Pic: Courtesy of Colin Tiryani Anderson
Is Elon Musk Merely a Political Tool?
Evaluating the Nihilist Leadership We Face Today
First: A Full Disclosure
I know the family. Well. We were in high school together. Pete, Elon's cousin and in my view the smartest of the lot, a proper engineer and CTO who created the world's first remote viewing software, amongst other innovations - and sold his technologies to various industry heavyweights including Andrew Dell, was one of my best friends at Clapham High School, in Pretoria.
Peter and I were close; he was the kind of friend you did sports with, tried new things with, and went on holidays with. I introduced him and his brother to underwater hockey at a University of Pretoria Underwater Hockey (Tuks) recruitment event. We were looking for the right kind of 'new blood'; Pete and Lyndon, the entire family actually, had always been into adventure sports, often drawn to quirkier extremes like UWH and ultimate frisby, something I watched them play in San Fran. I was the U21 Springbok Captain when I introduced Lyndon Rive to the sport. Lyndon managed to land a sports scholarship, allowing him to live and work in the US. I think he also played for SA but I had to go to the Middle East and therefore not sure whether he did play for them or not. I should really have asked him about this when we biked around Marin County together. His wife Maddy, until recently, played for the ladies' Springbok team. One of our dear friends, and the sexiest French teacher in high school, according to those who were there (sadly I opted for business languages instead but had the immense pleasure and honour of playing with her at Manta, the top team in Pretoria, if not the country at the time), was and has been one of the world's top elite ladies in the sport. She still coaches the Springbok teams.
Their first cousin, Elon Musk, born to Mae Musk, would often be at their house on Soutpansberg Road, not far from our high school. They all went to a different primary school at Rietondale Primary. Elon and his brother went to Boys High, the same school that Oscar Pistorius went to. Boys High is a great school. The best teachers and resources. In fact, I recently saw Paul Anthony, Director of Rugby and Elite Performance coach for the Blue Bulls Rugby Squad. Aimee and I had lunch with him and his wife in Pretoria a few years ago. He offered to take us on a 'visit' of the school grounds, and a tour of the prestigious Herbert Baker architecture of the school, located very close to the Loftus Rugby Stadium in Pretoria. Incidentally, Paul Anthony was there to peel me off the floor and offer his rugby wisdom after an incident that left me with a 3 day concussion, thankfully not too serious, in February this year. In fact, this was a few weeks before our wedding in Cape Town. Aimee was not happy. The point I am trying to make here is that the school, is steeped in history, and a great history at that. The best education one can get in our neck of the woods. This is where Elon and Kimball were schooled. Peter and Lyndon were at Clapham. And so was their cousin Liezl. Pete and I in the same year, Liezl just behind us. I always believed this made them more grounded, and humble. But still super smart. Clapham was a public school. We competed with Boys High in swimming, athletics, and other extra mural activities.
We would often go to Pete’s house after school to play squash, as they had the only squash court I knew of in a private home in Pretoria. Their family had a beautiful home and 'reflexology' practice, one that would later make the Carte Blanche (a local prime time Panorama style investigative programme) headlines for having faked their accreditations, after having trained many reflexologists in the country. I was not in the country at the time (I was in Kuwait) but heard something about a recent grad being rejected by a Canadian institution because they did not recognise this qualification. Anyway, I digress.
After playing squash, we would relax in their jacuzzi. Elon, however, never joined us. To be honest, I never really took to him. He never did anything to upset or harm me. He was really a mild mannered introvert. But he was always a little quirky or offbeat and weird, *eensydige* attitude which doesn't really translate well, meaning unilateral, one-sided, partial, or lop-sided in Afrikaans, constantly inside—in a country with incredible natural beauty and vigour—reading a He-Man or some kind of dark superhero comic (always with grim overtones, to the point where my "is this satanic?" spidey senses kicked in). Of course, this was not the case; I was just a little naïve, and he was somewhat older. There were smarter kids in schools back then in my opinion, but they didn't have the attention and support that Elon managed to elicit or demand from those around him. Elon's ‘weirdness’ made him seem like a jerk. But that was based on limited, and mostly anecdotal data. In contrast, Pete and Lyndon were grounded, genuine, and decent, which is why we got along very well.
