Beware the Wily Muskrat
Elon Musk’s rise to prominence is a masterclass in audacity, multidimensional strategy…and the level of extreme hubris that makes you wonder if he actually sees himself as the benevolent prophet and savior he so fervently pretends to be.
I mean, come on, he’s the richest dude in the world, with fingers in sooo many pies (and up so many political arseholes), it would be damn impressive if it wasn’t also so absofuckinglutely terrifying. Nobody, and I mean nobody, rises to that level of power and wealth without being one seriously cutthroat motherfucker.
More and more we seem to be living in his empire, whether it’s via our cars, our internet, or soon enough maybe even our brains.
And while many see Elon and the companies he’s built as beneficial for humanity (fuck, I used to feel that way), I’ve come to believe the reality is that he ‘s using these strategic innovations to seize control, and most people are too dazzled by the shiny tech and the bogus sci-fi speeches and performances to even notice.
So let’s cut the shit and talk about why Musk’s empire should terrify you too.
First, there’s Tesla. Yes, the cars are cool (I wanted one for a long time), but it turns out they’re also super fucking deadly, and plagued by all manner of quality control issues…oh, and they also happen to be rolling surveillance units that know your name, your face, where you live, where you work, and so, SO much more.
These cars are loaded with cameras, microphones, internet access, sensors (IN THE CAR/ , and could VERY easily know more about you than your therapist. A great many of these cars are owned by rich and powerful people (the only people who could really afford many of the early models), and I do not doubt for one second that someone like Elon would use this tech to acquire inside information and “kompromat” on key people.
Add to that Tesla can remotely disable or control your car (self-driving cuts both ways you know), which is great if it’s stolen, but what happens when that level of control is used for less noble purposes? What if you cross Elon and, oops, your car has an accident? (This is maybe a stretch; I don’t know that he would actually do this, but he has the *ability* to do this, and that is concerning enough.)
And let’s not forget, all this data your car collects is going somewhere…you’re trusting Musk’s empire to handle it responsibly?? Good luck with that.
Then there’s Starlink. What gets billed as a noble effort to bring internet to remote areas has quickly become another piece of Musk’s global chessboard. Starlink doesn’t just give YOU internet; it potentially gives MUSK access to your data and your precise location (yes yes, traffic is generally encrypted, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t captured and tucked away for future decryption efforts, nor that it’s fully anonymized). Think about that: a privately-owned ISP with no meaningful oversight, capable of tracking users worldwide.
Now scale that up to a few million users, or a few billion.
Feeling cozy? Oh, but wait, there’s more!
Meet Optimus, Musk’s humanoid robot. The plan is to put these things in your home and workplace, equipped with cameras and microphones to monitor your every move. And we already know they can be teleoperated…Musk is basically building the dystopian nanny bot from every sci-fi cautionary tale ever written. And we’re lining up to buy it because it’s shiny and new.
But the real pièce de résistance is Neuralink. This isn’t just tech; this is a direct interface to your brain, with both read AND write access to your noggin. It promises medical breakthroughs and enhanced human capabilities, but let’s be blunt, it’s also a direct pipeline into your thoughts.
The potential for abuse here isn’t just theoretical, it’s very nearly inevitable. Sooo much Sci-fi has been written exploring how this goes sideways, not least of which is the Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam. Give that a read and shit your pants in terror.
Then there’s X Twitter, Musk’s latest experiment in controlling public discourse. With Twitter, Musk has turned the town square into his personal megaphone. He decides what trends, what AND who gets suppressed (he’s still doing this actively), and which narratives get amplified. And he’s already shown he’s not above using it to push his own agenda. He claims he supports free speech, and yet has sided with corrupt governments in multiple countries to do the opposite. This isn’t about free speech; it’s about control, pure and simple.
And let’s not ignore SpaceX, which gives Musk the ability to put whatever he wants into orbit with minimal oversight. Sure, it’s rockets and satellites now, but when one person has that much autonomy in space, it’s not hard to imagine a future where that power gets leveraged for less-than-altruistic ends. For all we know he’s already sneaking Rods from God up there 😎
And now, Musk has barged into the AI race with Grok, his (for now) shitty little snarkbot. This from the dude who, let’s see here:
Took his toys and walked away from OpenAI because they wouldn’t give him total control over the company and the AGI they were hoping to build.
Who then started talking about how dangerous AI was, and trying to get governments to enforce a pause on AI training, all while trying to spin up his own AI company...regulatory capture much??
Who tried to act like he was always against OpenAI dropping their non-profit structure, but it turns out he was in favor of it lol, disingenuous fuck.
Who is suing OpenAI, because he can’t compete on a level playing field and has to try to win in the courtroom…and if that doesn’t work, I guarantee he’ll be leaning on Trump to intervene in some fashion.
