Elon Musk will discuss artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and space travel. Diet Coke is not one of the points of contention.
In 2023, Elon Musk published a post on X highlighting Warren Buffett’s concentrated holdings in Berkshire Hathaway, which includes a large stake in The Coca-Cola Company. When users discussed Buffett’s allocation for Coca-Cola, Musk chimed in directly on the post.
Then he made it personal.
“Diet Coke and Coke Zero are awesome,” he wrote. “I don’t care if drinking a few gallons of it takes away a little bit of my life. It’s worth it.”
Diet Coke and Coke Zero are both great. I don’t care if drinking a few gallons of it takes away a little bit of my life. worth.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2023
This sentence exists in that X conversation. This is not a speech. This is not an interview. Musk typed in real time while reacting to Buffett’s Coca-Cola reveal.
Buffett’s connection to Coca-Cola is financial and habitual. Since 1988, Berkshire has owned about 400 million Coca-Cola shares and collected hundreds of millions of dollars in dividends each year.
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Buffett has long said he drinks Cherry Coke every day. Buffett told Fortune magazine in 2015, “If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce drinks. I do that every day.”
Musk’s loyalties look different. He drinks a range of zero-sugar drinks and openly acknowledges the possible trade-offs.
Health issues behind the post
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose face new scrutiny. A 2022 study published in the British Medical Journal showed that higher intake of artificial sweeteners was associated with a 9% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association cites research showing that daily consumption of diet soda increases the risk of ischemic stroke and dementia in older adults.
Drinking lots of regular sugary soda has a clear link to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Musk did not dispute any of the content in the post. He reduced the issue to priorities.
Coke as dividend and daily habit
Coca-Cola remains one of Berkshire Hathaway’s best-known holdings and a long-term dividend engine.
Meanwhile, a zero-sugar version of Musk has become central to Coca-Cola’s modern growth strategy as consumers move away from full-sugar sodas.
A billionaire profits from Coca-Cola through ownership. Both drank.
Image: Shutterstock
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This article Elon says Diet Coke is “awesome” — “I don’t care if it takes a little bit off my life to drink a few gallons of it. It’s worth it” originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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