Elon Musk sparks major backlash after declaring Instagram ‘Is for Girls’

World's leading social media's platform X owner and tech billionaire Elon Musk has reignited his ongoing rivalry with Meta after posting a dismissive remark targeting the photo-sharing platform Instagram.

The controversy began when Musk replied to a viral post on X by venture capitalist firm Geiger Capital, which announced it had officially deleted Instagram and labeled the Meta-owned platform an "inherently female app" offering zero benefits for men.

Endorsing the sentiment, Musk responded directly with the statement: "Instagram is for girls".

The comment immediately drew intense backlash and triggered a polarized debate across social media platforms.

Critics slammed the remark as a dated and misogynistic trope designed to question male users' digital habits and undermine Meta's massive, multi-gender user base.

Observers also pointed out that billions of men and women rely on Instagram daily for business networking, photography, and entertainment, making broad gender-based dismissals statistically inaccurate.

Conversely, supporters and platform rivals weighed in with mixed reactions, with some interpreting it as standard competitive posturing intended to drive traffic toward Musk’s competing platform, X.

This latest jab mirrors similar remarks made earlier in the year.

In May, Musk used a similar phrase during a public discussion on online habits, where he disparaged adult men who shared their Instagram profiles and questioned their digital presentation.

Industry analysts note that these recurrent comments highlight the deepening corporate hostilities between major tech executives, as competing networks vie for user engagement, advertising revenue, and cultural dominance in an increasingly fragmented digital media ecosystem.