By Don Terry & Ben Emos | Sunday, December 29, 2024 | 8 min read
Few individuals manage to dominate headlines across as many industries and controversies as Elon Musk. Whether he’s launching rockets, revolutionizing electric vehicles, or sparking outrage online, Musk has a knack for staying in the spotlight. Over the past 12 months, his decisions—some visionary, others baffling—have redefined his public image, challenged industries, and raised serious questions about the balance of power in the modern world.
Musk’s polarizing persona has inspired both fervent admirers and outspoken critics, and this piece will likely provoke reactions from both camps. There are also those who would prefer to ignore him altogether, but it seems we’ve reached a point where that’s no longer an option for anyone.
To understand Elon Musk’s current standing in the world, it’s worth revisiting the roots of his “business genius” reputation. Skipping over his formative years—growing up in apartheid-era South Africa and later immigrating to the U.S. via Canada during his college years—Musk’s early ventures are well-documented. His first major success came from co-founding Zip2 with his brother Kimbal Musk, a company that provided business directories and maps online. This paved the way for his involvement in PayPal, where he worked alongside Peter Thiel to revolutionize online payments, setting the stage for his future ventures.
While Musk often takes center stage in discussions about electric vehicles (EVs), it’s essential to recognize that the Chinese were already making significant strides in the industry well before Tesla became a household name.
Some critics suggest that Musk leveraged the momentum of Chinese ingenuity to propel Tesla forward. Indeed, China has been a pioneer in the EV space for decades. The Chinese government identified the potential of EVs early on, introducing policies and subsidies to accelerate their adoption.
By the 1990s, electric bikes and motorcycles were already becoming commonplace in China, and by the 2000s, the focus had shifted to cars. Companies like BYD and CATL emerged as global leaders in EV technology, positioning China as the largest producer of electric vehicles in the world. Today, China’s EV market is not only thriving but poised to outpace traditional internal combustion engine vehicles in new car sales as early as next year.
Elon Musk used the fortune he built from earlier ventures, like PayPal, to aim for the stars—literally. He poured his resources into SpaceX, a company dedicated to building rockets and spacecraft, taking an audacious leap from online payments to aerospace engineering. But SpaceX’s success didn’t come out of nowhere. Critics point out that much of its progress stands on the shoulders of NASA’s decades-old innovations and ex-NASA experts. What sets Musk apart, however, is how he’s reimagined those foundations—streamlining, refining, and transforming them into something that works at scale. In this way, he’s often compared to Henry Ford, who didn’t invent the automobile but revolutionized its production and made it accessible to the masses. Musk has achieved a similar feat across multiple industries.
When asked how he became the chief technology officer of a rocket company despite lacking an aerospace degree, Musk’s answer was as practical as it was revealing:
“I do have a physics background, which helps as a foundation. But I read a lot of books, talked to a lot of smart people, and worked with a great team.”
Musk’s learning curve has been steep but self-driven, and his determination is undeniable. He also credits much of SpaceX’s success to the exceptional talent he’s brought on board. One of those team members, former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, transitioned from flying space shuttles to joining SpaceX, lured by the chance to be part of something transformative. “If you could go back in time and work with Howard Hughes when he was creating TWA at the dawn of a new era, wouldn’t you want to do that?” Reisman explained. “That’s why I’m here.”
Musk’s ability to inspire this kind of loyalty and vision is one of his defining traits. He’s living proof that innovation doesn’t always follow the beaten path of formal qualifications. Sometimes, it takes someone willing to break the mold. As Reisman put it on 60 Minutes, “I’d take a self-taught innovator over a rigid academic any day.”
But the parallels between Musk and Ford extend beyond their industries. Both men are visionaries who reshaped the world around them, yet their legacies aren’t without controversy. A quick search of their names alongside the term “anti-Semitism” reveals some troubling similarities. Still, that’s a conversation for another time.
What’s undeniable is the high stakes of Musk’s gamble with SpaceX. The company’s first three launch attempts ended in failure, leaving its future hanging by a thread. Yet Musk’s unrelenting determination proved pivotal. When asked if he ever considered giving up after the third failure, his answer was a resolute “Never.” Just eight weeks later, SpaceX achieved a flawless fourth launch—an event that marked a turning point not only for the company but for Musk’s legacy. Had that launch failed, both SpaceX and Musk’s trajectory might have looked dramatically different.
From Zip2 to Tesla and SpaceX, Musk’s journey has been anything but linear. It’s marked by bold decisions, relentless ambition, and a knack for turning setbacks into stepping stones. Whether admired as a visionary or criticized for his polarizing approach, Musk’s impact on technology, transportation, and even global geopolitics is undeniable.
