'You owe me an apology,' Vinod Khosla slams Elon Musk for 'spreading falsehoods'

Indian-American billionaire and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has publicly demanded an apology from Elon Musk after the tech mogul accused him of restricting public access to a California beach near Khosla’s property. The spat began when Musk, known for his provocative social media presence, posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) of a sign that read “No plebs allowed,” claiming it had been erected by Khosla to block access to the public beach.

Musk’s post quickly gained traction, sparking an online debate about the legality and ethics of restricting beach access. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO went further, accusing Khosla of hypocrisy: “Vinod wants to send thousands of unvetted migrants to small towns in America but won’t even let the public walk on his beach.” Musk added fuel to the fire by jokingly suggesting he would throw a barbecue party on Khosla’s beach, complete with BBQ cuisine.

Khosla swiftly responded to Musk's accusations, calling the image fraudulent and claiming it was likely AI-generated. In a post on X, Khosla stated, “You owe me an apology for spreading falsehoods. I have never put up this sign or anything even remotely like this.” He stressed the importance of keeping the debate rational and noted that while he and Musk agree on several issues, including immigration and climate change, Musk’s claims about the beach access were baseless and misleading.

The controversy surrounding Khosla’s property and the adjacent beach dates back to 2008, when he purchased a $32.5 million beachfront mansion. Shortly after acquiring the property, Khosla installed a gate, which blocked public access to the beach. His legal team argued that, as the landowner, Khosla had the right to restrict access. However, environmentalists, beachgoers, and organisations like the Surfrider Foundation disagreed, viewing the gate as a violation of public rights.

The legal battle between Khosla and advocates of public access reached its peak in 2018 when the US Supreme Court declined to hear Khosla’s appeal, effectively upholding a lower court ruling that denied his request to block access to the beach. The decision was hailed as a victory by the Surfrider Foundation, which had been actively campaigning for open beach access.

In his latest post, Khosla pointed out that every court ruling has supported his claim that his property is private and that there is no legal right to public access through it. He acknowledged losing only one legal battle, which involved his attempt to close the parking business previously operated on the property.

This latest clash between Khosla and Musk adds a new chapter to the long-running dispute, with Khosla claiming that Musk’s allegations were unfounded.