“This is an individual who has demonstrated a total lack of grace, has no guardrails around him and is going to see his wealth probably cut in half.”
- Scott Galloway
There is this mythology regarding ultrawealthy individuals - billionaires - and how they are there because they are so much smarter than the rest of us. This is particularly true in the United States today, where we tend to virtually worship certain celebrities and people of power. Many celebrities are given almost divine status and, as such, it seems like their most loyal followers really do feel that they can do no wrong, that they literally are too smart to make any mistakes. Look at who was sitting in the Oval office not long ago, and how blind and cultish his most loyal followers tended to be.
Well, Elon Musk is one such figure. We've had it crammed down our throats that this man is some kind of a genius. Indeed, he officially became the richest man in the world, and became the face of one of the fastest growing car companies: Tesla. He also seemed to be a pioneer in modern space exploration. And for a while, it seemed like everything that he touched turned to gold, at least according to his fans, and some who hoped to get rich off stocks related to Tesla.
But this man has made some mistakes. Serious mistakes, ones that compromise these notions that he is some kind of incredible genius. And his arrogance has begun to rub many people the wrong way.
Now, it seems like many of these things are being exposed in a very public way. Musk decided to go ahead and buy Twitter. In so doing, he dismayed those who identify themselves as liberals and/or opposed to Trumpism, because many Trump supporters believed that Musk would give Trump and his supporters free reign once he took over Twitter. Then, once he placed restrictions and seemed to have reservations about bringing Trump back, he dismayed Trump supporters and many who identify themselves as conservatives. And he dismayed those who were interested in buying Twitter stocks with all of this uncertainty, and then by seemingly engaging in a panic move by laying off many workers, as stocks tumbled.
It could turn around, possibly. Stranger things have happened. However, it feels like some of the shine of the formerly glowing public perception of Elon Musk has finally worn off and eroded a bit. No longer do so many people feel that he is an unquestionable genius.
Personally, I think of Musk in a similar fashion to Trump himself. He is a needy billionaire with a very privileged background and a false sense of entitlement. Like Trump, he likes being the center of attention and headlines. And like Trump, he seems to always assume that whatever he has done, is doing, or about to do is sheer genius, simply because he is the one doing it. As far as that goes, then, I am glad to see such a man as this cut down to size a little bit.
Below is the link to the Forbes article that I used i writing this particular blog entry:
How Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover Is Ruining His Own Myth — And Tesla’s Stock by Alan Ohnsman, Forbes Staff, Nov 23, 2022:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2022/11/23/elon-musk-tesla-stock-twitter/?sh=2839f89b6f81
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