Elon Musk, the 53-year-old billionaire and one of the world’s most polarizing figures, has long been a lightning rod for both admiration and controversy. As the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and the owner of X, Musk’s influence spans industries and continents, making him a frequent guest at high-profile events. But on May 10, 2025, at a lavish charity gala in New York City, Musk found himself at the center of an unexpected and humiliating incident: he was thrown out by a VIP donor who didn’t recognize him—only to be invited back with profuse apologies when the donor learned he was the founder of Tesla. The incident, which quickly went viral, has sparked debates about Musk’s public image, the perils of fame, and the shifting dynamics of wealth and power in the tech world.
The gala, hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was a star-studded affair aimed at raising funds for renewable energy initiatives—a cause Musk has championed through Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. The event drew a mix of tech moguls, philanthropists, and political figures, including several high-profile donors who had contributed millions to the cause. Musk, who arrived late after a day of meetings in Washington, D.C., where he’d been scaling back his role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was dressed uncharacteristically casual for the black-tie event. Sporting a rumpled blazer, jeans, and a Tesla-branded cap, he looked more like a tech bro than the world’s richest man, with a net worth of $407 billion as of May 13, 2025.
The trouble began when Musk approached the VIP section to join a group of donors he’d been invited to meet. Among them was Richard Caldwell, a billionaire real estate magnate and a major donor to the gala, who had contributed $10 million to the renewable energy fund. Caldwell, known for his old-money pedigree and disdain for Silicon Valley’s “new money” culture, didn’t recognize Musk and assumed he was a gatecrasher. “Who let this guy in?” Caldwell reportedly snapped, eyeing Musk’s casual attire with disdain. When Musk tried to introduce himself, Caldwell cut him off, assuming he was a low-level employee or fanboy trying to network. “I don’t care who you are—get out of my section,” Caldwell barked, signaling for security to escort Musk out.
The scene that unfolded was both shocking and surreal. Musk, visibly stunned, was led out of the VIP area by two security guards as onlookers whispered and snapped photos. The incident might have ended there, but a fellow guest—a tech journalist who had interviewed Musk several times—recognized him and alerted the event organizers. Word quickly spread to Caldwell, who was mortified to learn that the man he’d just thrown out was none other than Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and a pioneer in the very industry the gala was celebrating. Within minutes, Caldwell was rushing to the entrance to apologize, begging Musk to return and join his table.
Musk, known for his sharp wit and penchant for holding grudges, initially resisted. “I guess I should’ve worn a suit—or a sign saying ‘I’m the guy who started Tesla,’” he quipped to the organizers, his tone laced with sarcasm. But after some coaxing from the gala’s host, who feared the incident would overshadow the event, Musk relented, returning to the VIP section to a flurry of apologies from Caldwell. The real estate mogul, red-faced and stammering, admitted he had no idea who Musk was, confessing he’d never been a “car guy” and hadn’t followed Tesla’s rise. “I thought you were some random trying to pitch me a startup,” Caldwell said, attempting to laugh off the blunder. Musk, ever the showman, accepted the apology with a smirk, replying, “No harm done—just don’t try to kick me off Mars next.”
The incident quickly went viral, with videos of Musk’s ejection and Caldwell’s groveling apology racking up millions of views on X by the next morning. Social media reactions were a mix of amusement and schadenfreude, with many users mocking Caldwell’s ignorance. “Imagine throwing out Elon Musk from a renewable energy gala—talk about a plot twist,” one user wrote, while another quipped, “Caldwell really said ‘I don’t know who you are’ to the guy who basically invented electric cars.” Others, however, saw the incident as a reflection of Musk’s polarizing public image, pointing to his recent political activities as a reason some might not recognize—or respect—his contributions. “Musk has been so busy playing Trump’s sidekick, maybe people forgot he’s actually a tech founder,” another user commented, referencing Musk’s role in DOGE and his $291 million in donations to Republican candidates in 2024.
The timing of the incident couldn’t have been more fraught for Musk. Tesla has been grappling with significant challenges in 2025, with first-quarter profits plunging 71% and sales dropping sharply—down 59% in France and 67% in Denmark in April alone. The company’s stock price has fallen over 50% from its December 2024 peak, erasing much of the gains it saw after Trump’s election victory, which Musk had heavily supported. Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration, where he co-led DOGE with a mission to cut $1 trillion in federal spending, has drawn criticism for distracting him from Tesla at a critical time. Protests at Tesla dealerships and vandalism of individual cars have surged, with some owners even selling their vehicles or adding bumper stickers reading “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy” to distance themselves from his political stances.
Musk’s political activities have also strained his relationship with Tesla’s liberal customer base, once drawn to the company’s progressive mission. His decision to scale back his role in DOGE to “just a day or two per week,” announced in late April 2025, was an attempt to reassure investors, but the damage to Tesla’s brand has been significant. Analysts like Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities have called Musk’s renewed focus on Tesla a “total game changer,” predicting he’ll remain CEO for at least five years, but others remain skeptical. Gary Black of The Future Fund LLC estimated that Musk’s exit could lead to a 25% drop in Tesla’s stock price, highlighting the “Elon premium” that ties the company’s value to his persona.
The gala incident, while humorous on the surface, underscores the broader narrative surrounding Musk’s identity. Despite his monumental achievements—founding Tesla, revolutionizing the electric vehicle industry, and pushing the boundaries of space exploration with SpaceX—Musk remains a figure who defies easy categorization. To some, he’s a visionary genius; to others, he’s a polarizing political operative whose recent actions have overshadowed his entrepreneurial legacy. The misconception that Musk isn’t Tesla’s founder, as highlighted by posts on X claiming he executed a hostile takeover rather than founding the company, adds another layer of complexity to his public image. While Musk was indeed a key early investor and became CEO in 2008, the narrative of him “erasing” founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning persists among some critics.
For Caldwell, the incident was a humbling lesson in the dangers of snap judgments. The real estate magnate, who later donated an additional $5 million to the renewable energy fund as a gesture of goodwill, issued a public statement on May 11, 2025, praising Musk’s contributions to sustainability. “I made a terrible mistake, and I’m deeply sorry,” Caldwell wrote. “Elon Musk is a pioneer, and his work with Tesla has done more for renewable energy than I could ever hope to achieve.” Musk, for his part, took the incident in stride, using it as an opportunity to highlight Tesla’s mission on X. “Guess I need to work on my gala attire—but not on our mission to make the world sustainable,” he posted, alongside a photo of a new Tesla model set to launch later in 2025.
As Musk moves forward, the gala incident serves as a microcosm of the challenges he faces in balancing his multifaceted identity. With Tesla’s future hanging in the balance, his political influence under scrutiny, and his public image more divisive than ever, Musk remains a figure who commands attention—whether he’s being thrown out of a VIP section or invited back in. The incident may have been a momentary embarrassment, but for Musk, it’s just another chapter in a career defined by resilience, reinvention, and relentless ambition.
