Elon Musk did post something along those lines on X (formerly Twitter). On December 2, 2024, he wrote:

“Empathy is naïveté”

He followed it up shortly after with:

“More precisely, uncritical empathy for someone who is harmful is naïveté (and, indirectly, harmful to others)”

He was clarifying that he wasn’t rejecting all empathy, but specifically the kind that’s extended blindly or excessively to people who intend harm or exploit others, which he sees as a weakness that can itself cause damage. This fits into a broader pattern of his recent comments criticizing what he views as over-the-top “woke” or performative compassion that ignores trade-offs or real-world consequences.

So the full context is less “empathy is always bad” and more “don’t be a naive doormat, especially toward bad actors.” Classic Elon: blunt first, nuance second (if at all).