Is Elon Musk worth his weight in gold?
He's certainly worth his weight in bronze colored resin!
In celebration of the Tesla founder's 50th Birthday, a six-foot-bronze-ish statue of Musk was placed in lower Manhattan.
Investment app Public.com broke the news of their gift on Twitter:
The statue earned decidedly mixed reviews on Twitter.
Many followers questioned the statue's resemblance to Musk.
@MKupperman @public It's Elon watching another one of his rockets explode on the launch pad— OHGODBEES (@OHGODBEES) 1624902582.0
@public What a stunning likeness, so accurate and lifelike. Oh wait, that's not a statue of Gerald Ford?— NeedBirds (@NeedBirds) 1624902243.0
@TBestig @public I think some odd photos are about to go viral because of that pose...— Randy M (@Randy M) 1625012469.0
@public That isn't Frank Sinatra wearing a t-shirt? https://t.co/DVC2JxdoFr— Adam Reck at the Gala (@Adam Reck at the Gala) 1624905559.0
@BoneJail @public same sort of cultish fanbase?— Ted Anderson (@Ted Anderson) 1624906355.0
@AaahhRealLosses @public @elonmusk Yeah. If you showed it to me with no context, I would guess at least a dozen oth… https://t.co/W2Qg2tXwjB— 🏳️🌈 rachel (@🏳️🌈 rachel) 1624903101.0
Others compared the statue to the infamous bust of soccer star Cristiano Rinaldo.
@public @elonmusk https://t.co/CgslLeN4q2— Nathan (@Nathan) 1624908364.0
Others took it as another opportunity to rake Musk across the coals.
All I'm saying is the statue of Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four looks a lot like Elon Musk and Doom was into rockets… https://t.co/Fg6YR6zDdd— Tom 🏳️🌈 (@Tom 🏳️🌈) 1620764125.0
@diidelphiis @public Happy birthday to the river!— Luketheyeti (@Luketheyeti) 1624910411.0
@tracytron2 @luketheyeti @diidelphiis @public pls don't throw trash in the river, especially if it's not actually bronze— utility frog (@utility frog) 1624969761.0
@Joule_SSBU @public Came from an apartheid family, hates unions, denied COVID so that he could make more money, man… https://t.co/cvXu28HDJm— Elea🏴🚩 (@Elea🏴🚩) 1625013583.0
@public @elonmusk Is it sadder that he’s self funding these little sculptures or that the sculptor hates him as muc… https://t.co/B7Ha6XVMwn— A.M. is drawing (@A.M. is drawing) 1624904325.0
@public @elonmusk Yes, because it's so great to worship a trust fund kid who bought a car company.— The Fox Is Back In Town! (@The Fox Is Back In Town!) 1624929902.0
If you're in the minority in finding something to admire in the statue, you may be in luck.
Public.com is auctioning off the statue on eBay. 100% of the profits are going towards First Generation Investors, a not-for-profit dedicated to teaching high school students in underserved communities all about investing.
So far, the statue has many watchers, 60 bids and a current bid of $2,550.
According to the eBay item description:
"Elon Musk just turned 50 and to mark the occasion, the investing app Public.com created a one-of-a-kind, life-sized Elon statue and displayed it in New York for 5 days. Tesla is one of the most popular stocks among the apps 1 million+ member community."
"Crafted from polyester resin and standing 6-feet tall. Maybe you love him."
"Maybe you think he should tweet less. What you do with the statue is up to you."
"Given their mission of making the public markets work for everyone and support of financial literacy initiatives, the company is donating 100% of the proceeds to First Generation Investors, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization that teaches underserved high school students the power of investing."
"Get your bids in before you-know-who does."
But should the statue not end up finding a home on eBay, one astute Twitter follower pointed out a convenient potential new home.
#ElonMuskMars Starship – Elon Musk wants to send to Mars is almost ready to launch https://t.co/pwueuGYUOU— Deberry Apps (@Deberry Apps) 1625070333.0