Memphis Mayor Paul Young is pushing back against criticism of his approach to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, SpaceXAI, after a public dispute over the company’s presence in Memphis spilled onto social media and into a panel discussion at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Legislative Conference (CBCF) in Washington, D.C.
The controversy followed a public back-and-forth between Young and Memphis attorney Henry Reaves over SpaceXAI, the Memphis Safe Task Force and other issues, according to Action News 5.
On Thursday (September 17), Young responded on Facebook, saying he had seen “misinformed, silly a** posts” trying to paint him as a “sellout.” He said he had plenty to “clapback with” but chose to stay focused on his work.
The following day, Young joined Angela Rye, Ryan Haygood and Tennessee state Rep. Harold Love for a discussion at CBCF about issues affecting Black communities.
Rye questioned the decision to do business with Musk and raised concerns about Memphis’ economic struggles and water supply.
“When you’re also talking about water, you think about Flint, you think about Jackson, you don’t want to put your city in the same position there,” Rye said.
Young pushed back, saying his dealings with Musk are not based on trust.
“I don’t have to be coached on not trusting dude. I ain’t no fool,” Young said. “Like, I’m not stupid. I understand this is a trillionaire. It’s not about trusting him.”
“I’m for Memphis. I’m not for dude,” he added.
SpaceXAI operates large data centers in Memphis. Young said the city’s approach is to negotiate investments that benefit residents, including a proposed $200 million graywater facility and investments in surrounding communities and schools.
After the discussion, Young struck a more conciliatory tone on Facebook, saying Memphis had been “well represented” in Washington and that he appreciated the opportunity to answer “tough questions” and address what he described as “misperceptions” about his administration’s approach.
“We won’t always agree on every solution, but I’ll always show up, answer the questions, and make sure Memphis has a voice in the room,” Young wrote.
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