The dangers of an unchecked Musk

Elon Musk meteoric rise to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Donald Trump’s administration now forces another moment of reckoning—about the man, his ambitions, and his impact on the world, India included

Elon Musk, once hailed as the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, now finds himself branded as the most hated man in technology. My own views about Musk have been complicated. I admired his audacity with Neuralink, pushing the boundaries of science and exploring uncharted territories of the human mind. But his acquisition of Twitter, rebranded as X, and its transformation into a platform rife with toxicity marked a turning point.

Elon Musk, once hailed as the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, now finds himself branded as the most hated man in technology (AP)

After speaking to veterans at the company, I had predicted on these pages that Musk does not understand how platforms work or what content moderation is. And that it would be only a matter of time before the platform’s darker tendencies amplify. The prediction now seems prophetic. His meteoric rise to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Donald Trump’s administration now forces another moment of reckoning—about the man, his ambitions, and his impact on the world, India included.

Musk’s foray into politics did not occur in a vacuum. It began with his acquisition of Twitter, a move that upended the platform’s core purpose. Musk’s vision of an “everything app” saw mass layoffs, loosened content moderation, and a surge in hate speech and misinformation. Framing these changes as a defence of free speech, Musk unleashed a wave of unfiltered backlash. Critics accused him of enabling toxicity, with now sufficient research that points to significant increase in harmful content.

As Prashant Krishnan, a Bengaluru-based market analyst who watches Silicon Valley closely, says, “The line between innovation and irresponsibility is dangerously thin when power lacks accountability.” Musk’s commitment to disruption, once synonymous with progress, now seems reckless. The platform’s decline mirrored the unbridled risks of concentrating such power in one individual. This is why people such as him have logged off the platform.

Then there is the most recent controversy around him that escalated with a single gesture: a Nazi-like salute during Trump’s inauguration rally. Whether intentional or not, the symbolism was unmistakable, igniting global outrage. Historians and critics condemned the act as a chilling nod to fascism. Musk dismissed the uproar as another “tired attack,” further polarizing public opinion.

This raises profound questions about Musk’s technological ambitions and political entanglements. SpaceX, with its audacious goal of colonizing Mars, remains central to Musk’s legacy. The company’s progress, including successful Starship launches, demonstrates Musk’s unparalleled capacity to turn vision into reality. Yet his political role complicates matters. Does his influence grease the wheels for innovation, or does it risk diverting his focus? The ethical implications of consolidating technological and political power in one individual are significant.

Let’s begin with Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Beyond the ambition of creating an “everything app,” X provides a vast reservoir of data—a resource Musk could leverage for his AI venture, xAI. This synergy highlights Musk’s ability to integrate his ventures, creating feedback loops that amplify his influence. Yet it also underscores the risks of concentrating control over platforms that shape global discourse. Critics fear that Musk’s unchecked power could erode accountability and deepen societal divides.

The implications of Musk’s political rise now extends far beyond the West. In India and South Asia, his ventures carry profound significance. Tesla’s expansion into India’s small, but growing electric vehicle market has faced regulatory and geopolitical hurdles. His position now will open many more doors. Then there is Starlink. While the promise it holds for connecting remote regions is true, there is no taking away either from legitimate concerns that India has been expressing. These include data sovereignty and privatization of critical digital infrastructure that policy makers don’t want to see in the hands of foreign powers.

But X’s influence on digital discourse in these regions complicates matters further because it can shape public narratives. In South Asia, where debates over equity and privatization are deeply resonant, Musk’s ventures test the limits of concentration of power.

As Musk assumes his role in government, these dynamics take on a heightened urgency. Will his policies prioritize technological advancement at the expense of ethical considerations? For those who once championed Musk as a visionary, his current trajectory demands scrutiny. His defenders see a necessary disruptor pushing humanity forward; his critics see a cautionary tale of unchecked ambition.

In the end, Musk embodies the contradictions of our age: innovation and control, progress and peril. For those who have rooted for him, it may be time to reconsider what it means to call someone a visionary. The question is not only what Musk will do next but whether society is prepared to hold him accountable for the immense power he wields.