The Big Picture
- Musk’s impact on Twitter has been negative, with staff cuts and a lack of oversight allowing extremists to prosper.
- Musk’s tough approach has pushed automobile companies to improve their electric car outputs, but Tesla safety concerns remain.
- Little attention is being paid to the control Musk’s companies have over the world, raising concerns about the consequences in the long run.
On the last episode of the year, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver decided to do a bit of a retrospective on the life and work of famous billionaire Elon Musk. While the show certainly was mostly in synch with the portion of the population that has issues with the magnate’s modus operandi, John Oliver made a disclaimer in the beginning of the main segment explaining that the episode would also take a look at some good things he’s achieved.
“X” is not one of those things. If you’re an active social media user — and chances are that you are — you probably know how the platform formerly (and currently still) known as Twitter has crumbled ever since Musk decided to buy it. One of the reasons is because the new CEO decided to cut over 80% of the Twitter staff, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening to “X” both behind the scenes and on the platform itself. The thing is, Musk doesn’t want to take accountability for having run the social network down, blaming instead companies that pulled advertisement due to Musk’s approach to anti-Semitic posts and how extremists have been allowed to prosper with little to no oversight.
On the other hand, we can’t deny that Musk’s Hollywood supervillain megalomaniac demeanor has, among other things, pushed automobile companies to largely improve their electric car outputs. Not that it came free of charge: Early Tesla owners certainly made their voices heard regarding the promises that Musk makes and what happens in real life. Over 2 million Teslas have already been recalled due to safety concerns, and former employees revealed that, inside the company, safety is also not a top priority.
Elon Musk’s Marketing Strategies Are… Peculiar
Last Week Tonight also had a bit of fun in listing Musk’s flair for spectacle but not knowing exactly what qualifies in that category. His marketing strategies range from anything like challenging Mark Zuckerberg to a fist fight to putting a person dressed as a dancing robot to “promote” the prototype of a Tesla robot.
The reason for concern is, between the good and dire things that Musk pulls, little attention is being paid to the control that his companies increasingly have over the world. Oliver reminds us that Musk’s companies currently have wide control over the “the internet, the power grid, the transportation system, objects in orbit, the [U.S.’s] infrastructure and its energy supply.” What he will choose to do with that kind of power in the long run and the consequences of the U.S. government letting it play out is what should give us cause to concern.
You can watch the full main segment below:
