens suggesting: If we want to maximize happiness, perhaps wealth should be redistributed from billionaires who barely register the value of money, to institutions that save lives—or used for humanitarian aid in poor countries—so more people can escape poverty and hunger.

This is not Musk’s first time exploring the essence of happiness. He previously put forward a widely quoted “happiness formula”: Happiness equals reality minus expectations. He believes happiness stands on two pillars—having genuine emotional relationships and pursuing work one is truly passionate about. Achieve both, and happiness nears completion; if you only have one, happiness goes only halfway.