What is Suicidal Empathy, a New Philosophy Promoted by Elon Musk and Bill Ackman?
The concept of 'suicidal empathy' is gaining attention, particularly among billionaires like Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, following the release of Gad Saad's book on the topic. Saad argues that excessive empathy can undermine societal survival instincts, particularly in the context of progressive policies. He advocates for a more balanced approach to empathy that prioritizes the needs of one's own society over misguided kindness towards outsiders.
- ▪Gad Saad's book argues that excessive empathy can harm society.
- ▪Elon Musk and Bill Ackman are notable supporters of Saad's ideas.
- ▪Saad claims that women are particularly susceptible to 'suicidal empathy.'
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| Original publisher | TIME — Top |
| Canonical URL | https://time.com/article/2026/05/19/suicidal-empathy-elon-musk-gad-saad-/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 19 May 2026 17:34:34 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-19T17:44:57.877Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-19T17:44:57.877Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Is there such a thing as having too much empathy? That's a theory gaining the support of some of the world’s richest people following the release of a new book by Gad Saad, a Canadian marketing professor and frequent critic of liberal policies."A society dies when it cares more about exhibiting infinite tolerance and empathy than invoking its survival instinct," Saad argues in his book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying To Be Kind. Saad’s ideas have drawn frequent praise from prominent billionaires Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, who said suicidal empathy will "end civilization."The term is also linked to preserving Western civilization in particular, which Saad describes in his book as "in rapid decline”: from open-border immigration policies under Biden and Trudeau, to DEI training, soft-on-crime…
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