Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk blasted New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s selection of Lillian Bonsignore as the next commissioner of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), warning that the decision could have serious consequences for public safety, given her lack of experience as a firefighter.

In a post on the social media platform X, which Musk owns, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO wrote, “People will die because of this,” arguing that Bonsignore’s lack of traditional firefighting experience makes her unfit to lead the nation’s largest fire department. 

Musk’s post drew widespread attention on social media. Supporters of Musk’s opinion argued that operational firefighting experience is essential for effectively managing the FDNY.

Bonsignore, a 31-year veteran of the FDNY, served most of her career in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and led the division during the COVID-19 pandemic before retiring in 2022. She has not worked as a frontline firefighter. If confirmed, she would be only the second woman and the first openly gay person to lead the FDNY. 

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani responded to Musk and defended his choice on X.

"Experience does matter, which is why I appointed the person who spent more than 30 years at EMS. You know, the workforce that addresses at least 70% of all calls coming into FDNY?" he wrote.