Musk should buy Ryanair, fire O’Leary, say 30 million in online poll

Mohan Sinha
24 Jan 2026, 21:25 GMT+10

In a poll launched by tech billionaire Elon Musk asking whether he should buy Ryanair, more than 30 million people voted 'yes'
Musk is involved in a public spat with Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary, who last week called him a "wealthy idiot"
O'Leary had earlier refused to offer Musk's Starlink Wi-Fi on Ryanair planes, as the antennae would increase fuel costs and, therefore, mean higher fares for passengers

DUBLIN, Ireland: In a poll launched by tech billionaire Elon Musk asking whether he should buy Ryanair, more than 30 million people voted 'yes'.

Musk is involved in a public spat with Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary, who last week called him a "wealthy idiot".

In a post on his social media app X on January 16, Elon Musk (@elonmusk) asked: Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?

O'Leary had earlier refused to offer Musk's Starlink Wi-Fi on Ryanair planes, as the antennae would increase fuel costs and, therefore, mean higher fares for passengers.

Musk has called for O'Leary's firing, calling him an "utter idiot" in a post on X on January 16: "Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him."

Speaking on Newstalk, business editor Joe Lynam said Elon Musk often runs online polls before making big purchases, but he does not think Musk could ever own Ryanair.

Lynam said that three years ago, Musk asked his followers if he should buy Twitter, and most people said yes, so he bought it.

Now, about 30 million people have voted in another poll, and most say Musk should buy Ryanair and bring back "Ryan" to run the company. Lynam said it is unclear which "Ryan" people are referring to, but the situation has drawn significant attention.

He added that it would be a hostile takeover, meaning Musk would not likely make a friendly offer to Ryanair's board. Any offer would also need to be higher than the company's current value.

However, journalist Ronan Smyth reported that Musk cannot actually buy Ryanair because EU rules limit who can own and control airlines. Under these rules, more than 50 percent of an airline must be owned and controlled by EU countries or EU citizens.

If an airline violates this rule, it can lose its license to fly in Europe. Airlines must also show who actually owns their shares and prove the citizenship of the owners.

Musk is a citizen of South Africa, Canada, and the United States, but not of any EU country. So, he would not be allowed to take control of Ryanair the way he did Twitter.