It’s not uncommon for companies to run afoul of local laws in other countries. This is because different countries have different rules and regulations. Sometimes what’s legal in one country might be illegal in another. X was recently hit with a $140 million fine in the EU, and this seems to have triggered Elon Musk, who has since called for an abolition of the union.
Elon Musk wants EU abolished after X fine
According to the EU, it has fined X for breaching content rules . The fine amounted to 120 million euros, which is around $140 million after conversion. For someone as rich as Musk, this is a relatively small sum of money. However, he isn’t thrilled, and in a post on his X account, Elon Musk wants to see the EU abolished. In his post, Musk says, “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries so that governments can better represent their people.”
It seems like quite an extreme reaction for a fine, but Musk isn’t alone in his opinion. Others have also reacted negatively to the fine. This includes Andrew Puzder, the US ambassador to the EU.
According to Puzder, “Today’s excessive €120M fine is the result of EU regulatory overreach targeting American innovation. The Trump Administration has been clear: we oppose censorship and will challenge burdensome regulations that target US companies abroad. We expect the EU to engage in fair, open, & reciprocal trade—& nothing less.”
Trump administration not happy over EU’s treatment of US companies
That being said, this isn’t the first time the Trump administration has derided the EU over its treatment of US companies . The EU had previously issued fines against other US tech companies like Meta and Apple. However, the Trump administration backed them, with the White House saying that this action will not be tolerated . Officials also reacted to the most recent fine against the social media giant . The US sees these moves as a “novel form of economic extortion.”
The EU has also given X 60 days to inform the Commission of its plans to address the issue of the “deceptive” blue checkmarks. It has also given the company 90 days to submit a plan to resolve issues with its ads repository and access to publish data for researchers.