When asked if three consecutive failures had ever made him consider giving up, Musk’s response was unwavering: “Never.” Just eight weeks later, with the entire company’s future hanging in the balance, SpaceX attempted a fourth launch. This time, everything went off without a hitch—a flawless success that marked a turning point in the company’s history. Had that launch failed, the outcome for Musk and SpaceX might have been dramatically different.
Fast forward to today, and Musk’s endeavors remain as audacious as ever. SpaceX recently tested the most powerful rocket ever built—a staggering engineering achievement that captured the world’s attention, even though the mission concluded with a fiery explosion. Meanwhile, Tesla, his EV juggernaut, faced a massive recall of two million vehicles over safety concerns. Yet, despite the setback, Tesla continues to dominate the electric vehicle market.
In true Musk fashion, the year wasn’t without its eccentricities. One particularly bizarre episode saw Musk and Mark Zuckerberg trading barbs publicly, leading to a proposed cage fight between the two tech billionaires. Musk reportedly entertained the idea of hosting the match in the nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum in Rome—a suggestion so outlandish it seemed like satire, though Musk himself may have taken it seriously.
But the defining story of Musk’s year has been his stewardship of Twitter—now rebranded as “X.” A year after acquiring the platform for $44 billion, Musk has turned it into a case study in corporate chaos. From slashing 80% of its workforce to upending the verification system, the site has become a digital Wild West. Most alarming was Musk’s recent amplification of anti-Semitic content, endorsing conspiracy theories that alienated major advertisers and sparked widespread condemnation.
When confronted about the advertiser exodus during a live interview, Musk’s response was as brazen as it was defiant: “Go fuck yourself.” He dismissed concerns about the platform’s viability, even as he admitted that the boycott could “kill the company.” The moment revealed a man seemingly unbothered by the consequences of his actions, wearing his defiance as a badge of honor—even when it risks alienating the businesses and communities that Twitter/X relies on to survive.
For years, Musk cultivated an image as a trailblazing inventor—a real-life Tony Stark who would save humanity through electric cars, space exploration, and futuristic technology. He appeared in Iron Man 2, embracing the comparison. Yet, the past year has revealed a more complex—and troubling—side to Musk. His critics argue that he’s become increasingly detached, wielding his power in ways that are as erratic as they are impactful.
Musk’s ventures aren’t limited to Twitter and Tesla. He also heads SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and xAI, making him one of the most influential individuals in the world. His companies shape the future of transportation, artificial intelligence, energy, and even national security. Yet his increasingly controversial rhetoric—promoting transphobia, amplifying white nationalist voices, and dismissing concerns about hate speech on X—has many questioning whether such power should rest in the hands of a single individual.
Even Musk’s allies have expressed unease. Sam Altman, once said of Musk: “Elon desperately wants the world to be saved, but only if he can be the one to save it.” That messianic streak, combined with a penchant for drama, paints a picture of a man who thrives on attention but struggles with accountability.
The Risks of Musk’s Monopolistic Influence
Musk’s dominance extends far beyond social media. His SpaceX company controls over half of all active satellites in orbit, primarily through its Starlink network. While Starlink has been a lifeline for Ukraine during its conflict with Russia, Musk’s unilateral decisions—like denying Ukraine access to the network for certain military operations—underscore the dangers of relying on a single private entity for critical infrastructure.
The U.S. government finds itself in an awkward position. Musk’s companies provide vital services, from satellite communications to electric vehicles. Yet his unpredictable behavior and controversial statements complicate the relationship. Officials must balance their reliance on Musk’s innovations with growing concerns about his influence.
Elon Musk’s influence continues to grow, shaping nearly every corner of modern life—from the cars we drive to the satellites providing our internet. Yet, over the past year, the cracks in the carefully cultivated image of Musk as an untouchable visionary have become harder to ignore. His controversial choices, inflammatory remarks, and increasingly radical behavior have made him a polarizing figure. Reports of his alleged role in aiding Donald Trump’s rise to power, along with his recent meddling in Congressional matters, have only added to the growing unease. Even Trump himself, on Truth Social, urged Musk to “stick to what he knows best.”
Some countries, like Brazil, have already started taking steps to curb his growing influence, and it’s likely only a matter of time before others follow suit. The global scrutiny surrounding Musk and his ventures underscores an emerging consensus: the unchecked power he wields needs urgent accountability.
As society grapples with his massive influence, one thing has become evident—change is overdue. Whether through government regulation, public pushback, or resistance from corporate partners, the world must come to terms with the risks of allowing one individual to amass so much control over the future.
Ultimately, Musk’s legacy won’t be shaped by his social media antics or public spats but by the real and lasting effects of his decisions—on technology, society, and the planet itself. Like it or not, we’re all part of this unfolding story.
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