Why Elon Musk Called Instagram A Platform “For Girls”

Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy online. Whether he’s posting memes at midnight, taking shots at rival companies, or casually dropping comments that set social media on fire for hours, the Tesla chief knows exactly how to keep the internet talking. His latest target? Instagram. The SpaceX founder recently sparked another wave of debate after commenting on a viral discussion thread on X about social media habits and online personalities. The original thread joked about how different apps reflect different “phases” of life, from posting thirst traps and endless selfies to uploading food pictures and aesthetic home content.That’s when Musk jumped in with a short but explosive reply: “Instagram is for girls.” And as expected, things escalated

pretty quickly after that.Musk Doubled Down With Another CommentAs reactions flooded in, the Executive Chairman at X followed up with another post that triggered even more criticism online.

“Sometimes grown men send me their Instagram profiles and I’m like are you transitioning or what?” Musk wrote.

The comments instantly went viral across social media platforms, with many users accusing him of pushing gender stereotypes and making insensitive remarks about transitioning.Others, however, brushed it off as classic Elon Musk behaviour, provocative, chaotic and intentionally designed to trigger reactions.Why Did Musk Make These Comments?The simple answer is probably the same reason Musk often posts controversial things online: engagement. The tech billionaire has built a reputation for rage-baiting users and dominating online conversations with blunt or polarising takes. In many cases, the controversy itself becomes the point.But there may also be deeper themes behind the remarks. Over the years, Musk has repeatedly criticised discussions around gender identity and transitioning on X. At the same time, he often portrays platforms focused on lifestyle, fashion, selfies, or influencer culture as unserious or shallow, categories many people associate with Instagram. Interestingly, that kind of content continues to dominate the Meta-owned platform today.There’s also a competitive angle here. The X owner has frequently taken digs at Meta-owned apps ever since tensions between him and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg became public. Around the same time as the Instagram comments, Musk also claimed on X that: “Only X is open, the other social media companies manipulate the results behind closed doors.” Just weeks ago, Musk publicly questioned WhatsApp’s trustworthiness, posting: “Can’t trust WhatsApp.” He even encouraged users to rely on X for audio and video communication instead.