Elon Musk has called out Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla for allegedly restricting public access to a beach near his California property. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk sarcastically criticized Khosla for placing a sign that read “No plebs allowed” on the beach. The tech mogul shared a picture of the sign, sparking a debate online about the legality of blocking access to public beaches.
You owe me an apology for spreading falsehoods. I think this post of yours needs a community comment for being a fraudulent photo. I have never put up this sign or anything even remotely like this. I presume it is AI generated but you can verify that. It will help X if we can… https://t.co/5PVE8uxDpH
— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) September 22, 2024
Musk further criticized Khosla, accusing him of hypocrisy for supporting the relocation of migrants to small American towns while restricting access to his beachfront. In his characteristic style, Musk humorously announced plans to throw a barbecue party on Khosla’s beach, fueling more discussion on the matter.
Vinod says we should send tens of thousands of unvetted migrants to small towns throughout America, but he didn’t even want to let the public walk on his beach …https://t.co/EsQqHs1498
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2024
Khosla’s legal battle over the beach dates back to 2008, when he purchased a $32.5 million beachfront mansion and blocked access to the cove with a gate. Although Khosla’s legal team defended the gate as lawful due to his property ownership, environmentalists and beach advocates disagreed. The dispute eventually reached the US Supreme Court in 2018, where justices upheld a lower court ruling against Khosla.
The Surfrider Foundation, a beach and ocean preservation group, hailed the court’s decision as a win for public beach access. Khosla continues to face pressure from the California State Lands Commission to reopen the beach to the public.
