Scott Galloway took aim at Elon Musk with some of the harshest words yet.

The NYU marketing professor was on stage Monday night for a live recording of "Pivot," the podcast he hosts with Kara Swisher. He used the moment to go after the way people worship rich tech founders.

Galloway described that hero worship as "ridiculous" and "dangerous." He said it has led the public to think these innovators get to play by a separate set of rules.

The Rosenberg comparison

Then he turned to Musk by name. "Elon Musk is a traitor to the West," he said. "We lined up the Rosenbergs against a wall."

He went on to say the Tesla boss "should be held to the same standards as every other traitor in the West."

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were put to death in 1953. A jury had found them guilty of a plot to spy for the Soviet Union. Their sentence was carried out by electrocution, not a firing squad.

Reading between the lines

Galloway never came out and said Musk should be executed. Still, bringing up the Rosenbergs while asking for equal treatment left little doubt about how far he was willing to go.

The comments landed right before Tuesday's midterms. Democrats went on to have a big night at the polls, a setback for President Trump and the GOP.