Photo: Getty Images
Billionaire Elon Musk teased potentially buying MSNBC in a post shared on his X account Friday (November 22).
Musk, a staunch supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, responded, "how much does it cost?" after Donald Trump Jr. reposted "Hey @elonmusk I have the funniest idea ever" with another post claiming the cable news network was up for sale. The billionaire later added, "The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely."
Musk had previously posted, "how much does it cost?" when an account suggested he should purchase Twitter, which he later did, rebranding it to X and firing a reported 80% of the social media company's staff.
Last week, the New York Post reported that MSNBC staffers were "in a panic" over the network's uncertain future. Anchors Rachel Maddow, Chris Jansing and Katy Tur were present during a reported meeting led by NBCUniversal chairman Mark Lazarus that was said to be "tense" and even included the suggestion of the network changing its name, sources confirmed to the New York Post.
Staffers fearing potential layoffs asked several questions about rebranding for the progressive cable news network amid repots that it would be cut off from the reporting muscle of NBC News. Lazarus said he was unsure whether the network would change its identity or relocate, according to he sources.
“Everyone is in a panic because everything is up in the air,” one source told the New York Post.
“People don’t really know what’s going on. They had the election, holidays are coming up. People are tired and just trying to get through," another source said.
Comcast Corp, NBCUniversal's parent company, said MSNBC would be joining CNBC, Oxygen, E! Syfy and the Golf Channel as part of a new company called SpinCo, while NBC News, NBC Sports, Telemundo, Bravo and the streaming service Peacock would all remain under the NBCUniversal umbrella. The spinoff is expected to take place in about a year.
“I don’t think anyone knows anything,” a source said. “I think they have a year to figure this out.”