Elon Musk's Horse Comment Sets Twitter Ablaze After Claiming Non Tesla Cars Will Be Extinct in 3 Years

Elon Musk suggested driving cars other than a Tesla in three years would be like "owning a horse," but several Twitter users were quick to disagree with the businessman's bold comment.

Musk, 47, shared his ideas for the auto industry's future during the Tesla Autonomy Investor Day in Palo Alto, California, on Monday. At this event, the CEO said he was "very confident" Tesla would be putting robotaxis on the roads sometime in 2020 and the company would have vehicles in the two years without pedals or steering wheels. The comment that has stood out among Twitter users was when he essentially declared cars that aren't Teslas will be obsolete in three years, ultimately equating regular vehicles to horses—an old-timey mode of transportation.

"The fundamental message that consumers should be taking today is that it's financially insane to buy anything other than a Tesla," Musk said. "It would be like owning a horse in three years. I mean, fine if you want to own a horse. But you should go into it with that expectation."

Twitter users had a field day with Musk's bold declaration. While some people mocked the entrepreneur with memes, many others shared criticism over Musk's sentiment.

One person argued the auto industry will "shame you into having a self-driving car" by positioning it as "something that is 'only for the rich.' A second Twitter user claimed to "disagree" with Musk by suggesting that "they'll be dangerous" and "people will not want automated cars." A third individual said, "Imagine owning stocks in Tesla and going on Twitter to see Elon Musk talking about f***ing horses."

"Sorry @elonmusk but I love my horse," a Twitter user wrote.

Musk last addressed the Tesla-horse comparison via Twitter on April 14. He tweeted out a link to an article from Clear Technica that examined the Tesla Model 3; a luxury electric vehicle. "Buying a car in 2019 that can't upgrade to full self-driving is like buying a horse instead of a car in 1919," he wrote.

Musk is known for making outlandish declarations, making his Tesla-horse comment far from the more bizarre statements he has made. Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX, took to Twitter to suggest how it was odd that humans have yet to spot aliens. "Seems like an opportune moment to bring up the Fermi Paradox, aka 'where are the aliens?' Really odd that we see no sign of them," he tweeted.

Musk casually brought up the topic of aliens once more in June 2016, tweeting: "And, no, I'm not an alien...but I used to be one."