Oli's share: What does Elon Musk believe?
- jeanne7629
- Mar 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 22
Thank you for sharing your thoughts so diligently Oli!
I must admit, I preferred reading your commentary than the actual article. I was hoping for a more nuanced opinion of Musk (maybe the title and your commentary mislead me!). Does anyone have anything to share that would be a more positive view on this individual? Very curious!
Here is Oli's commentary of the article, that may also spark some questions or thoughts for all of you :)
I read this article as I was exploring my own political stance/personal values in light of conflict between my investment choices and the recent actions/policies of the Trump administration and its team. I was seeking to understand more about Elon Musk; the person who founded the very innovative companies Tesla (which I'm invested in) and SpaceX, but who was recently claimed to be a neo-Nazi. I wanted to better assess how his companies and the US economy would fare under his leadership with his seemingly ever-more erratic actions. What stuck with me the most was how changeable/flippant human emotions, political affiliations and personal values can seemingly be. Musk was said to have changed his political leanings (and thereby altered the US political and economic landscape) through a fallout with his daughter as she transitioned to being a woman. Musk blamed the progressive Los Angeles school she attended (and the “woke mind virus holding back America"). His recent far-right actions have come after he described himself previously as "politically moderate". However, clearly his upbringing has come back to the fore, as his Grandfather (in apartheid South Africa) was very suspicious of democracy and an advocate for technocracy, which was influential on a young Elon. This brought up thoughts around nature vs. nurture, especially in light of me recently becoming a father myself. I then went down the rabbit hole of pronatalism and started questioning this approach to life, as opposed to my current single child household. The article shifted my perspective by allowing me deeper reflections on my own upbringing and values, and how these can be influenced by events that happen in my life. It helped me to have greater awareness of the biases I have, and more important, why these may be the case. It also allowed me to add a more benevolent human interpretation of some of Musk's recent unsavoury incidents, and understand that maybe part of his 'problem' (for want of a better term) is that he's just a hurt father who lost an important relationship from his life. I think the key learning of the article is: always aim to seek the inside story of people's actions and words; try to understand the reasons why people do what they do. As this will allow for a more benevolent interpretation and less anger/frustration, and potentially, a more peaceful society. Also, to be self-reflective, and take ownership for the way you are showing up in the world and relationships. Try to gain awareness of why you believe what you believe/present the way you do, and to take ownership of changing this if it doesn't align with the higher version of yourself you want to be. Next steps would be to continue working on cultivating this sense of self-awareness ;and asking intuitive, insightful questions into family, friends' and colleagues' motivations (at appropriate moments and in not overtly invasive ways, of course!).
This is a good overview of Elon Musk, someone I have been following closely for many years. I am not sure about some of the details, e.g. I was pretty sure that Musk was explicit about the tax benefits of moving his operations to Texas at the time, but maybe I am remembering incorrectly. The Guardian is not always great with its fact checking. I understand the reaction by some readers who might prefer a more nuanced description of this character, but I think that kind of portrait might be difficult to find, unless you venture into the bowels of 4chan or the dark web, where his fans hang out.
I lovee what Oli says about the importance of seeking…
I found this article fascinating Oli, thank you so much for sharing. I had no idea how much see-sawing Elon has done over the decades when it comes to his political affiliations. I feel like this article gave us quite a lot of information, and yet I still can't fully grasp what Musk truly believes and why. I guess, that might be the point? It had me thinking how someone like him can throw their weight and support around Obama only to then swing so far the other way. Whether it was nature versus nurture (as you say, which was an interesting thread to pull on) or whether it was all just a perfect storm of factors: his business, his…
Loved this reflective commentary, Oli. It's probably given me more food for thought than the article did! That said, I found the article interesting because it brought me up to speed with Musk's track record but I agree with Jeanne that it didn't give me the personal insights about Musk that I was hoping for (although maybe I'd have to read his biography to get that!).