Breton to Musk: See you on Mars?

Did we miss out on Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Planetary Regulation?

The controversial Frenchman, who unexpectedly resigned from the European Commission on Monday after accusing Ursula von der Leyen of “undermining” him, couldn’t resist a final parting shot at another of his rivals: X owner Elon Musk.

“Any tickets left for Mars? I have a few ideas to regulate over there,” Breton wrote on X, replying to an earlier post from Musk in which he wished him “bon voyage.”

Breton, who served as the EU’s commissioner for internal market since 2019, clashed several times over content regulation with tech mogul Musk, who has had a lax approach to moderation since taking over the platform in 2022.

Merci!

Any tickets left for Mars?

I have a few ideas to regulate over there ???? https://t.co/AB7gj2XKYT— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) September 18, 2024

“With great audience comes greater responsibility,” the former commissioner said to Musk in a post on X in August. Breton also shared a letter urging the mogul to adhere to EU regulations on content moderation, ahead of the entrepreneur’s interview with U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Responding to Breton, Musk tweeted out a meme containing the words: “Take a big step back and literally, fuck your own face!”