One way rich people get that way is to stiff their creditors. Trump has done it for decades. In this report, CNN shows how Musk has adopted that tactic.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/31/us/elon-musk-company-unpaid-liens-invs

Small businesses helped build Musk’s empire. Their unpaid bills add up to millions

Small businesses have filed liens for more than $110 million against Tesla alone in the last five years, with more than $24 million still allegedly owed to dozens of businesses, a CNN analysis found.

CNN

@dangillmor we should all do the same, see how that works. /s

"The Men Who Always Get Away With It"

"your loss, my gain"
@dangillmor
I did wonder whether they should withhold completion or sabotage their own work until payment. But I guess they'd've lost access before they realised they'd been had.
@dangillmor Smart business, or just playing the system?
@dangillmor The legal system has long been set up so that the person with the deepest pockets usually wins. For creditors, it costs more to use than to write it off. Trump knows this (as, I imagine, do most rich people).