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Who is Joyce Carol Oates? Writers' ‘uncultured’ remark sparks war of words with Elon Musk
The prolific 87-year-old author draws praise and criticism for calling Musk “uncultured,” prompting his sharp retort
American writer Joyce Carol Oates has emerged in the margins of pop-culture skirmish to headline news after she labelled Elon Musk “uncultured,” prompting the tech billionaire to respond with an allegation that she is a “lazy liar.” The public spat places Oates, already renowned in literary circles, into the broader spotlight of celebrity and social-media feud.
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Who is Joyce Carol Oates?
Oates was born in Lockport, New York, and is the daughter of a tool-and-die designer and a homemaker. Oates grew up on a rural farm and attended a one-room schoolhouse before rising to become class valedictorian at Syracuse University in 1960. She later earned a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Oates published her first short-story collection, By the North Gate, in 1963 and her debut novel, With Shuddering Fall, in 1964. Over the decades, she has produced more than 70 novels, hundreds of short stories, poetry, drama and essays. She won the National Book Award in 1970 for “Them.”
Her work often explores themes of violence, class, identity and the American Gothic. In her words, “I try to write books that can be read in one way by a literal-minded reader, and in quite another way by a reader alert to symbolic abbreviation…”
What is the feud with Musk?
In a recent X post, Oates challenged Musk’s cultural credentials and quietly accused him of being disconnected from literature, arts, sports and nature. She called Musk “uneducated” and “uncultured.”
Musk fired back on X, calling her a “liar” and dismissing her criticism as personal, not intellectual. He called Oates “not a good human” while furthering the exchange of words on X.
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Her remarks expanded on a broader discussion that was already taking place on the platform, where users were debating Musk's online behavior, especially when he shared AI-generated movies made with xAI's Grok Imagine tool.
In one of his videos, an AI-generated woman says, "I will always love you," and in another, a computer-generated Sydney Sweeney says, "You are so cringe."
Oates, on the other hand, described Musk as emotionally and intellectually deficient despite his great wealth, rather than eccentric or humorous.
