As an author intrigued by the vivid indicators of end-stage capitalism, Elon Musk’s ubiquitous presence in our society strangely brings a sense of appreciation. To me, by merely observing the wealthiest individual alive, we can derive a plethora of knowledge about our world and its myriad of challenges. Consider this individual, the possessor of more wealth than anyone else in the globe and consequently, in accordance with the harshest financial standards, the most triumphant human being alive. What example does he set for this system that has propelled him to a peak of unmatched stature?
Last week, this man graced the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, with his presence. The location is notorious for two unsuccessful attempts on the former president’s life and for its association with perhaps the most memorable snapshot of Trump’s political tenure: an extraordinary image of Trump, still bleeding, his hand held high in resilience while the American flag billowed behind him. Musk’s appearance as a guest speaker, however, led to the creation of equally impactful but starkly different visuals. In the rally’s immediate aftermath, the internet was overrun with images of Musk on stage showcasing utterly bizarre and clumsy behaviour. One captures him hysterically jumping behind Trump, with his arms spread high in an expression of ecstatic adoration, his face contorted in sheer rapture, looking as though he was being spirited away to Mars. An additional image portrays him, post his monotonous and redundant speech, extending his hand to Trump; in an act that looks like absolute worship, he seems to be genuflecting before him, his Maga-adorned head lowered, his eyes glancing upwards in a bizarre display of reverential fear.
These images significantly highlight the contradictory character of Musk, the world’s wealthiest person. Musk embodies plutocracy, through his profitable government deals, political sway, and control of a significant social media platform. Yet, he seemingly inverts the conventional plutocrat-politician dynamic where politicians typically kowtow to the super-rich, not vice versa. It brings into question the purpose of being the globe’s richest if one must demean oneself before a political figure. I don’t support plutocracy, but it’s disheartening to see it so wrongly practiced. Rupert Murdoch, for example, would never grovel before Trump. One would not expect to see John D Rockerfeller frantically supporting his favoured political figures like an annoying children’s TV host. As in many other areas, Musk’s way of personifying a billionaire plutocrat appears deeply uncool, if not downright degrading.
An upside to his constant public presence is it contradicts the capitalist myth of meritocracy. I am not referring to the wealth of his family, who made a considerable fortune in the South African emerald trade during the 1980s. Rather, what I mean is his noticeably average intellect. There’s a common phrase I’m reminded of when thinking about Musk, as we all are forced to quite regularly: “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?” This primarily American question directly links intelligence with wealth. But with Musk, one could turn the question on its head: “If he’s so wealthy, why isn’t he intelligent?”
Former football managers from Ireland have experienced everything from performing mercenary work in Saudi Arabia to receiving death threats in Durban. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, an individual who I would certainly not label unintelligent due to his remarkable aptitude for wealth creation, has managed to convince a vast number of people that he is destined to save mankind from extinction by establishing self-sustainable human colonies on Mars.
I can unequivocally declare that Musk will not accomplish this feat, although it does not belittle his extraordinary ability to sell people on the idea. However, it is clear that he is not the genius some might believe him to be. Lately, Musk’s attention seems fleeting when it comes to the cosmos, with his focus predominantly on his smartphone. A surprising anecdote in a recent New York Times article recounts his attendance at the Super Bowl as Rupert Murdoch’s guest. He reportedly spent the entire match distractedly checking his phone, utterly disregarding the game. Both Musk and President Biden had tweeted in support of the Philadelphia Eagles, but Biden’s tweet, despite his smaller following, gained significantly more traction. This led to a visibly upset Musk demanding an explanation from his engineers regarding his tweet’s poor performance. Musk even abandoned the event prematurely to fly to San Francisco. There, he convened a late-night meeting on a Sunday with numerous employees at the company’s headquarters, discussing how to alter the algorithm to enhance the visibility of his Super Bowl tweet to non-followers.
Believe it or not, there are people out there – some of whom I’ve encountered and who are not completely delusional – who genuinely believe Musk is destined to alter the trajectory of human history with his Martian colony endeavour. Regardless of our prior beliefs, let us all take a moment to recognise just how amusing this notion really is.
The years since Musk took control of Twitter have provided a clearer glimpse into his personality, on both a political and existential level. However, it has become evident that Musk is not a man who alters human fate. Recently, he declared a modification of a new (often needless) feature which enabled bold text in posts, withdrawing it from the users’ primary timeline. “Bold text can now only be seen by accessing post details”, he stated. Musk once made a comment, “My eyes are hurting”, which had me laughing since it exposed the deeply amusing side of his personality. Despite being the wealthiest individual on Earth and the centre of a nearly messianic following, his followers firmly believe he’s destined to rescue mankind by developing a sustainable society on Mars. The reality is however, he will pass away on Earth, where he was born and lived his life as an internet forum director.
Regardless of his desire to leave this weary and damaged world behind, if Musk does succeed in achieving something remarkable during his lifetime, it will be unintentional yet no less significant: the final debunking of the capitalist meritocracy myth.