Katie Nelmes
Who Is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is currently the richest person in the world, earning his fortune from multiple business ventures.
Born in South Africa, Musk later moved to Canada, and then to the United States. After earning bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics, he started studying physics at Stanford University, although he shortly dropped out.
He created two technology companies: Zip2, a searchable business directory and an online banking company, which later became PayPal. In 2002, he founded SpaceX, and in 2004, he became one of the main funders of Tesla.
“Elon told me, I am the alpha in this relationship.”
His most recent business venture was his takeover of Twitter, now X, in 2022. During his time in charge, he has let go of 80% of the workforce and reinstated previously banned users like Donald Trump, Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson.
Musk has led a colourful personal life, too. He has fathered at least 14 children with 4 different women.
His first wife, Justine Musk, wrote an article for Marie Claire where she suggested she had to remind Musk on multiple occasions that she was his wife, not his employee.
She wrote: “Still, there were warning signs. As we danced at our wedding reception, Elon told me, I am the alpha in this relationship.”
Musk recently had a fourth child with Shivon Zillis, director of operations at Neuralink, another of Musk’s companies.
Elon’s Rise To Power
Musk claimed he has voted for the Democrats since becoming a US citizen in 2002. However, in 2024, he endorsed Donald Trump following an assassination attempt.
Whilst American politicians attract donations and support from many rich people, few have been as publicly involved as Musk. In return for his high-profile endorsement, Trump promised Musk a prominent role in his administration.
I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery pic.twitter.com/ZdxkF63EqF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2024
However, it is clear that Musk was not content with just being a donor to the Trump campaign. He has made himself a close family friend to the Trumps, resulting in him being dubbed the “first buddy” of the US.
Musk will also head the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. This department aims to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”
Only time will tell how long this relationship between Musk and Trump will last and how successful it will be.
Why Are People Concerned?
From a financial perspective, there is a clear conflict of interest with the wealthiest man in the world being in the US government.
Musk is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission following his Twitter takeover due to concerns that he broke federal law. Musk also caused controversy due to his $1 million giveaway to Trump voters. Separately from this, Musk has donated $119 million to the Trump campaign.
“It is unclear how far they are willing to put their patriarchal views into practice.”
Like Andrew Tate, Musk has attracted attention and controversy due to some concerning comments and beliefs. He previously shared a conspiracy theory popular on 4chan, suggesting that only “high-status males” should run a country, and not women or men with low testosterone.
Musk and Trump have both shown support for Tate and his brother Tristan. Trump advocated for the release of both brothers, privately and publicly, despite the pair being accused of sex trafficking.
The shared support of the Tate brothers from Trump and Musk is concerning to many women across the world. With these men in the most powerful office, it is unclear how far they are willing to put their patriarchal views into practice. Whether this comes in the form of continued support for Tate, more sexist comments, or sexist laws restricting women’s rights.
“Heinous, incel nonsense”
After Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, Elon Musk put a statement on X saying “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.” This follows Musk’s concern about “population collapse.”
One of his critics was his daughter, Vivian. According to Pink News, Vivian and Musk have been estranged since she came out as transgender. In 2022, Vivian filed a petition to change her name in an effort to distance herself from her father. Musk spoke on Jordan Peterson’s podcast, saying his daughter had been “killed by the woke mind virus.”
Following Musk’s response to Taylor Swift, Vivian stated on Threads, it was “heinous, incel nonsense,” criticising her father’s comments as “disgusting”, “belittling” and “incredibly sexist.”
Is Elon Musk The New Andrew Tate?
Although Elon Musk has long been a loud and controversial figure, his recent lean into heavy right-wing politics is disturbing for a lot of people.
Not only does Musk control one of the most well-known social media platforms, but he’s also a figurehead for incels, misogynists and Republicans. Like other toxic male role models in the past, Elon Musk (rich, successful and spouting hatred) could inspire a new wave of extremism.
“It would be wrong to say that Musk has taken the place of Tate.”
Laura Bates is an activist who writes convincingly about the threat of misogyny and incel culture. In her book Men Who Hate Women (2020), she discusses the “manosphere”, which is a community of mostly men who blame women and feminists for problems in their lives.
What entices people to these communities is the sense of camaraderie, and the internet facilitates what can begin as a desire for friendship and understanding into the radicalisation of extremist views. This is a growing sphere of extremism that should not be underplayed or ignored.
@women.who.fightReal reason why misogyny exists #feministpower #feministmovement #feministthoughts #feministtiktok #misogynist #misogyny #misogynyisreal #misogynyisgross #laurabates♬ original sound – Women Who Fight
It would be wrong to say that Musk has taken the place of Tate. Both men are high-profile examples of a growing culture of toxic masculinity. They are merely figureheads of a large and growing community of people turning to extremism online.
In addition to their views, Musk and Tate both have access to huge platforms, with media outlets watching their every move. As the richest man in the world, Musk’s influence is undeniable, but with his ownership of X, he has the power to manipulate algorithms. This can have devastating outcomes for democracy.
With the backing of Donald Trump, Musk’s power is only set to increase. While Tate remains an outsider, mainly gathering his influence from loyal online supporters and fighting legal battles, Musk is focused on dominating the political sphere in addition to his business achievements.
Read Next:
-
ELON MUSK CLEARED OF FRAUD IN TRIAL OVER ‘FUNDING SECURED’ TWEETS
-
WHY DO WOMEN SUPPORT ANDREW TATE?
-
ANDREW TATE INDICTED ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND RAPE CHARGES
Katie Nelmes
Katie is a final year Politics university student and an aspiring political journalist, currently working as a Twitter Editor for Empoword Journalism!