Elon Musk has renewed his criticism of Instagram after declaring that “Instagram is for girls” in a post on X.
The billionaire made the comment on October 1, 2026, while responding to a post by venture capital firm Geiger Capital, which said it had deleted its Instagram account.
Geiger Capital wrote, “Officially deleted Instagram. An inherently female app. Zero benefit.”
Musk replied: “Instagram is for girls.”
The exchange sparked reactions on X, with users debating Musk’s description of the Meta-owned platform and whether Instagram should be associated with a particular gender.
Musk made a similar remark in May while discussing social media use.
On May 15, he wrote, “Lmao. Instagram is for girls,” before making another comment about men who share their Instagram profiles with him.
“Sometimes grown men send me their Instagram profiles and I’m like are you transitioning or what?” Musk wrote.
The comments drew criticism from some social media users, who accused the billionaire of reinforcing gender stereotypes and making offensive remarks about men who use Instagram. Others defended or joked about his comments.
His latest post did not repeat the reference to gender transition. Instead, it came directly in response to Geiger Capital’s description of Instagram as an “inherently female app”.
Musk has previously criticised Meta-owned platforms while promoting X, the social media platform he owns.
His relationship with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been marked by public rivalry, including disagreements over their respective social media platforms.
The latest comments have again prompted debate over gender and social media use, with some users pointing out that Instagram is used by people across different genders.
Musk did not provide evidence or further explanation for his October 1 claim that Instagram is “for girls”.