Thursday, December 7, 2023

More on Elon's DealBook interview - - he really does talk that way

If you've only been indirectly following the career of Elon Musk, you probably assume that many of the more over-the-top descriptions you've heard are hyperbole. In some cases, this may be true, but when we talk about Musk having a messiah complex, we literally mean that he frequently describes himself and his actions in explicitly messianic terms. He frames himself as the savior of the planet. He talks about how much he loves humanity, how his work is going to save mankind.

As an unsurprising corollary, anyone who does anything to hurt or anger Musk, anyone who does anything to interfere with his plans is seen as an enemy of humanity. This doesn't just apply to things like making rockets or promoting renewable energy. Anything that hurts any of Musk's businesses will be judged harshly by history

Drew Magary writing for SFGate:

“Don’t advertise,” he said to the audience. “If someone is going to try to blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f—k yourself. Go. F—k. Yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is. Hey Bob [Iger, CEO of Disney]! If you’re in the audience. That’s how I feel. Don’t advertise.”
...

“I understand that,” Sorkin told Musk with the utmost professionalism. “But there’s a reality too, right? I mean [X CEO] Linda Yaccarino is right here and she’s got to sell advertising!”

Musk, who appeared both high and made of plywood, responded with a reality of his own:

“Actually, what this advertising boycott is going to do is, it’s going to kill the company. And the whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company, and we will document it in great detail.”

Here Musk looked out to the audience, expecting vehement agreement, perhaps even applause. He was greeted with dead silence instead. Sorkin, still residing in the correct reality, told Musk, “But those advertisers, I imagine they’re going to say, ‘WE didn’t kill the company.’”

And here is where Musk revealed his delusion to all. “Oh yeah?” he shot back. “Tell it to Earth.”

The Earth will condemn you for letting the company formerly known as Twitter go bankrupt.

Musk talks like this all the time and it doesn't take very long for it to start to get creepy, drink the Flavor-Aid / go meet Hale–Bopp  creepy, all the more disturbing coming from one of the world's richest men.

 

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