DUBLIN / AUSTIN – What began as a technical disagreement over satellite internet has spiraled into a high-stakes war of words, with the world’s richest man now floating the idea of a hostile takeover of Europe’s largest budget airline.
The feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary reached a fever pitch this week after Musk posted a poll to his 200 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), asking if he should purchase the airline to “restore a Ryan as its rightful ruler.”
The “Starlink” Spark
The conflict ignited when O’Leary publicly dismissed the idea of installing SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi on Ryanair’s fleet of over 600 Boeing 737s. O’Leary, known for his own abrasive management style, didn’t hold back in a recent radio interview.
“I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk. He’s an idiot,” O’Leary told Ireland’s Newstalk. “What Elon Musk knows about flights and drag is zero. The antenna would cost us $250 million a year in fuel penalties. Our passengers won’t pay for it.”
Musk quickly fired back on X, calling O’Leary an “utter idiot” and claiming his data was “misinformed.” According to Musk, the aerodynamic drag from Starlink terminals is closer to 0.3%, rather than the 2% claimed by Ryanair.
From Technical Spat to Takeover Threat
The tension boiled over Friday when Ryanair’s social media team—famous for trolling its own passengers—took a shot at Musk during a brief service outage on X.
“Perhaps you need Wi-Fi, @elonmusk?” the airline posted.
Musk responded within minutes: “Should I buy Ryanair and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?” He followed up by asking his followers how much the airline would cost to acquire and pinning a poll to his profile that has already garnered over 750,000 votes.
Can Musk Actually Buy Ryanair?
While Musk’s threats often move markets, industry analysts suggest a takeover of the Irish carrier would be significantly more difficult than his 2022 acquisition of Twitter.
| Hurdle | Detail |
| EU Ownership Laws | EU regulations require airlines based in the bloc to be more than 50% owned and controlled by EU nationals. As a U.S. citizen, Musk would face a legal wall. |
| Market Cap | Ryanair is currently valued at approximately €20 billion ($21.7B). A hostile takeover would likely require a premium of 30-50%. |
| The O’Leary Factor | Michael O’Leary still holds a significant stake in the company and has spent 30 years building it into a low-cost juggernaut. |
Despite the legal barriers, traders on prediction markets like Polymarket have seen a surge in bets regarding a potential Musk-led move, with some assigning a 9% probability to a successful acquisition or major stake purchase by the end of 2026.
What’s Next?
As of Tuesday morning, the poll on X remains active, with “Yes” leading by a wide margin. While O’Leary has yet to respond to the latest takeover “threat,” he previously dismissed Musk’s social media platform as a “cesspit.”
