A tech mogul who was branded a ‘creep’ over claims he offered a woman $100,000 to remove her mask during a flight last week defended himself in an explosive interview in which he insisted the proposal was merely hypothetical.
A Silicon Valley veteran worth about $230 million, Steve Kirsch, 67, raised the proposal Friday, even posting a smiling selfie on the Delta jet, with a caption attached detailing the nasty offer.
“I’m on board a Delta flight right now,” Kirsch wrote Friday from his first-class seat. “The person sitting next to me in first class refused to pay $100,000 to remove their mask for the entire flight.”
The mogul, credited with inventing one of the first versions of the optical mouse in 1980, was almost immediately bombarded with criticism, with social media users calling him a “creepy liar” after the unexpected appearance. . proposal.
Now insisting that the comments were made in jest, Kirsch spoke to Inside Edition on Thursday to provide his own account of the now polarizing interaction.
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Now insisting that the comments were made in jest, Silicon Valley veteran Steve Kirsch spoke to Inside Edition on Thursday to provide his own take on the polarizing interaction.
Worth approximately $230 million, the 67-year-old raised the proposal on Friday, posting a selfie and accompanying caption detailing the offer.
“It was a hypothetical question: ‘How much would it cost you to remove your mask?'” said Kirsch, who appeared remotely for the interview from his living room.
‘I said, ‘If I offer you $100…$1,000…then I’ll raise it to $100,000.'” People think I’m aggressively going after people, I’m not doing that at all. We’re having a friendly conversation.
Kirsch, a well-known advocate for anti-maskers and vaccinations, maintained that the encounter with the unidentified woman, who she said worked for a “pharmaceutical company,” was not serious.
That said, during a US Food and Drug Administration committee meeting in September 2021, the tech expert criticized doctors for imposing vaccination mandates on Americans, claiming that Pfizer’s vaccine “kills more people than it saves.”
Months earlier, the millionaire created a research fund for alternative COVID treatments in 2020, donating $1 million to the company, MIT Technology Review reported.
However, the outlet also claims that as vaccines began to gain traction during the early days of the pandemic, Kirsch quickly began to question the vaccines and their effectiveness since they were approved. by governments around the world.
The article went on to claim that the tech vet is now intentionally spreading “misinformation” about the pandemic online.
However, on his Twitter profile, Kirsch calls himself a ‘dictator of truth’ and a ‘critical thinker’, regularly sharing skeptical articles about Covid vaccines and masks.
The Silicon Valley veteran was credited with one of the first versions of the optical mouse in 1980. Kirsch, formerly the president of Frame Technology Corporation, is seen here showing off an app he created in 1986.
He said he offered a woman $100k to take her mas off for the entire flight, claiming she worked “for a pharmaceutical company.”
Kirsch was hit by a barrage of tweets calling him a “creepy liar,” with dozens criticizing the tech millionaire for his bizarre rant.
In the clip posted Friday, Kirsch went on a lengthy tirade to explain his interaction with the woman, during which he asked her about her preference for wearing a mask.
He recalled: ‘I started the offer at $100. And I pointed out that when he removed his mask to eat and drink, he could get infected in one breath. Then she had a full reveal.
‘He took off his mask as soon as breakfast was served! Because everyone knows you can’t catch it while eating!!
“Maybe next time I’ll sit next to someone who had an account at Silicon Valley Bank.”
Kirsch was hit by a barrage of tweets calling him a “creepy liar,” with dozens criticizing the tech millionaire for his bizarre rant.
The millionaire created a research fund for possible COVID treatments in 2020, donating $1 million to the company according to MIT Technology Review.
One user called him an “authorized explainer,” while another said Delta should have reimbursed the woman for her seat after “noxious arrogant jerk” Kirsch botched her flight.
Another said: ‘What a stupid thing to do. He paid for first class and still had to deal with an idiot in his personal space.
A third added: “What’s going on here, Steve, is people are weighing the likelihood of you being a straight-talking rich guy vs. a creepy liar and, quite reasonably, landing on the latter.”
But some sided with the tech executive, saying they would have “buyed his daughter’s dream home” with the money.
One user called him an “authorized explainer,” while another said Delta should have reimbursed the woman for her seat after “noxious arrogant jerk” Kirsch botched her flight.
But some sided with the tech executive, saying they would have “buyed his daughter’s dream home” with the money.
Another said: “Even if I was GUARANTEED to get COVID, I’d take the $100k, depending on where I went.”
The Silicon Valley veteran was credited with one of the first versions of the optical mouse in 1980.
He co-founded Frame Technology Corp, which was bought by Adobe in 1995 and later created Infoseek and later sold to Disney in 1999.
Airlines and airports dropped mask mandates following a court ruling in April 2022, though many travelers continued to choose to wear face coverings on flights.