--- description: Elon Musk apologized for making an unfounded claim that one of the cave divers in rescue of the Thai soccer team was a pedophile title: Elon Musk Apologizes For Calling Rescue Diver a Pedophile image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a8bfa5ff23936b0/6989359a8fd2ee4e5a35c251/gettyimages-930534182.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [People](/tag/people/) ## People Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Elon Musk Apologizes to British Cave Diver for Calling Him a 'Pedo' by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 18, 2018 8:56 AM CUT  Elon Musk speaks onstage during SXSW at ACL Live on March 11, 2018 in Austin, Texas. Elon Musk speaks onstage during SXSW at ACL Live on March 11, 2018 in Austin, Texas.Diego Donamaria—Getty Images for SXSW by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 18, 2018 8:56 AM CUT Tesla CEO [Elon Musk](http://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217614/elon-musk/ "undefined") apologized for making an unfounded claim last week that one of the divers who played an instrumental role in [rescuing the Thai soccer team ](http://time.com/5338872/thai-soccer-players-freed-thank-you-video/ "undefined")from a flooded cave was a pedophile. In a [series of tweets](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1019472152796381185 "undefined") Tuesday, the tech billionaire said his comment calling British caver Vern Unsworth a “pedo guy” was “spoken in anger,” Musk wrote. “His actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr. Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader. The fault is mine and mine alone.” > [](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1019472152796381185) The apology follows Unsworth’s remarks saying that he wouldn’t rule out legal action after Musk publicly accused him of being a pedophile. Musk’s derogatory tweet was part of a spat between him and Unsworth. In [an interview with CNN on Friday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmjpIkVDrU "undefined"), the cave explorer said that [the mini-submarine Musk sent](http://time.com/5332941/elon-musk-submarine-thailand-cave-rescue/ "undefined") to aid the rescue mission was just “a PR stunt.” Unsworth also said Musk could “stick his submarine where it hurts,” and that it had “absolutely no chance of working.” **Read More:** [_What’s Going on With Elon Musk? How the Happy Billionaire Rocket Scientist Became a Cautionary Tale_](http://time.com/5339646/elon-musk-thai-rescue-diver-lawsuit-tweet/ "undefined") Musk received major backlash for his comments, and Tesla shares [tumbled](http://time.com/5340621/thailand-cave-rescue-elon-musk-pedo-shares/ "undefined") on Monday because of his remarks. In an [open letter](https://loupventures.com/an-open-letter-to-elon-musk/ "undefined") on Tuesday, Tesla investors called on Musk to apologize. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5341647/elon-musk-british-cave-diver-apology-pedo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5341647/elon-musk-british-cave-diver-apology-pedo/"},"headline":"Elon Musk Apologizes to British Cave Diver for Calling Him a 'Pedo'","datePublished":"2018-07-18T08:56:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:52:56.864Z","description":"\"The fault is mine and mine alone\"","url":"https://time.com/5341647/elon-musk-british-cave-diver-apology-pedo/","keywords":["People","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a8bfa5ff23936b0/6989359a8fd2ee4e5a35c251/gettyimages-930534182.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a8bfa5ff23936b0/6989359a8fd2ee4e5a35c251/gettyimages-930534182.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Elon Musk Answers Your Questions! - 2018 SXSW Conference and Festivals","caption":"Elon Musk Answers Your Questions! - 2018 SXSW Conference and Festivals","creditText":"Diego Donamaria—Getty Images for SXSW","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/people/","name":"People"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5341647/elon-musk-british-cave-diver-apology-pedo/","name":"Elon Musk Apologizes to British Cave Diver for Calling Him a 'Pedo'"}}]}] ```