Billionaire Elon Musk was in Bali this Sunday, and boy was he serving up some serious tropical gifts.
The SpaceX CEO visited Indonesia on May 19 where he launched his company’s Starlink satellite internet service. As part of his visit, Musk visited a community health center where he was seen wearing a Javanese batik shirt.
“I think it’s really important to highlight the importance of internet connectivity and how life-changing and life-saving it can be,” Musk told reporters in an interview on Sunday.
“If you want to sell goods or services to the world, even if you are in a remote village, you can now do it with an Internet connection,” Musk said. “So it can bring a lot of prosperity, I think, to rural communities.”
Musk’s choice of clothing is notable: he is often seen donning the typical suit and tie or black t-shirt during business trips or at his company’s product launches.
This time around, Musk opted for a more localized choice, choosing a green batik shirt for Bali. The term “batik” refers to an Indonesian technique of using wax-fast dyes to design intricate patterns on clothing.
Of course, Musk is no stranger to Indonesia.
Musk’s SpaceX has worked closely with the Southeast Asian country to boost its internet connectivity. According to the World Bank, about 66% of the country’s 280 million people use the Internet, although connectivity is poor in Indonesia’s rural and remote areas.
And the green batik shirt Musk wore on Sunday appears to be the same one given to him when he attended the B20 summit in Indonesia in November 2022. The event is an official G20 dialogue forum for business leaders. ‘business.
Musk, who was then unable to travel to Bali, gave a virtual interview to Indonesian businessman Anindya Bakrie. Musk was seen wearing the same green batik shirt during his video call.
During the interview, Bakrie told Musk that the “batik bomba” shirt they sent him came from a small village in Central Sulawesi.
“Thank you for this awesome shirt. It’s awesome. I love it,” Musk said.
Musk isn’t the only billionaire who wants to soak up local culture while traveling.
When Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended the Ambani family’s pre-wedding celebrations in March, the billionaire wore tigress and flower-themed outfits made by Indian fashion designer Rahul Mishra.
“I love an Indian wedding,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post on Instagram.
Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to BI’s requests for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
businessinsider
