Elon Musk and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman feud escalates on X over Epstein files

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• Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman argued on X about a 2012 email tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
• Musk denied visiting Epstein's island, alleging Hoffman had multiple visits
• No independent verification of the email or claims has been presented

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A public exchange between Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman unfolded on X on Tuesday, after Hoffman shared what appeared to be an old email exchange involving Musk and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, posted a screenshot that he said showed an email dated November 2012, allegedly sent from Musk to Epstein. The email included a line asking about which day or night would be the “wildest party” on Epstein’s island. Hoffman did not add extensive commentary to the post, but the screenshot quickly drew widespread attention and reactions on the platform.

Musk responded shortly after, dismissing the post with sarcasm. “While you’re at it, maybe you can help OJ ‘find the real killer’,” he wrote, suggesting the claim was baseless or misleading.

In a follow-up post, Musk directly addressed Hoffman and denied any involvement with Epstein’s island. “The big difference between you and me, Reid, is that you went and I did not,” Musk wrote. He went further to allege that Hoffman had visited Epstein multiple times, adding that while a first visit might be explained as a mistake, subsequent visits could not be.

Musk did not deny sending the email shown in the screenshot, but maintained that he never travelled to Epstein’s island. Hoffman, at the time of writing, had not issued a detailed response to Musk’s counter-allegations within the same thread.

The exchange quickly spread across X, drawing reactions from users on both sides. Some questioned the authenticity and context of the email screenshot, while others criticised the tone of the public accusations. The thread also reignited broader discussions around Epstein’s network of high-profile contacts and the scrutiny faced by prominent figures whose names surface in old correspondence or travel records.

Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, had longstanding ties with influential individuals across politics, business, and academia. Over the years, multiple public figures have faced questions over past associations, even when no wrongdoing has been legally established.

The platform X, owned by Musk, has increasingly become a space where high-profile disputes play out in real time, often without moderation beyond community responses.

As of now, neither side has presented independent verification of the claims made in the exchange. The episode highlights how old documents and screenshots can resurface online and trigger public confrontations, even years after the events they reference.