(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Elon Musk: The Most Dangerous Man in America? [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-04
In April 2024, Elon Musk stated, “I am very much in favor of legal immigration, being an immigrant myself, but allowing a flood of millions of unvetted people to enter the United States illegally is insane.”
This is ironic given that Musk and his brother Kimbal were once illegal immigrants from Canada. This history may explain some of Donald Trump’s concerns about the U.S.-Canadian border.
As the richest person in the world and someone who exerts significant influence, especially on Trump, Musk’s political leanings—some might say far-right—are of global concern. His support for the right-wing Reform UK Party and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is known for its authoritarian stance, raises questions about his political ambitions. Musk recently remarked of the AfD, “Only the AfD can save Germany” and that it “is the last spark of hope.”
Musk’s status as an illegal immigrant came when he violated the terms of his student visa. Though he was accepted to Stanford in 1995, he chose not to attend and instead worked on a startup, Zip2, with his brother, Kimbal. In a 2013 interview, Kimbal confirmed that they were in the U.S. illegally, a fact their investors later discovered. Musk referred to it as a “gray area,” which seems to be a euphemism for being undocumented. Clearly, both he and Kimbal committed deportable offenses. (See
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/10/26/elon-musk-immigration-status/)
Musk allegedly left South Africa, his birthplace, due to his opposition to apartheid. However, he left just before he would have been required to serve in the South African Defense Force for two years. His mother, a Canadian citizen, joined him in Canada six months later, along with his sister Tosca. Kimbal followed soon after.
Although Musk’s rejection of apartheid is well known, it seems contradictory when juxtaposed with Trump’s racism, and the embrace of white supremacy and Christian nationalism—a worldview that echoes apartheid-era exclusionist policies. Were Musk’s authoritarian tendencies nurtured in the authoritarianism of South Africa.
For Musk, Canada was always a way-station, not a destination. Emigrating from South Africa to the U.S. was complicated, partly due to the political tensions surrounding apartheid. However, because his mother was Canadian, Musk quickly became a Canadian citizen by descent. His ultimate goal was U.S. citizenship, which he achieved in 2002. Kimbal became a U.S. citizen in 2000, and Tosca followed in 2020.
The phrase, “Know thyself,” inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, is often taken as advice for self-awareness. While Musk is undeniably intelligent—indeed, highly gifted—it’s unclear whether he possesses emotional intelligence. Despite his success with multiple companies, his tenure at Twitter (now X) offers a cautionary tale.
Musk purchased Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion, though the platform’s estimated value was only $25–30 billion. He then proceeded to lay off or fire almost 75% of the staff, dismantled content moderation policies (including rules against hate speech and misinformation), and alienated advertisers and users. From October 2022 to October 2024, the platform’s market value plummeted from $25–30 billion to $9.4 billion. Ad revenue fell from $2 billion per quarter to $600 million. Brand value, partly impacted by the rebranding from Twitter to X, dropped from $5.7 billion to $673.3 million. User loss in the U.S. was significant, with X losing 2.7 million users in October and November 2024, many of whom migrated to Bluesky. Despite Musk’s changes, X continues to lose money. The gender imbalance on the platform also reached a new high, with 68.5% of users now male, further cementing its “bro network” image. Musk justified the purchase as a means of advancing free speech, yet the platform embraces toxic speech and reportedly censors voices it deems undesirable. In retrospect, Musk bought Twitter to remake it as a far-right political megaphone. It’s not a business; it’s a dangerous toy. Had Musk not owned X, he would have likely been fired several times, especially after telling advertisers to go “f**k themselves” in late November 2023.
In 2014, Musk described himself as “half Democrat, half Republican,” adding, “I’m somewhere in the middle, socially liberal and fiscally conservative.” In 2018, he said he was “not a conservative. I’m registered independent [and] politically moderate.” However, by 2022, he claimed, “The Democratic Party has been hijacked by extremists.” In an October 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, Musk remarked, “If [Trump] loses, I’m f*ed. How long do you think my prison sentence is going to be? Do you think? Will I see my children? I don’t know. I think the chances of that happening are very high. I don’t know what to do.” These words, tinged with paranoia and projection, highlight Musk’s growing dependence on Trump, whose rhetoric centers on political retribution.
Musk is so well-known as the CEO of Tesla, it’s easy to assume that he founded the company. In fact, Tesla was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Musk invested in the company in February 2004 and joined the board. Eberhard left Tesla in December 2007, citing irreconcilable differences with the board, including Musk. He filed a defamation lawsuit against Musk in 2009, which was settled out of court. Tarpenning left Tesla in 2008, and Musk became CEO in 2008.
Musk is critical of the federal government for red tape, inefficiencies, misplaced priorities, regulation, environmental reviews, government subsidies, and more. Railing about government subsidies is rich since Tesla received a low interest loan from the Obama administration for $465 million in January 2010. Without it the company would have probably collapsed. It was repaid in 2013 using funds from a stock sale. From 2002 until the end of 2024, Musk’s SpaceX has been awarded approximately $22 billion in government contracts. While it has also raised private funds, the contracts have been significant.
Musk is critical of the federal government, railing against red tape, inefficiencies, misplaced priorities, regulation, environmental reviews, and government subsidies. However, this criticism rings somewhat hollow given that Tesla received a $465 million loan from the Obama administration in January 2010. Without it the company would have probably collapsed. The loan was repaid in 2013 through funds raised from a stock sale. From 2002 to 2024, SpaceX received approximately $22 billion in government contracts. While Musk’s companies also raise private funds, government contracts have been a significant source of revenue.
As co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk advocates for cutting federal spending by $2 trillion annually—about 30% of the total federal budget. He’s acknowledged that these cuts could result in “temporary hardship” for Americans, but such reductions could have permanent, pervasive consequences. Musk doesn’t seem interested in balancing the budget through higher taxes on the wealthy. Instead, he seems to be anticipating a tax overhaul by Trump that will benefit America’s oligarchs, like himself. Notably, in Canada and South Africa, Musk would be subject to much higher taxes.
Never mind the fact that an ex-Army General calls Musk a national security risk.
The question remains: Will Musk’s influence on America lead to more Tesla-like success or more Twitter-style failure? I fear the latter.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/4/2295142/-Elon-Musk-The-Most-Dangerous-Man-in-America?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
