Royal Society suggested to Elon Musk he consider resigning science fellowship | Science

The Royal Society suggested to Elon Musk that he should consider resigning from his communion if he felt unable to help Trump administration attacks, the Guardian learned.

The owner of X, who is also CEO of Tesla and Space X, was elected member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Kingdom in 2018 for his contribution to the area of space and electric vehicles.

But in the past year, scholarship holders and other scientists have repeatedly called for the Royal Society to take measures on Musk’s comments and behaviors, claiming that he had violated the Academy’s code of conduct, with open letters, resignations and the return of rewards among their acts of protest against the apparent inertia of the Academy on the issue.

Among the other causes of the outcry appeared the role of Musk as head of the US Department of Effectiveness of the Government (DOGE), an organization which reduced research funding and was accused of imposing a censorship regime in the university world.

In March, the Guardian revealed that the Royal Society decided that Musk would not face an investigation for having allegedly raped the code. It has now appeared that the elected president of the company, Sir Paul Nurse, suggested to Musk in May that he plan to resign from his purse.

In an email sent to the scholarship, the current president of the Royal Society, Sir Adrian Smith, revealed that the nurse first wrote to Musk on March 19 concerning the “important damage” that the Trump administration inflicted on science in the United States and asking Musk to “intervene and reverse this tragedy”.

Smith added that Musk replied immediately: “emphasizing his strong commitment to science and asking for specific details concerning Paul’s concerns”.

The nurse then sent a new letter on March 27 suggesting that Musk consults public sector scientists in the United States to hear about the impact of administration actions.

“Paul has not received an answer to this communication or a later reminder,” wrote Smith.

On May 20, the nurse sent a letter raising concerns that had been shared with him by scientists in the United States, including that “some of the proposed budget reductions seemed absurd”.

Smith wrote: “Paul also suggested in this letter – in sorrow – that” if you do not feel able to help, you may consider if you want to continue to be a member of the Royal Society, whose goal is to promote and support science, and to think if you have to resign. “”

Musk, however, did not respond before having provided a short response only when Smith and Nurse informed it that the substance of the correspondence would be shared with the scholarship.

A spokesperson for the Academy confirmed that Musk has not addressed the suggestion that he should consider resigning from his purse, declaring: “Elon Musk remains a member of the Royal Society.”

Smith’s email on the stock market continued by saying: “The officers and the company’s council concluded that he was not in the interest of the Royal Society to continue disciplinary measures against Mr. Musk.” He added that differences in “clear and opposite” views were disseminated during a previous meeting of the Stock Exchange, but that all agreed that the world’s worldwide defense was the most important activity of the company.

Not all scholarship holders have supported calls to censor musk, some concerned about questions about the position of others that have disseminated controversial opinions. However, a scholarship holder with knowledge of Smith described the position of society as a “terrible cowardice”.

Another scholarship holder with knowledge of the email said that leadership seemed to take the pragmatic rather than ethical point of view. “The opening by Musk of a new party, if that happens, predicts future fireworks, and it could also influence the closure of its [Royal Society] Deposit at the time, ”they said.

Stephen Curry, professor emeritus of structural biology at the Imperial College of London, who is not a member of the Royal Society but organized the previous open letter, praised the correspondence but declared that the Academy should have taken a clearer and stronger position.

“They have not received any indication from Elon Musk that he shared the declared values of the Royal Society, he should therefore have been pointed out to him that, in the absence of this commitment, his communion would be dismissed,” he said.

“I am afraid once again, the Royal Society failed to hold its own code of conduct, which must now be considered as a document devoid of meaning.”

Musk representatives were approached to comment.