Back then, the comic book/ loner obsession seemed a little weird to me, an awkward kid who others would say thought he was smarter than everyone else. To me, being smart was not important then. We were in our teens. Being strong and tough and slim and liked by the girls was what mattered. Like my brother, I always wanted flowing thin sun-bleached blond hair, not curly locks. My insecurities stemmed from a lifetime of being overfed by my Greek Yaya, and also by my mother, who did this inadvertently through her excellent cooking. She would eventually get the "Greek stares" from the ladies in the community because her cooking, a repertoire that included Greek and Dutch/Afrikaans foods, always won the admiration of her competitors' husbands and children. And the Greeks back then, along with the myriad of other diverse nationalities in Pretoria, knew how to eat. Great food and fresh, local produce. I still remember the excellent cakes at Grapevine in Sunnyside, where we used to go. Incidentally, Sunnyside also holds a lot of memories for me. It was there that we would often play footie (soccer) against Sunnyside primary school. And between the ages of 10 and 21, I would have to man-mark my arch nemesis but great friend, Mark Fish, who went on to play professionally for Bolton in the UK. In fact, it was at the Sunnyside stadium of Caledonian Football Club, playing centre mid for Greece in the Mini World Cup, that I sustained a nasty ligament break, one that people seated in stadium still to this day tell me sounded like a gun firing as it echoed around the stadium. I was carried off on a stretcher, taken straight into surgery at HF Verwoerd, now known as Pretoria Academic Hospital, where my right leg and ankle were placed in a cast for a few months. I travelled over to Kuwait in this cast and spent my first few months doing business development calls to Kuwaiti businessmen, on crutches. I still remember Eva, the Swiss physio, nurturing me back to a walking state in our apartment in Kuwait, many months later; my leg had atrophied so much it was significantly smaller than the other.
It was at this point in life where another painful gut-full of choice and sacrifice meant that we went our separate ways to pursue big dreams. They went West, and I went East. (Well, Near and Middle East) Many years later, while working for a UK insurance company, I bumped into Pete in a restaurant in London as he was having dinner with Klara, our old friend and his high school friend. I accepted an invite and travelled to for an amazing holiday, staying with them in their Potrero Hill home in San Francisco, California. I absolutely loved SF, Marin County where we went mountain biking, and the Napa Valley. We would later meet again in New York, where we had dinner with Mae, Elon’s mum, in a swanky restaurant in Manhattan. It was a time of heavy flash floods and torrential rain. Around 2004/ 2005 if memory serves. We all went to Aunty Mae’s house, where she found umbrellas for each of us (7 people). Elon was busy building PayPal and wasn’t there. We didn’t even know about it at the time; it wasn't a media obsession like it is now.
I reached out to Pete for help when I was building my own software company after an exit at Fifth P. I needed a tech expert to convert our revenue growth and advanced analytics frameworks. They recommended one of Elon and Kimball’s best friends. They had all been together at Boys High. Unfortunately, Andre turned out to be an unreliable and very untrustworthy business partner. He reneged on a deal, leaving me in the lurch after a considerable personal investment from me. He was very connected, and I cannot go into the details of what led to our breakdown, beyond saying that his backers were some of the worlds most powerful people. I had been warned to play well with him, no matter what. And so I did. But at what point do you wake up and realise that you're being taken for a ride. Used. And I was still trying to buy my first house. This little mummies boy brat would collect me at the Gautrain station in Joburg after a flight from London and then show it off to me, as he drove his latest Porsche around Joburg. He had a collection of them. I met him and one of the world's most powerful men on my BSP Dutch bike in London, near Hammersmith, for a chat about funding. I remember the investor, call him 'Great White' who instantly mocked my choice of wheels. I shrugged it off, believing mine was the better lifestyle choice, as I still do. Don't get me wrong. But I prefer small planes and fast jets. I don't think the petrol heads liked this.
On another occasion the MD of Coutts Bank in Charing Cross cut his pitch short because he came in gung-ho, dropping names, thinking it would curry favour. Despite having briefed him on the requirements for the pitch, which included a deck, because this was what they wanted to see in order for the information to travel around internally, for stakeholder buy-in. Twenty minutes in, Mrs P called it. She asked for us to leave the room. This was not working for her. I told him and the other partners in our de-brief afterwards that until then, I had never experienced such humiliation in my career. And I had seen a lot. From sales managers throwing chairs at Nielsen presenters because of bad data to all sorts of histrionics in the corporate world. I had to beg her for another pitch, which we managed to pull off and win. I needed this more than they did. It was my break. A chance to get on the ladder. To feel a bit safer. Thanks in part to a good friend at McKinsey who I had worked with at Nedbank on a strategy engagement years before, who was now assisting us in this approach to build a world first AI enabled FinTech business, in London. The business ended ended abruptly as the investors and partners bailed when hearing about Brexit, leaving me to carry the mess. This 'partner' had a history of nasty break-ups, and was backed by powerful friends, including some with questionable ethics. His approach was to scare me with expensive, protracted court proceedings. Not my wheelhouse. I had lost everything, I was in no position to fight them in English courts.
