In resurfaced comments from a 2019 podcast with Lex Fridman, Elon Musk—the world’s richest man and father of 13 children—offered a striking perspective on modern sexual behavior, calling sex without the intent to have children “absurd.”
“A massive amount of thinking, like truly stupendous amount of thinking, has gone into sex — without purpose, without procreation, which is actually quite a silly action,” Musk said.
“It’s a bit silly, so why are you doing it? Because it makes the limbic system happy — that’s why. But it’s pretty absurd, really.”
This philosophical musing has resurfaced in the context of Musk’s long-standing concerns about global population decline, which he has often said poses a greater risk to civilization than climate change. In a now-viral 2022 tweet, he wrote:
“Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming. Mark these words.
(And I do think global warming is a major risk.)”
Elon Musk’s Personal Life Mirrors His Public Stance
Musk’s comments hold even more weight given his personal life. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has 13 known children, with a 14th child currently at the center of a paternity dispute involving Ashley St. Clair.
Leaked court documents and reports from the Wall Street Journal reveal that Musk allegedly offered $15 million and $100,000/month in child support to St. Clair in exchange for her silence about the child — an offer she reportedly declined.
In text exchanges obtained by the newspaper, Musk purportedly wrote:
“To reach legion-level before the apocalypse, we will need to use surrogates.”
This message appears to reflect Musk’s intense desire to combat what he sees as humanity’s ticking demographic time bomb — even if that means strategically planning births.
Public Reaction: Humor, Concern, and Curiosity
The resurfaced podcast sparked mixed reactions online. Comments on Fridman’s YouTube channel included:
“Elon was inferring that jerking off is silly hahah.”
“This is Elon Musk talking dirty.”
“If solving mathematical problems rendered a climax like that of a sexual orgasm, I’m pretty sure the human species would have a lot more mathematicians!”
Some found humor in Musk’s detached logic, while others viewed his perspective as a sign of how far removed he may be from average human experience.
The Bigger Picture: Population Decline as a Crisis
Musk has warned repeatedly that low birthrates threaten civilization’s future. His advocacy for large families and even the use of surrogacy to scale reproduction aligns with his belief that humanity must proactively fight demographic decline, even if it means challenging modern norms around intimacy, family, and sex.
Whether Musk’s rhetoric resonates as visionary or dystopian, his personal choices and public platform have turned the conversation around sex, purpose, and population into one of the most high-profile debates in modern society.
Key Takeaway:
Elon Musk isn’t just tweeting about population collapse—he’s building a personal life that reflects his beliefs, even if that includes viewing recreational sex as a quirky byproduct of human biology rather than a meaningful act.
