Metal Drummer Costs Elon Musk $56 Billion

Elon Musk just lost a whopping $56 billion payout after former heavy metal drummer Richard Tornetta filed a lawsuit (and won) against the billionaire Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) owner.

According to a Reuters report, Delaware judge Kathleen St. J. McCormick voided the ginormous pay package on Tuesday (30 February) and called the compensation “an unfathomable sum” that was deemed unfair to shareholders.

Tornetta began legal action against Musk in 2018 when he had just nine shares in Tesla. In response to McCormick’s ruling, Musk posted on X, “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware”. He can appeal the judge’s decision at any stage.

Consequence Of Sound reports that Richard Tornetta was the former drummer in the heavy metal band Dawn Of Correction. The American band formed in 2005 and split in 2009, just months after they released their first (and only) album, Dead Hand Control, in 2008.

As a drummer, Tornetta was influenced by Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. In a 2006 Metal Underground interview, he said, “Mike Portnoy is the biggest [inspiration]. Another biggie is Dave Weckl and definitely Vinnie Paul.”

These days, Tornetta describes himself as a “marketer, inventor, custom fabricator, car guy, family man, and drummer,” his profile on the platform for founders and startups, FS6, reads. “I designed and built an illuminated headpiece for onstage drumming performances. That’s a fancy way of saying I made a mohawk that lights up while I’m playing drums.”

Tornetta earned a degree in industrial design, with his focus in that area now. You can watch him drumming with Dawn Of Correction below.

Musk has had a few beefs with musicians, particularly since taking over Twitter in 2022.

In November 2022, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor revealed that he’d be leaving the platform, calling Musk an “embarrassment” in a The Hollywood Reporter interview. Reznor said about the social media platform, “Embarrassment. I'm about to depart. We don't need the arrogance of the billionaire class to feel like they can just come in and solve everything.”

Musk fired back, calling Reznor a "crybaby" for leaving Twitter. Replying to a tweet about Musk allowing former US President Donald Trump's return to the platform, Musk randomly shot at Reznor, writing, "And it turns out that Trent “nine inch nails” Reznor is actually a crybaby" with a cry-laughing emoji. 

Jack White also lashed out at Musk, slamming him for restoring Donald Trump’s Twitter account while deactivating his Third Man Records account.