Musk and O'Leary's Ryanair Starlink Feud
Analysis based on 14 articles · First reported Jan 17, 2026 · Last updated Jan 21, 2026
The public dispute between Elon Musk and Michael O Leary, CEO of Ryanair, has generated significant media attention but has not had a substantial direct impact on the stock price of Ryanair, which closed nearly 1% lower. The hypothetical acquisition talk by Elon Musk is not being taken seriously by investors, and regulatory hurdles for such a takeover are noted. However, Michael O Leary claims the feud has boosted Ryanair's bookings due to increased publicity.
A public dispute erupted between Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and Michael O Leary, CEO of Ryanair, over Ryanair's decision not to install SpaceX — Starlink satellite internet on its aircraft. Michael O Leary cited concerns about fuel efficiency and operating costs, estimating an annual cost of $200-$250 million. Elon Musk countered, calling Michael O Leary 'misinformed' and an 'utter idiot' on X (social network). The feud escalated with insults traded and Elon Musk jokingly suggesting he might buy Ryanair and put someone named 'Ryan' in charge, even running a poll on X (social network). Ryanair's official X (social network) account also engaged in banter, mocking Elon Musk during an X (social network) outage. Despite the widespread attention, Ryanair's shares saw a slight decline, indicating investors are not taking the acquisition talk seriously, partly due to regulatory hurdles for non-EU citizens owning a majority stake in European airlines. Michael O Leary, however, claimed the feud has boosted Ryanair's bookings and launched a 'Big Idiot Seat Sale'.
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