To be clear, this was Andre, not the Musks. Pete and Lyndon were different—tolerant and kind, but their circle was questionable. My Google emails of proof somehow disappeared, including the most damning ones. The financial backers and people behind this cartel are very questionable and powerful on a global scale. Elon might not be the problem; he’s the face of a system that is questionable, to say the least. That being said, this article is about Elon and the kind of leadership 'karma' we want to put into this world.
Elon Musk's leadership and political involvement are complex and multifaceted. His support for controversial political figures and organisations raises ethical questions about his influence and priorities. While Musk has undeniably pushed the boundaries of technology and innovation, his reliance on hype and exaggerated promises often leads to unmet expectations and ethical concerns. Moreover, Musk's associations with figures like Trump and Murdoch, coupled with the ethical challenges in the EV industry, suggest that his visionary status is more a product of effective marketing than of genuine, sustainable innovation. His leadership, characterised by a lack of empathy and ethical oversight, underscores the need for a more balanced and responsible approach to innovation and political engagement.
1️⃣ Twitter Under Elon Musk: A Cesspool of Hate and Disinformation
Since Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the platform has undergone numerous changes that have significantly altered its landscape. These changes have led to a sharp increase in hate speech, disinformation, and overall toxicity, turning Twitter/ X into a "cesspool" of harmful content.
• Research has shown that hate speech on Twitter has spiked dramatically under Musk's leadership. For instance, slurs against Black Americans tripled, and antisemitic posts increased by over 61% shortly after Musk took over.
• Musk has reinstated numerous accounts previously banned for spreading hate speech and extremist views, including those associated with white nationalists and QAnon conspiracy theorists.
• One of Musk's first moves was to disband Twitter's Trust and Safety Council and lay off a significant portion of the workforce responsible for content moderation.
• State-Sponsored Propaganda: Under Musk, Twitter has become a haven for disinformation, including state-sponsored propaganda from authoritarian regimes.
• Verification System Overhaul: Musk's overhaul of the verification system, replacing the legacy blue checkmarks with a paid subscription model, has led to widespread impersonation and confusion.
• Valuation Drop: Since Musk's acquisition, Twitter's valuation has plummeted, with estimates suggesting a decline as steep as 65%.
• Loss of Advertisers: The surge in harmful content has driven away advertisers, significantly impacting Twitter/ X's revenue.
• Toxic Work Environment: Musk's aggressive cost-cutting measures, including mass layoffs, have created a toxic work environment, further hindering the platform's ability to manage content and maintain operational stability. This toxicity also bleeds into the wider world.
2️⃣ Ethical and Political Concerns
Musk's closeness to figures like Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch, and the World Economic Forum (WEF), raise ethical questions about his leadership, particularly following events like Covid, which favoured Pandemic business models. His financial support for a pro-Trump PAC and alignment with right-wing ideologies have further polarised the platform.
3️⃣ Personal Life and Role Model Status
Elon Musk's personal life, marked by multiple relationships and a growing number of children, adds another layer to the discussion of his role model status. His lack of a stable partner and the complexities of managing a large family, in addition to multiple roles which he couldn't possibly focus on properly as Chairman and CEO, whilst Tweeting like a teenager, raise questions about his ability to serve as a positive role model.
4️⃣ Critical Questions
Is Elon Musk Past His Best-By Date as a Leader?
Given the numerous controversies and ethical concerns surrounding Elon Musk, one must question whether he is past his best-by date as a 'modern' leader. His sensationalist and polarising style, combined with a penchant for escaping into superhero comics, raises concerns about his suitability for leading in an international, cross-cultural context.
Was He Ever Equipped to Work Well with Others?
Musk's leadership style has often been criticised for lacking empathy and ethical oversight. His actions at Twitter, including the disbandment of trust and safety teams and the reinstatement of extremist accounts, suggest that he may not be well-equipped to make balanced decisions, and to work collaboratively, especially in a diverse and international setting.
In my view, Musk's dark personality and penchant for sensationalism pose significant risks for a stable future. His leadership style is too polarising, and anyone who has worked with him or met him would likely attest to the challenges of collaborating with someone who thrives on conflict, controversy and divisiveness.
5️⃣ Inciting Civil War and Hate Speech
Elon Musk's actions and statements have been accused of inciting civil unrest and promoting hate speech. Others have been jailed for far less. His platform decisions, such as reinstating banned accounts known for spreading extremist views, have contributed to a rise in divisive and inflammatory content. This behaviour, while perhaps tolerated or even admired in certain historical contexts, is far from the model of leadership needed for the future. In an era where unity, ethical responsibility, and social harmony are paramount, Musk's approach raises significant concerns about his suitability as a role model, in our world.
