The online feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYAAY.US) has entered its second week, with the world's richest man once again floating the idea of acquiring the airline after clashing with its Chief Executive Officer. On Monday, Musk posted a poll on his X platform, asking whether he should buy Ryanair and "restore Ryanair to its rightful glory." Earlier that day, he had responded to a post from the budget airline, questioning how much it would cost to acquire Ryanair and reiterating his demand for the dismissal of its long-serving CEO and public face, Michael O'Leary. Last week, a fierce public dispute erupted between global tech titan Elon Musk and Europe's largest low-cost carrier, Ryanair. The conflict originated when Musk's SpaceX attempted to pitch its Starlink satellite internet service to Ryanair, only to be sharply rebuffed by CEO Michael O'Leary. O'Leary publicly stated that installing satellite antennas would increase aircraft drag, leading to an estimated annual fuel cost increase of around $250 million, and mockingly suggested Musk knew "nothing about aerodynamics." Musk retaliated on the social platform X, accusing O'Leary's data of being severely flawed and insisting Starlink's impact on fuel consumption was minimal; what began as a technical debate quickly devolved into personal attacks. As the conflict escalated, the dispute expanded from technical arguments to the realm of capital. In response to O'Leary's remarks, which included calling him a "billionaire idiot," Musk hinted on social media that he might take direct action if Ryanair's board did not fire O'Leary. On the morning of January 19, 2026, Musk officially launched a public poll on X, asking subscribers whether he should acquire Ryanair. The poll rapidly attracted over 600,000 votes, with the "Yes" option一度接近80% at one point. Ryanair's official account responded by调侃 the stability of X's platform systems. This tit-for-tat exchange on social media has drawn significant market attention to this potential cross-industry acquisition. Currently, the capital markets are reacting to the acquisition rumors with a complex mix of responses. Spurred by Musk's potential acquisition interest, Ryanair's Nasdaq-listed shares saw a pre-market increase of approximately 2.2% on January 20, reflecting speculative anticipation among some investors for a "Musk-style restructuring." However, mainstream analysts remain cautious. Analysis suggests that despite Musk's precedent of using social media polls to decide major capital moves (such as the acquisition of Twitter), there are currently no regulatory filings or formal offers regarding Ryanair. Prediction market data indicates the probability of Musk completing a substantive acquisition by mid-2026 remains low; as of this writing, contracts show traders assign only a 7% likelihood, viewing the event more as a high-profile war of words from Musk concerning partner execution and personal reputation. Ryanair's market capitalization is approximately €30 billion, making it three times larger than Europe's largest airline group, Lufthansa. O'Leary has built the company into Europe's largest low-cost carrier over decades and is one of its top ten shareholders. He recently received a substantial bonus after the company's stock met certain performance targets; the stock rose 55% last year.