White House advisor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk sparked controversy on March 14, 2025, by sharing a social media post that attempted to shift blame for historical atrocities from dictators to public sector workers [1][2].

The post, which Musk shared with his 219 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), stated: 'Stalin, Mao, and Hitler didn't murder millions of people. Their public sector workers did.' The post has since been deleted [2].

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, responded with strong criticism: 'America's public service workers — our nurses, teachers, firefighters, librarians — chose making our communities safe, healthy and strong over getting rich. They are not, as the world's richest man implies, genocidal murderers.' [1][2]

The Anti-Defamation League called the post 'deeply disturbing and irresponsible,' particularly given Musk's significant public platform [2].

This incident occurs amid broader concerns about Musk's recent activities and statements. In January 2025, he made an appearance at an Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally, where he stated that 'there is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that.' [1][3]

The controversy has had financial implications, with Tesla stock declining approximately 50% since its December peak amid ongoing 'Tesla Takedown' protests [2][3].

Historical context: Hitler's Nazi regime was responsible for the Holocaust, killing six million European Jews. Stalin's regime caused the deaths of six to nine million Soviet citizens, while Mao Zedong's policies resulted in an estimated 30-45 million deaths through starvation and disease [2].