Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk says he is willing to sell $6 billion worth of his company’s stock and donate the money to help end world hunger, but he must be shown how it would be done first.
He made the offer in response to a claim by David Beasley, the director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme.
Beasley called on billionaires across the globe to donate, saying $6 billion would help 42 million people around the world suffering from famine.
“The governments are tapped out and this is why, and this is when the billionaires need to step up now on a one-time basis, $6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated,” Beasley told CNN in an interview.
But in a series of tweets, Musk said Beasley must prove and detail how the money would be spent to solve the problem.
“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,” tweeted Musk.
Beasley later said $6 billion would actually not end world hunger, but it would “prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation.”
Beasley also invited Musk to sit down with him to look at the numbers and work out a plan to solve the famine crisis.
As of Monday, Musk has a net worth of $311 billion, making him the richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.