Royal Society facing calls to expel Elon Musk amid concerns about conduct

The Royal Society is facing calls to expel Elon Musk from its fellowship over concerns about the tech billionaire’s conduct.

The Guardian understands Musk, who owns the social media site X, was elected as a fellow of the UK’s national academy of sciences in 2018 in recognition of his work and impact in the space and electric vehicle industries, with some considering him a “modern Brunel”.

Musk is a co-founder of SpaceX, which among other achievements has pioneered the development of reusable rockets. He is also a co-founder and chief executive of the electric carmaker Tesla, which has also championed the development of sustainable energy sources.

However, the Guardian has learned a number of Royal Society fellows have written to the institution to raise the possibility of removing Musk’s fellowship.

According to one fellow, the concerns have come as a result of Musk’s increasingly incendiary comments, including his response to the recent riots in the UK, with fears he could bring the institution into disrepute.

Musk has been approached for comment via his companies, including X.

Musk’s tweets regarding the unrest have drawn widespread condemnation: in August, Downing Street criticised comments by the billionaire saying “civil war is inevitable” posted below a video of violent riots in Liverpool.

Musk also shared – and later deleted – a fake news report claiming Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to “emergency detainment camps” in the Falklands, and has promoted the conspiracy theory that police in the UK are treating white far-right “protesters” more harshly than minority groups.

However, there are concerns that any move to eject Musk would have to be based not on his views, but on his ability to amplify his beliefs, and concerns that his influence could cause serious and intentional harm.

The Royal Society’s code of conduct and disciplinary regulations state: “Fellowship and Foreign Membership of the Society is a privilege predicated on adherence to particular standards of conduct.”

Among other points, the document says: “When speaking or publicising statements in a personal capacity, Fellows and Foreign Members must still strive to uphold the reputation of the Society and those who work in it, and be mindful that what is said or stated in a personal capacity could still impact the Society.”

It also states that fellows and foreign members who breach the code of conduct may trigger enforcement action – potentially including temporary or permanent suspension – while the disciplinary regulations set out various procedures that must be followed should allegations of misconduct be made against a fellow or foreign member.

Expulsion of a fellow from the Royal Society would be highly unusual: the Guardian understands none have been made in more than 150 years.

However, there have been other controversies: in 2008, Prof Michael Reiss stepped down from his position as director of education at the institution after comments he made regarding the teaching of creationism in schools.

A spokesperson for the Royal Society said: “Any issues raised in respect of individual fellows are dealt with in confidence.”