Liberal Forum

Podcaster and neuroscientist Sam Harris claims Elon Musk once bet him $1 million that the U.S. wouldn't see more than 35,000 cases of COVID-19.In an explosive Substack post titled "The Trouble With Elon Musk," Harris detailed his fallout with his former friend, publishing texts exchanged during the coronavirus pandemic's early days.He cites one incident where the Tesla CEO bet him $1 million against a $1,000 bottle of tequila that the U.S. wouldn't see as many as 35,000 cases of COVID-19.Harris said he tried to up the bet to 3.5 million cases of COVID-19 at the time, but Musk accused him of "having lost [his] mind" and insisted on sticking with 35,000 cases. After the CDC reported 35,000 deaths from COVID-19 a few weeks later, Harris said he texted Musk: "Is (35,000 deaths + 600,000 cases) > 35,000 cases?"The text went unanswered, according to Harris, who cites the message as the end of their years-long friendship."Let this be a cautionary tale for any of Elon’s friends who might be tempted to tell the great man something he doesn’t want to hear," Harris said in the post.