In this particular case, perseverance and a remarkable degree of luck really paid off. After a long and grueling saga, popular YouTuber Phidias was finally able to embrace Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
While Elon Musk attracts a lot of controversy, he is generally popular in many circles. His following includes wholesome and popular YouTubers like Mr. Beast, as well as smaller but notable hosts like Phidias Panayiotou from Cyprus.
Phidias Panayiotou, who runs a channel named after him, calls Musk his “idol.” Phidias wants to hug Elon Musk as part of his mission to hug the world’s top 100 celebrities. This proved virtually impossible due to the CEO’s security and his overall busy schedule.
In a way, the YouTuber’s attempt to embrace Elon Musk came at a pretty bad time. Musk is extremely busy with his Twitter acquisition and his work at Tesla and SpaceX is still ongoing. It came as no surprise that Phidias’s efforts, such as establishing a camp at Starbase, Texas, did not bear fruit.
The kids I talked to just had one request, which was to hug this guy who keeps trying to hug me in SF. I checked to see if they were sure about that and they were, so I will.
— Mr. Tweet (@elonmusk) December 21, 2022
However, when Phidias was almost about to give up, something extraordinary happened. Musk visited a World Cup game in Qatar, and while some media outlets focused on Musk’s conversation with a Russian TV host, the Tesla CEO did interact with quite a few people at the stadium. These included a group of young people who personally asked Musk if he could give the YouTuber a hug.
Will do it
— Mr. Tweet (@elonmusk) December 23, 2022
Musk addressed the issue on Twitter, noting that the children actually asked him to hug Phidias. Elon Musk wrote – The kids I spoke to had only one request, which was to hug this guy who keeps trying to hug me in San Francisco. I checked to see if they were up to it.
We are definitely living in a simulation @elonmusk ! Happy National Hugging Day everyone pic.twitter.com/uVzxTwHrDJ
— Fidias (@Fidias0) January 21, 2023
And with that, the YouTuber who seemed ready to give up got a nod from Musk. In a post on Twitter, the YouTuber confirmed that he finally got to meet and hug Elon Musk. The incident appears to have occurred at Twitter’s San Francisco office, at least according to an image posted on social media.