X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk jokingly congratulated the 2023 Times' "Person of the Year" awardee Taylor Swift being at "risk of popularity decline" soon after.
The 2021 POTY replied on Swift's acceptance message on X that he speaks "from experience" that the award entails a decline in popularity, a statement many of the pop icon's fans did not like.
Some risk of popularity decline after this award. I speak from experience lol.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 7, 2023
Elon Musk Controversies in 2023
Musk is currently facing multiple controversies this year with the advertiser exodus on X after the billionaire co-signed an antisemitic post and then hurled profanities at companies.
The billionaire was named POTY for "solving the globe's most intractable challenges," a reason that faced backlash before due to Tesla's poor work treatment and Musk evading government regulations.
On the other hand, Swift was selected for giving people around the world hope during dark times. Swift continues to gain more adoring fans with her ongoing, record-breaking "Eras Tour."
Musk remains on Time's "100 Most Influential Person" for the fifth time. The embattled billionaire owned Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and X.
Time Magazine Names Taylor Swift as 2023 'Person of the Year'
Swift joins the likes of Gandhi, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Jimmy Carter, and former US President Barack Obama as the most influential person in the world.
The pop icon beat other notable personalities like Sam Altman, King Charles III, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the Hollywood strikers.
The 33-year-old songwriter was also named Spotify's Global Top Artist in 2023 and the platform's "most-streamed artist in a single day" following the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)."
As for her popularity, Swift's followers actually grew by a quarter of a million following her Time interview.
The "Eras Tour" has also cemented itself in public recognition with about $2.2 billion and $96 million earnings on the first week of its theatrical release in North American ticket sales alone.
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