Elon Musk leaked texts reveal tense exchange with Norwegian wealth fund CEO

Leaked text messages allegedly from Elon Musk have surfaced in the Norwegian press, revealing an awkward exchange between the Tesla CEO and Nicolai Tangen, the head of Norway’s $1.7 trillion sovereign wealth fund.

The texts, first reported by Norwegian newspaper E24 under freedom-of-information laws, suggest that Musk was not pleased with Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) after it rejected Tesla’s proposed pay package. The fund, one of Tesla’s top ten shareholders, opposed Musk’s $56 billion compensation deal in June 2023—now estimated at around $100 billion.

Amid this disagreement, Tangen extended an invitation to Musk for a dinner in Oslo alongside executives from Ferrari, Nestlé, Adidas, DoorDash, and Novo Nordisk. However, Musk declined, reportedly citing the cost of attending. “This would be very difficult and expensive for me to attend,” he wrote, according to Business Insider.

In another message, Musk appeared to reference the fund’s rejection of his pay package while responding to the invitation. “When I ask you for a favor, which I very rarely do, and you decline, then you should not ask me for one until you've done something above nothing to make amends. Friends are as friends do.”

Shortly after, Musk reportedly forwarded additional messages to Tangen, accusing him of leaking their conversation to the media. Tangen denied personally sharing the texts, explaining that his communications department had released them. He later apologized, telling Musk, “The country is obsessed about you, but this is not reflecting badly on you. Still, sorry for any inconvenience.”

The controversy surrounding Musk’s texts comes as past remarks about Tesla’s financial struggles resurface. A tweet from Musk in 2020 recalled that Tesla had been just a month away from bankruptcy in 2008, further adding to discussions about his leadership and business decisions.

Musk and his representatives have not publicly commented on the matter.