• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
TechElon Musk
Europe

Elon Musk faces exile from 365-year-old Royal Society scientific institution over his political behavior

Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 17, 2025, 6:23 AM ET
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
No member has been expelled from the Royal Society in more than 150 years.Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Elon Musk could face expulsion from the historic Royal Society scientific institution after the group agreed to call a meeting to discuss Fellows’ behaviors following a revolt from scientists.

The institution, which was founded in 1660, plans to hold a meeting on March 3 to debate “principles around public pronouncements and behaviours of Fellows,” a spokesperson told Fortune in a statement. It followed several resignations and thousands of signatures calling out the behavior of fellow member Musk. 

“Any issues raised in respect of individual Fellows are dealt with in strict confidence.”

The announcement comes after more than 2,700 scientists signed an open letter, penned by biologist Stephen Curry, accusing Musk of breaching the society’s code of conduct.

Curry pointed to Musk’s peddling of conspiracy theories and online attacks on Dr Anthony Fauci, in addition to his labeling of U.K. Parliament member Jess Phillips as a “rape genocide apologist,” as evidence of this breach of conduct. He also cited Musk’s steering of DOGE in the U.S. and its impact on science.

“The situation is rendered more serious because Mr. Musk now occupies a position within a Trump administration in the USA that has over the past several weeks engaged in an assault on scientific research in the U.S. that has fallen foul of federal courts,” said Curry.

Musk was appointed a Fellow in 2018 in recognition of his work as CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and the Boring Company.

In the years since, though, Musk’s public image has shifted through his acquisition of Twitter, which he renamed X. The world’s richest person has grown more political, supporting right-wing causes across Europe while playing a crucial role in the election of Donald Trump.

Musk’s proclamations have caused disquiet in society for several months. In November, Professor Dorothy Bishop, a University of Oxford psychologist, resigned from her position as a Fellow of the Royal Society in protest of Musk’s behavior. 

Bishop said she refused to be associated with an institution that called Musk a member, who she said was modeling himself on a “Bond villain.” 

“I just feel far more comfortable to be dissociated from an institution that continues to honour this disreputable man,” she wrote.

Last week, Andrew Miller, a biologist at the University of Edinburgh, also resigned, citing the society’s “inability to take proportionate action on Elon Musk’s current promotion of disinformation and attacks on evidence-based policies and science advice.”

The society is the U.K.’s oldest scientific academy, and in the past counted Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Charles Darwin among its members. Current members include Sir James Dyson and Sir David Attenborough. 

Candidates face a highly competitive process to achieve a Royal Society Fellowship. In order to be considered, a candidate must receive a nomination from two existing Fellows. Last year, there were 650 people under consideration for a Fellowship and a further 100 up for foreign membership.

The society hasn’t expelled a member in more than 150 years, when Rudolf Eric Raspe was removed due to fraud. 

Any decision to remove Musk could be regarded as deeply political and potentially damaging to the institution, which risks falling into a culture war that has engulfed many of Musk’s antagonists in recent years. 

The Times reported the comments of one Fellow, speaking on the condition of anonymity, who said: “I don’t like what Musk is doing—it’s reprehensible. But I also think he’s an astounding person in terms of what he has contributed to engineering. The society would be hypocritical if it singled out and censured one person for things they have said and done. You open the doors to charges of hypocrisy if you go down this road.”

About the Author
Ryan Hogg
By Ryan HoggEurope News Reporter

Ryan Hogg was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Current price of Ethereum for June 24, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for June 24, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Taktile cofounders Maik Taro Wehmeyer (left) and Maximilian Eber (right) stand side by side, smiling at the camera.
Startups & VentureVenture Capital
Exclusive: Taktile raises $110 million from Goldman Sachs, Tiger Global to automate high-stakes financial decisions 
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Sarah Youngwood, EVP and CFO at Nasdaq.
AICFO Daily
Nasdaq’s CFO says leaders must learn AI—not just their teams
By Sheryl EstradaJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
steve
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Steve Case: America was built by entrepreneurs. Here’s how we keep that edge for the next 250 years
By Steve CaseJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
(left to right) Andrew Berman, Tal Peretz, and Vitor Balocco
AIVenture Capital
Exclusive: Vinod Khosla wanted ‘every available dollar’ of Runlayer’s funding round. It just raised $30 million to govern the agent workforce
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
t
CommentaryWhite House
Trump mistakes the bully pulpit for bullying leadership — history’s villains were never heroes
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion,but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.