Elon Musk responded with a familiar four-word question after The Babylon Bee resurfaced a satirical story claiming he had bought the United Kingdom to establish free speech: “How much is it?”
The Babylon Bee article itself was originally published on Aug. 10, 2024, and fictionally imagined Musk using those exact same four words when someone suggested he purchase Britain. When the satire outlet reposted the story on X two years later, Musk actually gave it the response its writers had invented for him.
The wording also recalled a real exchange from December 2017, when an X user suggested that Musk buy what was then Twitter and he replied, “How much is it?” Musk went on to complete a roughly $44 billion takeover of the social media company in October 2022 and later renamed it X.
Two days later he extended the joke by sharing an AI-generated Austin Powers-style video depicting himself as “the man who bought the UK.”
The Satirical Story Had Already Written Musk’s Exact Response
How much is it?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2026
The Babylon Bee’s fictional report imagined Musk purchasing the entire United Kingdom so its citizens could regain what the site characterized as freedom of speech.
More unusually, the original satire had already put the words “How much is it?” into Musk’s mouth. In the fictional version, a social media user suggests that Musk purchase the country and the article imagines him responding with the question before going ahead with the supposed deal.
On Aug. 11, 2026, The Babylon Bee shared the old story on X. This time, the response was real.
Musk Used the Same Four Words Before Buying Twitter
The response attracted additional attention because Musk had used precisely the same phrase in an exchange that eventually gained an unexpected historical footnote. In December 2017, Musk posted that he loved Twitter. Dave Smith, then using the handle @redletterdave, replied by suggesting that he buy it. Musk asked, “How much is it?”
At the time, there was no announced takeover effort. More than four years later, however, Musk began building a stake in Twitter and formally offered to acquire the company.
In an April 2022 filing with the SEC, Musk proposed paying $54.20 per share and said he believed Twitter had the potential to serve as a global platform for free speech. He argued that taking the company private was necessary to make the changes he envisioned.
The deal ultimately closed on Oct. 27, 2022. The closing filing records that Twitter became a subsidiary of a company majority-owned and controlled by Musk, with outstanding shares converted into the right to receive $54.20 each in cash.
The UK Joke Plays Off Musk’s Real Free-Speech Battles
The Babylon Bee’s premise was satire, but its free-speech theme draws on a subject Musk has repeatedly addressed seriously. His platform X has publicly criticized British online regulation. In August 2025, the company argued that enforcement of the U.K.’s Online Safety Act risked restricting legitimate expression and increasing censorship.
The British government rejected that characterization, saying the law includes protections for freedom of expression alongside requirements intended to protect children and address defined categories of illegal and harmful content.
Musk Followed the Joke With an Austin Powers-Style Video
I’m not sure who made this.
But it rocks. pic.twitter.com/MrSeaeqPDv
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 13, 2026
Two days after asking the price of Britain, Musk shared another joke built around the same premise. Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted an AI-generated video on Aug. 13, writing that he did not know who had created it but thought it “rocks.” The just-over-a-minute clip places Musk in an Austin Powers-inspired world, complete with a blue pinstriped suit, Optimus robots and a Tesla Cybertruck decorated with the Union Jack.
The parody labels Musk “the man who bought the UK” and plays with the fictional takeover as he moves through a stylized version of London. Musk reposted Lee’s video later that day without adding a caption.