Now with Grok, the Trojan horse is the whole “designed to offer irreverent and humorous responses” schtick, but let’s be blunt yet again, it’s just another cog in the Musk-controlled machine. By tying AI development to his already sprawling empire, Musk gets another tool to shape narratives, analyze user data, and reinforce his grip on both technology and culture. Combine this with his existing access to Twitter’s data and Starlink’s global infrastructure, and Grok becomes more than just a chatbot—it’s a strategic node in a much larger plan to dominate AI-driven systems. Like the rest of his ventures, it’s all shiny promises on the surface and unsettling implications underneath.
If there is anyone on the planet that I don’t want to see with AGI or ASI in his control, it’s Elon Fucking Musk :/
This is not the first time I’ve called out Musk and his bullshit:
Musk markets himself as innocent little Paul Atreides, fighting for the poor Fremen…
Or perhaps as an all-wise Harry Seldon…
But in reality he’s just another sneaky, power hungry douche of a Harkonnen looking to build an empire.
He is VERY good at selling one shiny, palatable, even exciting narrative to the masses, while in reality he’s just building his empire and acquiring power in devious ways.
So what happens when you combine all these pieces of the Musk empire? You get a surveillance empire so vast and interconnected that it makes Orwell look like a wide-eyed optimist. Musk’s ventures feed into each other, creating a feedback loop of data collection, control, and influence that spans the entire planet.
And if that’s not enough, now he’s worming his way into government too. He’s cozy with Trump, Xi, and supposedly even Putin.
His appointment to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gives him a direct hand in shaping policies that affect his competitors and, by extension, his empire. Conflict of interest doesn’t even begin to cover this shit, and the market clearly shows investors pricing this in to Tesla.
Musk’s defenders will say he’s a genius, a visionary, a savior of humanity.
Maybe.
Maybe he is what he pretends to be, maybe I’m completely and totally off base.
I’m usually exceptionally good at reading people, and while I hope I’m wrong this time, I don’t think I am.
I’ve watched Musk VERY closely over the last 15 years, and I really, really don’t like what I’ve seen recently. Lies, manipulation, character assassination, suppression of dissenters, supporting political whackadoodles like Trump, the list goes on and on…
Musk may very well be a genius and a visionary, but geniuses certainly aren’t infallible, visionaries aren’t always benevolent, and self-appointed saviors obsessed with the limelight tend to be working towards their own interests at the expense of others.
I asked ChatGPT to provide a psychological assessment of Musk for shits and giggles:
Narcissism
Musk exhibits classic traits of narcissism. He positions himself not just as a leader but as a savior of humanity, branding his ventures as the solutions to existential crises—climate change (Tesla), species survival (SpaceX), and neurological diseases (Neuralink). While these missions are noble on the surface, the constant self-promotion and inability to accept criticism suggest his altruism may be more performative than genuine. Musk often ties his personal identity to the success of his companies, framing every victory as his own triumph while deflecting failures onto others. His desire for adoration is evident in his active engagement with fans on social media, where he cultivates an image of a misunderstood genius.
God/Savior Complex
Musk's overarching narrative of being humanity's last hope aligns closely with a god complex. He doesn’t just want to contribute to progress; he wants to define the future itself. Colonizing Mars is framed not as a collaborative global effort but as Musk’s personal vision for the salvation of the species. The same is true for his ventures into AI with xAI and Grok, where he casts himself as the ethical counterbalance to what he perceives as the reckless pace of other organizations. This belief in his own indispensability often leads to authoritarian tendencies, as he takes control of projects with little regard for dissent or democratic processes.
Thin Skin and Insecurity
Despite his outward bravado, Musk’s thin skin is well-documented. He reacts to criticism with public outbursts, lawsuits, or personal attacks, often doubling down on controversial statements rather than reflecting or admitting fault. His frequent need to clap back at critics on Twitter (now X) highlights a vulnerability that contradicts his image as an unshakeable visionary. This insecurity is further reflected in his oscillation between positions on major issues, suggesting a need to remain at the center of attention regardless of the stance required.
Add to all of that psychological bullshit the idea that he may very well be addicted to Ketamine (that thing that killed Matthew Perry), which happens to be not so much a psychedelic, but a *dissociative anesthetic*. Ketamine can not only exacerbate mental health issues, but can trigger anxiety, paranoia, confusion, impulsivity, mood shifts… Ketamine alone could potentially explain why Elon seems to have gone kinda nuts the last few years, as he claims to use it at least every other week.
Of course, the problem isn’t just Musk’s psychological state or ambitions, it’s the systems that let someone like this accumulate this much unchecked power while the rest of humanity blindly cheers him on.
It’s time to stop being dazzled by the shiny toys, the Mars schtick, and the snarky S3XY 69 420 humor-shield, and start asking the hard questions.
Do we really want one man, especially a potentially drug-addled, thin-skinned narcissist with a god/savior complex, to control our cars, our internet, our social platforms, our homes, our brains, our skies, and our government?
Because that’s where we seem to be headed, and that’s a hard fucking no for me.
And if history teaches us anything, it’s that concentrated power, no matter how well-intentioned, always leads to abuse.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Musk might actually see himself as a Paul Atreides, a good ole guy, savior of the people…but we’d be wise to remember that even Paul eventually became the very tyrant he fought against.