Elon Musk has an opportunity to make Twitter the vanguard of free speech online if his cash offer worth more than $40 billion for the company goes through. As of now, Twitter has a penchant for censoring accounts like The Babylon Bee over mere jokes. Perhaps that’s why Musk slipped in a running gag about weed in his offer price that equates to $54.20 per share.
The last three digits of that offer, “420,” has become a popular euphemism for smoking marijuana. For some reason, that joke seems to tickle Musk and he often uses the number in surprising ways.
Steven Hager, a former editor of a marijuana-centered media outlet, explained to The New York Times last year that the term 420 stems from a group of teenagers who would meet to smoke pot at that time each day. That ritual spread and 420 became a code for smoking weed. Potheads and other fans of the devil’s lettuce now “blaze it” on April 20 each year in commemoration. The number “420” has been featured in countless pop culture references over the last few decades.
Musk has been making jokes about weed since at least 2018. One of his quips actually landed him in trouble with the SEC.
“Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured,” Musk tweeted.
Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018
Shortly after that, the SEC sued Musk for fraud. The SEC suspected that Musk had only tweeted that as a joke to make his girlfriend laugh.
“We allege that Musk had arrived at the price of $420 by assuming a 20 percent premium of what Tesla’s then existing share price (was), and then rounding up to $420 because of the significance of that number in marijuana culture, and his belief that his girlfriend would be amused by it,” Steven Peikin, co-director of enforcement at the SEC, said during a press conference at the time.
The situation was settled out of court and Musk and Tesla agreed to pay a fine of $40 million. Musk also agreed to step down as chairman of the company.
Musk then actually smoked a doobie on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast with host Joe Rogan in September of that year. An image of Musk lighting one up went viral and has since been turned into a meme:
https://twitter.com/amb92z/status/1037954912615727104?s=20&t=brxFURaS6SdF3pgy_kDyXA
In January 2019, Musk again referenced the number while responding to a Twitter account breaking down space travel.
“Roughly 4 to 20 minutes for light to travel from Earth to Mars,” Musk said.
Roughly 4 to 20 minutes for light to travel from Earth to Mars
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2019
Then, in February 2019, Musk tweeted, “Joe Rogan describes Tesla for 4 mins & 20 secs”
Joe Rogan describes Tesla for 4 mins & 20 secshttps://t.co/ju6N683Dd5
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2019
Musk also finds humor in the joke “69,” which is a sexual joke that is not suitable for print.
In April 2020, after Tesla rebranded April 20 as “Elon Musk Day,” the billionaire tweeted, “Thanks everyone! Still can’t believe I was born 69 days after 4/20″
Thanks everyone! Still can’t believe I was born 69 days after 4/20 🤓
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2020
He also sold limited edition Tesla-branded short shorts, incorporating his two favorite numbers, tweeting, “Only $69.420!!”
Only $69.420!!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
Most recently in April, he told his followers that “69.420% of statistics are false.” That, of course, is also a joke.
69.420% of statistics are false
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2022
Musk also recently shared another joke that stems from marijuana culture. Last week, after becoming the largest shareholder, Musk posted a meme of the aforementioned Rogan podcast appearance. “Twitter’s next board meeting is gonna be lit,” the meme said.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2022
It should be noted that his offer for Twitter is no joke. It is a very serious deal. As many have pointed out, $54.20 is roughly a 54% premium over Twitter’s share price when he first began investing in the company in January.
