Indian-American venture capitalist and Kamala Harris supporter, Vinod Khosla, has responded to tech billionaire Elon Musk after Musk accused him of putting a “no plebs allowed” sign on a public beach near his California home.
On Sunday, Musk shared an image of a sign that read, “No plebs allowed,” on a beach with the name “Vinay Khosla” written underneath. However, the authenticity of the sign could not be independently verified by HT.
In a follow-up post, the Tesla CEO claimed, “Vinod says we should send tens of thousands of unvetted migrants to small towns across America, but he didn’t want to let the public walk on his beach.” Musk referenced a Bloomberg report about Khosla’s failed legal battle to restrict access to Martins Beach, a popular surfing destination near his residence.
“I’m throwing a party on Vinod’s beach! For cuisine, I’m thinking BBQ,” Musk added, taking a jab at the businessman.
‘Fraudulent Photo’
In response, Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures, accused Musk of spreading misinformation, stating the photo was “AI-generated” and demanded an apology.
“You owe me an apology for spreading falsehoods. This post should have a community comment as it’s a fraudulent photo. I believe it’s AI-generated, but you can verify that. It’s important we have rational debates without personal attacks,” Khosla replied, asserting that he had never erected such a sign or anything similar.
In his extended post, Khosla also criticized Musk’s recent support for Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump ahead of the November elections.
“(I can throw personal truths at you, unlike your false photo). While we agree on many things—like illegal immigration, climate change, and meritocracy (with compassion)—we disagree on major issues like who is best suited to save democracy and the importance of values in selecting a President,” Khosla wrote.
The Martins Beach Dispute
Khosla, 69, continued by clarifying the legal details of the Martins Beach controversy. In 2008, after purchasing property near the beach, he installed a gate blocking public access. While his legal team argued the gate was lawful since it was on private property, critics and local groups filed lawsuits, demanding the gate’s removal.
“Every court ruling regarding public access through my property has affirmed my right to consider it private, with no public access through it to the beach. The only case I lost was about closing the gate for a prior paid parking business, with the state preventing me from applying for a permit while still requiring one to shut it down. Very typical of the California Coastal Commission,” Khosla explained.
