London. The Royal Society, prestigious British institution, met last night after a closed door after a petition signed by more than 3 thousand scientists, including several Nobel awards, to demand the expulsion of Elon Musk from their ranks.
The institution, founded in 1660, has 1,800 members around the world, including 85 Nobel Prize winners, which Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking also belonged.
Elon Musk’s admission at the institution came in 2018 for his work in the spatial and electric vehicles.
The petition, published in February, alleges that the tycoon, owner of the social network X, Space X and Tesla, has violated the Code of Behavior of the Royal Society by promoting unfounded conspiracy theories
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Society did not establish whether it would take any action against Musk. In an AFP statement, he said Any problem raised regarding members is treated with strict confidentiality
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Musk it One of the most active fake news diffusers
On its X platform, according to Stephen Curry, Emeritus Professor of Structural Biology at Imperial College in London and author of the letter.
I hope the members have wisdom and courage to demonstrate that Royal Society can publicly defend their values
Curry wrote yesterday on the Bluesky social network.
The petition states that the situation is even more serious due to Musk’s new position in the administration of the president of Donald Trump, in which he now directs the United States government efficiency department.
Geoffrey Hinton, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024 and one of the AI parents, expressed Sunday in his support his support for the expulsion of Musk.
I think it should be excluded from the British Royal Society for the enormous damage caused to United States scientific institutions
he said.
The researchers say that the changes that Musk made on the social network X, after the acquisition of Twitter in 2022, have caused an increase in misinformation.
The petition alleges that the 53-year-old billionaire has repeatedly used his own account to disseminate falsity or inaccurate statements about COVID-19, vaccines and heart problems.
It is not about controlling political opinions
Curry clarifies, establishing that scientific integrity, as well as respect for evidence and truth, are in the Code of Conduct of the Royal Society.