Musk Is No Defender of Western Civilization

When history looks back at the Trump Era, it may see Elon Musk as the poster child of hubris. In his own way, a South African immigrant may be doing more for the democratic socialist worldview than the DSA itself.  

It is ironic that conservative, self-styled defenders of Western civilization like Musk seem to spend so little time studying it. Musk appears oblivious to the Ancient Greek formula: Koros (unbridled wealth and good fortune) leads to hubris (arrogant pride), which leads to ate (ruin and madness). The Athenian statesman and orator Solon first described this formula. It was so central to his culture’s conception of human psychology that it underpinned many of Pindar’s poems, Herodotus’s histories, and Aeschylus’s tragedies.  

Aptly, the world’s first trillionaire is behaving with greater recklessness than any Bellerophon, Oedipus, or Creon. The consequences may not be those he wishes or expects, and they may upend not only his own fortune but his entire political project. 

Consider Elon Musk’s actions just in the last two years. Once seen positively as a tech genius pioneering solutions to climate change and space travel, he is reviled by many as a the arguable leader of a global far-right reactionary movement, or just an egomaniac pushing data centers on communities.  

Musk has threatened to retaliate against members of Congress if they investigate his government contracts and the DOGE fiasco. He used the influence he bought by spending lavishly on Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign to sabotage and dismantle government agencies—including USAID—with consequences that, depending on the reckoning, have resulted in hundreds of thousands or even millions of deaths. 

The titan is even conducting his own foreign policy via his ownership of Starlink, including most recently by intentionally hampering Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in turn, called Musk a “genius” and said he is “in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk.” 

Musk is spending unprecedented sums to purchase elections in the United States and is using control of his social media platform, X, to influence elections abroad. In this midterm cycle alone, Musk has spent a breathtaking $450 million on election efforts. 

Not content with trying to control government, elections, the military, and foreign policy, he is also spending to tilt culture and journalism toward the far right. This began, of course, with his $44 billion purchase of Twitter and subsequent alleged manipulation of its algorithms to favor far-right content. Most recently, Musk poured $1 billion into Skydance to bolster Trump ally Larry Ellison and Paramount’s recent, financially shaky acquisition of Warner Brothers, including (crucially) CNN and HBO. That money may also have caused the collapse of distribution for Alex Gibney’s recent critical documentary about Musk. 

Musk’s incomprehensible wealth—greater than John D. Rockefeller’s when adjusted for inflation—has fueled his megalomaniacal arrogance: the belief that he and his worldview deserve to control global affairs at every level. 

But his empire is fragile. It depends on government support: federal contracts, protectionist tariffs, and policies that stifle competition. Chinese electric vehicles are arguably better than Teslas and unquestionably cheaper, yet government policy—which could be reversed—is the only thing keeping them out of the American market. Europe is rapidly scaling up Starlink competitors for self-preservation, prompted by Musk’s dalliance with the Russian and European far right. SpaceX has competitors and relies on government contracts; NASA can carry out core scientific missions without it. From an investigative perspective, Musk remains a private citizen: If he broke laws while building his power and influence, he can—and should—be held criminally accountable. 

But more broadly, his aggressive power has upended the core philosophy of his center-left opponents. As recently as this year, centrist liberals like Oliver Libby promoted ideologies like “Strong Floor No Ceiling,” which argued that high wealth should be celebrated and embraced if basic needs are met for the general population. 

Now, however, that idea is laughable. Musk’s wealth threatens democracy and self-governance. Having learned from Musk’s purchase of Twitter, the Ellisons’ acquired stake in TikTok and Warner Brothers, and the right-leaning tilt of most social media today, a combined oligarchy of multi-billionaires aims to decide the news we read and the entertainment we devour. As money influences elections, the free rein this Supreme Court has given to election spending means these same billionaires can buy Congress and the White House. 

This situation is untenable for democracy and has bolstered arguments from progressives and democratic socialists that taxing the wealthy is not only essential to close deficits, fund services, and make society fairer but crucial to American self-determination and self-governance. 

Elon Musk may see himself as King of the World. But like so many flawed ancient protagonists, he may usher in his own downfall and trigger the rise of a better, fairer world he is doing his utmost to prevent.  

The post Musk Is No Defender of Western Civilization appeared first on Washington Monthly.