The Royal Society is facing calls to expel Elon Musk from its fellowship over concerns about the tech billionaire’s conduct.
The Guardian understands that Musk, who owns social media site X, was Elected a Fellow of the UK National Academy of Sciences in 2018 in recognition of his work and impact on the space and electric vehicle industries, and is considered by some to be a “modern-day Brunel”.
Musk is a co-founder of SpaceX, which among other achievements has pioneered the development of reusable rockets. He is also the co-founder and CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, which has also championed the development of sustainable energy sources.
However, The Guardian has learned that several Royal Society members have written to the institution to raise the possibility of withdrawing Musk’s fellowship.
According to a colleague, the concerns come as a result of Musk’s increasingly incendiary comments, including his response to recent riots in the UK, with fears he could bring the institution into disrepute.
Musk has been contacted for comment through his companies, including X.
Musk’s tweets about the unrest have sparked widespread condemnation: in August, Downing Street criticised the billionaire’s comments saying “civil war is inevitable” posted beneath a video of violent rioting in Liverpool.
Musk also shared – and then deleted – a fake news story claiming Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to “emergency detention camps” in the Falklands, and has promoted a conspiracy theory that police in the UK are treating white far-right “protesters” more harshly than minority groups.
There are concerns, however, that any decision to oust Musk would have to be based not on his opinions but on his ability to amplify his beliefs, and that his influence could cause serious, intentional harm.
The Royal Society Code of conduct and disciplinary rules Status: “Foreign membership and belonging to the Society is a privilege based on adherence to certain standards of conduct.”
Among other points, the document says: “When speaking or publishing statements in a personal capacity, Fellows and Foreign Members should endeavour to uphold the reputation of the Society and those who work for it, and be aware that what is said or stated in a personal capacity could still affect the Society.”
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It also states that foreign fellows and members who breach the code of conduct may trigger enforcement action, which may include temporary or permanent suspension, while the disciplinary rules set out various procedures to be followed if allegations of misconduct are made against a foreign fellow or member.
The expulsion of a fellow from the Royal Society would be highly unusual: the Guardian is aware that no such expulsion has taken place in more than 150 years.
However, there have been other controversies: in 2008, Professor Michael Reiss resigned as the institution’s director of education following comments he made regarding the teaching of creationism in schools.
A Royal Society spokesman said: “Any issues raised regarding individual members will be dealt with confidentially.”
