‘Instagram is for girls’ — Richest man in the world throws jab at men on the platform, questions their masculinity

• Elon Musk said “Instagram is for girls” in a recent X post.

• He was responding to a user who described Instagram as an “inherently female app”.

• Musk made a similar remark in May and mocked men who shared their Instagram profiles.

• His earlier comments about men and gender transition drew criticism online.

Elon Musk has reignited his criticism of Instagram after declaring that the social media platform is “for girls” in a post on X.

Musk made the remark on October 1, 2026, while responding to a post by Geiger Capital, a venture capital firm that announced it had deleted Instagram.

The original post said: “Officially deleted Instagram. An inherently female app. Zero benefit.”

Musk responded briefly: “Instagram is for girls.” The exchange quickly attracted attention on X, with users debating Musk’s characterisation of the Meta-owned platform and its users.

The latest remark echoes comments Musk made in May, when he similarly described Instagram as a platform for girls while responding to an online discussion about social media habits.

On May 15, Musk wrote, “Lmao. Instagram is for girls,” before making a separate remark about men who send him links to their Instagram profiles.

“Sometimes grown men send me their Instagram profiles and I'm like are you transitioning or what?” Musk wrote.

The May comments prompted criticism from some social media users, with several accusing Musk of reinforcing gender stereotypes and making offensive remarks about men who use Instagram. Others responded with jokes or defended his comments.

Musk’s latest post, however, did not repeat the reference to gender transition. Instead, it was a direct response to Geiger Capital’s description of Instagram as an “inherently female app”.

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The billionaire has repeatedly criticised platforms owned by Meta while promoting his own platform, X. His latest Instagram remark also comes amid his long-running rivalry with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company’s social media platforms.

The comments have once again triggered debate over whether social media platforms should be associated with particular genders, with some users arguing that Instagram is used by people across genders.

While Musk has described Instagram as a platform for girls, the October 1 post itself did not provide any explanation or evidence for the claim. His earlier May comments provide the context for why the latest remark has attracted renewed attention, particularly his decision then to question whether men sharing their Instagram profiles with him were “transitioning”.