Pyramids/Alien Theory Gets Elon Musk an Invitation to Egypt

What happens after someone posts bad science on social media? For most people, that results in a series of corrections, some polite and others…not so much. But what happens when a high-profile tech magnate makes a foray into the world of questionable science and history? If that tech magnate is Elon Musk, well, they just might get a nice trip out of it.

At Business Insider, Sophia Ankel reports that Elon Musk has been invited to Egypt by that country’s government. What prompted such an invitation, you might ask? Musk taking to Twitter on Friday night to espouse the theory that the pyramids were built by aliens.

Aliens built the pyramids obv

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2020

How, exactly, does one respond to that? Well, if you’re Rania al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Co-operation, you take to Twitter to try to rectify the situation somewhat. al-Mashat did exactly that, extending an invitation to Musk to visit Egypt and tour the pyramids — and, in the process, hopefully be convinced that the pyramids were built by humans.

I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you 🚀. @elonmusk https://t.co/Xlr7EoPXX4

— Rania A. Al Mashat (@RaniaAlMashat) August 1, 2020

Musk eventually followed up on his earlier post with a link to a BBC article on the creation of the pyramids. The article in question focuses on the amount of labor required to build the pyramids — all of it human. No extraterrestrials or flying saucers are discussed.

This BBC article provides a sensible summary for how it was done https://t.co/le3r20BWID

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 1, 2020

As for whether or not Musk will take up the Egyptian government’s offer of a visit, that remains to be seen.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…