6️⃣ Misguided Vision: Mars Colonisation
Elon Musk's ambition to colonise Mars is often cited as a hallmark of his visionary status. However, this vision can be critically assessed as being misdirected, especially given the urgent issues facing Planet Earth.
• The financial and intellectual resources required for Mars colonisation could arguably be better spent addressing pressing problems on Earth, such as food security, inequality/ poverty, and geopolitical conflicts. Critics, including myself, have long argued that focusing on Mars diverts attention and resources from these our most pressing issues.
• Mars is an incredibly hostile environment with extreme temperatures, high radiation levels, and very little atmosphere. The technical and logistical challenges of establishing a sustainable human colony are immense, cost-prohibitive and arguably insurmountable with current technology.
• There are significant ethical issues related to the potential contamination of Mars with Earth microbes, which could jeopardise any existing Martian ecosystems. This raises questions about the moral implications of human expansion into space.
7️⃣ SpaceX and Silicon Valley: Innovation or Continuation?
SpaceX is often cited as a testament to Musk's visionary status, but it's important to contextualise this within the broader history of Silicon Valley and defence innovations.
• Silicon Valley has a long history of defence-related innovations, dating back to TWO World Wars and the Cold War. Companies like Hewlett-Packard and Lockheed Martin were deeply involved in defence contracts and technological advancements.
• SpaceX, while innovative, follows this tradition of leveraging defence and aerospace technologies. Much of SpaceX's technology, such as reusable rockets, builds on decades of aerospace research and development.
• While SpaceX has made significant advancements, it is part of a continuum of innovation rather than a radical departure from past efforts.
8️⃣ Tesla and the EV Market: Vision or Hype?
Tesla's role in popularising electric vehicles (EVs) is often highlighted as a major achievement. However, there are critical perspectives on this as well.
Market Manipulation and Government Subsidies: Critics argue that Tesla's stock price and market valuation have been driven more by hype and speculative investment thanks to his proximity to Murdoch and the worlds largest super-ad agency (The Code), than by the company's actual financial performance and production capabilities. This has led to accusations of market manipulation and unsustainable business practices. Tesla has benefited significantly from government subsidies, including a $465 million loan from the US Department of Energy and various tax credits for consumers. Despite these substantial injections of public funds, Tesla's performance has often been inconsistent, raising questions about the sustainability and scalability of its business model.
Issues such as battery production, supply chain constraints, and the environmental impact of lithium and cobalt mining are significant challenges that Tesla faces.
9️⃣ Ethical Concerns: Cobalt Mining. The production of EV batteries relies heavily on cobalt, a mineral predominantly sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mining of cobalt is fraught with ethical and environmental issues.
• Workers in cobalt mines, including children, often face hazardous conditions, long hours, and inadequate safety measures. Reports indicate that many miners suffer from severe health issues due to exposure to toxic substances and strenuous labor conditions.
• Cobalt mining has significant environmental repercussions, including deforestation, soil degradation, and water pollution. The extraction process releases harmful substances into the environment, affecting local communities and ecosystems.
🔟 Political Alliances and Influence
Elon Musk's political activities and alliances have drawn significant attention, particularly his support for controversial figures and organisations.
• Musk has been reported to donate $45 million monthly to a pro-Trump Super PAC, America PAC, aimed at supporting Donald Trump's candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. This substantial financial backing signifies Musk's alignment with Trump and the Republican Party, marking a shift from his previous bipartisan donations.
• The America PAC, funded by Musk and other tech entrepreneurs, focuses on voter registration and engagement in swing states, leveraging Musk's influence to bolster Trump's campaign efforts. This involvement underscores Musk's growing political influence and his willingness to support conservative causes.
1️⃣ 1️⃣ Association with Controversial Figures
Musk's intimate connections with media mogul Rupert Murdoch, known for his conservative media empire, further highlight his alignment with right-wing ideologies. Murdoch's media outlets have been criticised for promoting divisive and racially charged content. Musk's interactions with the WEF, an organisation often criticised for its elitist/ technocratic and unethical approach to global issues, reflect his complex position within global economic and political networks.
