In a world where hunger kills more people each year than malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined, Elon Musk’s bold proposition in October 2021 sparked an unusual yet critical conversation.
The tech billionaire, known for electrifying industries and aiming for Mars, turned his attention back to Earth when David Beasley, head of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), pleaded for billionaires to step up now “on a one-time basis.”
Beasley declared on CNN that “$6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated.”
Musk, never one to shy away from a public challenge, fired back on X (formerly Twitter): “If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.”
If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021
The audacious response was classic Musk – direct and laced with a demand for transparency. He stipulated that the WFP’s plan must include open-source accounting, ensuring the world could scrutinize every dollar.
In a separate post on X, tagging Musk, Beasley clarified that while the funds wouldn’t end hunger entirely, they could prevent famine for millions on the brink of starvation. Rising to Musk’s challenge, the WFP presented a comprehensive plan to use $6.6 billion to provide urgent relief to 42 million people across 43 nations.
In the document shared by Beasley, the WFP explained exactly how the money would be allocated. The largest portion –$3.5 billion – was designated for purchasing and delivering food directly to those in need. Another $2 billion was set aside for cash and food vouchers, including transaction fees, to be distributed in areas where local markets could still function.
To ensure the aid was effective, $700 million would go toward managing new food programs tailored to each country’s unique conditions, prioritizing the most vulnerable populations. To maintain transparency and efficiency, the final $400 million was earmarked for operations management, administration, accountability and supply chain coordination.
“The world is on fire,” Beasley wrote on X, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the need for swift, decisive action to combat the growing crisis.
While Musk didn’t directly donate $6 billion to the WFP but he contributed $5.7 billion in Tesla stock to his Musk Foundation later that year. According to reports, the exact allocation of these funds remains opaque, leaving critics and supporters alike to speculate on their impact. Meanwhile, the hunger crisis deepened.
According to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report, 733 million people – roughly one in eleven globally – face hunger. This number has hovered at alarming levels for three years straight, highlighting the scale of the challenge. Despite billions in aid and efforts from governments and NGOs, the systemic issues fueling hunger remain deeply entrenched.
Although Beasley may think billionaires are the ticket to solving the crisis, the reality is far more complex. While billionaires like Musk can make significant contributions, world hunger isn’t a problem money alone can solve. The crisis stems from a tangled web of causes – conflict, climate change, economic inequality and broken supply chains – that demand systemic solutions.
BENZINGA
