How Elon Musk Became More Powerful Than Ever

His companies have transformed industries, his wealth has shattered records, and his politics now shape governments and public debate. But how did he become this powerful? And is his dominance really inevitable?This week on Galaxy Brain, Charlie Warzel talks with the historian Quinn Slobodian and the technology writer Ben Tarnoff, the authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, about the ideas driving Musk’s rise. They unpack the mythology of the billionaire genius, the ideology behind his politics, and whether the world’s most powerful CEO is stronger—or more vulnerable—than he appears.The following is a transcript of the episode: Ben Tarnoff: A lot of folks ask us, “Well, what about Musk and science fiction?” And if you read the SpaceX prospectus that they had to file, it reads really like a work of science fiction—but one that he’s managed to operationalize toward a very concrete material end. Which is unlocking this extraordinary amount of money that he can use to continue to finance his projects. Charlie Warzel: That SpaceX prospectus is this pretty unbelievable document. It is very future forward. The desire to mine asteroids, to promote space tourism, to “extend the light of consciousness to the stars.” This is very different than what SpaceX is actually doing on the ground. [Music]Warzel: I’m Charlie Warzel, and this is Galaxy Brain, a show where today we are going to talk about the richest man in the world.So what do we do about Elon Musk? This is a question that I spend a lot of time thinking about.In recent years, Musk has become an omnipresent force in the global economy, in our culture, and especially in our politics. His money and his campaigning were likely factors in Donald Trump’s win in 2024. He then helped spearhead the DOGE takeover of the federal government: assisting in cancelling thousands of grants,