Links to Saudi Arabia and Other Authoritarian Regimes
Pic: Courtesy of Colin Tiryani Anderson
Elon Musk's relationships with authoritarian regimes, including Saudi Arabia, have raised additional ethical concerns. Funding and Investments: Musk has had significant financial interactions with Saudi Arabia. During his tenure as CEO of Tesla, he famously attempted to take the company private with backing from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This relationship has continued, with Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal investing in Musk's $24 billion AI startup, xAI, and holding a stake in Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Musk's interactions with Saudi Arabia are controversial given the kingdom's human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been criticised for jailing human rights advocates, committing mass executions, and suppressing dissent. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, orchestrated by agents of the Saudi government, led to widespread international condemnation and strained diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and several of its allies. Elon Musk's connection to Saudi Arabia includes significant investments from Saudi sovereign wealth funds in his companies, such as Tesla, highlighting the complex interplay between business interests, human rights and geopolitical issues.
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_assassination_of_Jamal_Khashoggi
[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45812399
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khashoggi
[4] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/20/world-reacts-to-saudi-confirmation-of-jamal-khashoggis-killing
[5] https://www.ibanet.org/article/A3DBE4A8-D66D-4F7B-BDF2-7B9DC4C74595
[6] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/saudi-arabia-still-no-justice-for-state-sanctioned-murder-of-jamal-khashoggi-five-years-on/
[7] https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/khashoggi-murder-how-mohammed-bin-salman-underestimated-international-law
[8] https://www.csis.org/analysis/after-killing-jamal-khashoggi-muhammad-bin-salman-and-future-saudi-us-relationsMusk's willingness to engage with such regimes raises questions about his ethical standards.
Other Authoritarian Regimes
• Turkey: Musk has also been in discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about building a factory in Turkey. Erdoğan's government has been criticised for its authoritarian practices, including cracking down on free speech and political opposition.
• China: Musk's extensive business operations in China, a country known for its human rights abuses and authoritarian governance, further complicate his global image. China has criticised Musk for using TESLA's in-car technologies to carry out surveillance on behalf of the US government, in mainland China, vis a vis onboard camera's and software.
1️⃣2️⃣ The Role of Nihilism in Musk's Leadership
Nihilism, a philosophical perspective that denies the existence of any objective meaning, value, or purpose in life, can be seen as a radical critique of the modern project of rationality, progress, and enlightenment. Nihilists argue that modernity has failed to deliver on its promises of happiness, freedom, and justice, and instead has produced a world of violence, oppression, and suffering. This perspective aligns with Musk's approach to leadership, where his actions often seem to reflect a nihilistic disregard for established norms and ethical considerations.
Musk's leadership style, characterised by a lack of empathy and ethical oversight, can be seen as embodying the nihilistic ethos. His decisions at Twitter/ X, for example, reflect a willingness to dismantle existing structures without regard for the consequences, creating an environment where harmful content thrives. This approach raises significant concerns about his intentions, and the kind of world we are building under such leadership.
1️⃣3️⃣ Conclusion
In conclusion, Elon Musk's leadership and political involvement are complex and multifaceted, raising ethical questions about his influence and priorities. While Musk has undeniably pushed the boundaries of technology and innovation, his reliance on hype and exaggerated promises often leads to unmet expectations and ethical concerns, by some accounts (including the UK's Met Police Commissioner) leading to geopolitical tensions and unrest. Ironically, his meteoric rise was in part due to his sensationalist criticism of marketing and sales-led hype. Moreover, Musk's associations with controversial figures, coupled with the ethical challenges in the EV industry, suggest that his visionary status is more a product of effective marketing by the media machine, than of genuine, sustainable innovation. His leadership, characterised by a lack of empathy and ethical oversight, underscores the need for a more balanced and responsible approach to innovation and political engagement.
Is Musk's trajectory one that we want to continue supporting? Is he truly the role model we need, or have we seen enough of his character to recognise the potential dangers of leaving him in power?
Could he become the poster child for oppression and technological tyranny?
These are questions that warrant careful consideration as we navigate the complexities of leadership, technology, governance and finding equitable, sustainable pathways for growth and innovation NOW and NEXT.
The nihilistic tendencies in Musk's leadership style further highlight the need for a more ethical and responsible blueprint of future models and approaches to building the future we desire.
About the Author:
Andrew Soteriou, Founder & CEO at FlowLabs/ Venture Partner, Co-Founder & CEO at Singular Systems (20% equity holder) and former co-founder and COO at Fifth P, Europe's leading boutique strategy consultancy based in London. Andrew has served as an Executive Leader at various retail and consumer companies, Strategic Advisor at PWC/Strategy&, Global Revenue Growth Director at UpClear in New York and London, and co-founded various strategy and consumer tech businesses.
Andrew is a regular speaker at consumer goods and technology events in the US, Europe, and Africa. Most recently, he was a panel member and keynote speaker at the AI/Big Data and Smart Cities Expo in Europe (Amsterdam)
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