A millionaire tech tycoon is being mocked mercilessly for offering a co-passenger $100,000 to take off her face mask on board a flight. Steve Kirsch has been branded a ‘creep’ and much worse for the bizarre offer.
Kirsch took to Twitter on March 10 to reveal that he had asked his Delta co-passenger to take off her face mask. The unnamed woman in first class refused to take off her mask, despite the fact that Kirsch offered her $100,000 to do so.
“I am on board a Delta flight right now. The person sitting next to me in first class refused $100,000 to remove her mask for the entire flight. No joke. This was after I explained they don’t work. She works for a pharma company,” Steve Kirsch, founder of an anti-vaccine group called Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, tweeted last week. He also shared a selfie alongside the tweet which shows him sitting on the flight sans face mask.
I am on board a Delta flight right now. The person sitting next to me in first class refused $100,000 to remove her mask for the entire flight. No joke. This was after I explained they don’t work. She works for a pharma company. pic.twitter.com/Q8Hwzhkmxf— Steve Kirsch (@stkirsch) March 10, 2023
Over the last few days, however, he has copped backlash for his bizarre offer.
“Yes champ, she’s definitely the weird character in this story,” one person wrote in the comments section. “Has it occurred to you that she or someone close to her is immunocompromised? Or were you too busy trying to make whatever dumb point you're trying to make,” another asked.
“Stop bugging people who are minding their own business with your creepy nonsense,” a Twitter user suggested.
Some raised doubts about the authenticity of the story. “Imagine pretending you have $100,000 cash-in-hand, and using that alleged money to try to embarrass a masked woman who also likely does not exist,” one commenter replied.
