Genius of the 21st century or FRAUD? Here is everything that is wrong with Elon Musk: People demand no more political chaos in the White House!
Elon Musk is probably the wealthiest person alive, and he is mostly known for Tesla electric cars and coming up with seemingly innovative solutions to practical issues. Recently, Americans had him as a special government employee and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In the initial phase, Musk seemed like an important player in the Trump administration. He was constantly seen alongside President Trump and his closest political allies. Side by side, the duo did multiple interviews with the press.
However, his actions triggered international lawsuits and political chaos in the White House. Later on, a whole nation (and the whole planet, really) was able to become a spectator to a vigorous exchange of tweets between Musk and President Trump. As internet users joked about this ‘public divorce’ that they were carrying on social media in real time, Musk revealed that Trump may have been involved with the Epstein files, which are currently government confidential. Trump retaliated on X (previously Twitter) by threatening to withdraw his contracts, cancel subsidies, relocate his White House Tesla, and remove Musk’s allies from key positions in the state.
Is this an obvious conflict of interest? Musk’s biggest fans argue that he is beyond devoted to innovative ideas, for which he would sacrifice a considerable chunk of his wealth… and reputation.
Elon Reeve Musk was born on 28 June 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa, to model and dietitian mother Maye Musk and engineer father Errol Musk. He currently has three citizenships: South African, Canadian, and American. He moved to Canada at 17 years of age, where he attended Queen’s University. He shortly after transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned two degrees, in economics and physics. He also attempted a PhD program at Stanford but dropped out after just 2 days ‘to pursue business’.
We are diving into the psychology of Elon Musk amidst political chaos and nationwide instability. Read further to find out why Elon cannot identify, manage, and control emotions.
The Psychology of Elon Musk, Finally Explained
The following interpretations of Elon Musk’s psychological makeup are based on an Ashlee Vance summary guide to the ‘Elon Musk’ book by author and biographer Walter Isaacson. Here is a hardcover copy for you if you are a fan or just want to dive deeper.
Elon Musk’s deep desire to accomplish and achieve comes at a personal cost. He is seen to somewhat show accountability for it. It is important to note that the psychology of Elon Musk does not, under any circumstance, invalidate him as a person, but the following points are relevantly linked with how people see him as a public figure.
The biographer Isaacson wrote that Elon Musk has visible difficulties in understanding his own and others’ emotions. Another psychological highlight regards Musk’s constant need for external stimulation as a means to protect himself against depression.
Elon Musk was unusually clever from a very young age. He started school earlier than other peers in his cohort, and Vance comments this was to his disadvantage. In the early years, Musk had trouble making friends, which is understandable due to his weakness in understanding emotions and social cues. This was later identified as a symptom of Asperger’s syndrome, which is a developmental disorder that’s part of the autism spectrum disorder. Looking at his childhood and adolescence, the signs are evidently there: he had to face bullying at school and verbal aggression from parents at home.
Elon Musk has disrupted multiple industries: space, automotive, energy, fintech, and social media. Notable career highlights include his first digital startup Zip2 (1996-1999) where he made approximately $22 million by selling actions to Compaq; X.com (1999-2002) which he merged with PayPal and sold to eBay for a personal profit of approximately $180 million; colonizing Mars company SpaceX (2002-present) where he worked alongside NASA; and Tesla (2004-present) where he joined as chairman and later became CEO. Famously, he also acquired Twitter for $44 billion and rebranded it to X, as we know it today.
Isaacson then makes a hint that Musk’s normal development was limited by his father’s abuse, who later divorced his wife and Elon’s mother. To survive and be emotionally safe, young Musk learned to shut down his feelings. This, mixed with his Asperger’s symptoms, taught Musk to interpret emotions differently. Isaacson also states that Elon Musk does not handle success very well. Instead of being content with his achievements and having anyone that successful’s peace of mind, he somehow always finds himself back in crisis mode, fighting and arguing for his life.
Ashlee Vance notes on this, from psychologist Daniel Goleman, that repressing emotions as a coping mechanism gave form to Elon’s blindness to his own psychological side effects. Furthermore, this is unfortunate for anyone struggling with past trauma, as negative emotions need to be healthily and unavoidably addressed for better outcomes.
As a public figure, Elon Musk has not entirely taken this healthy address seriously. As of 2024, he is father to 10 children from multiple high-profile marriages and makes numerous unconventional and childlike remarks. Yes, this guy has the work ethic of working 80-100 hour weeks. But could this align with taking responsible care of his fame and personality shortcomings?
Elon and the White House VS Elon and the People
For public purposes, it is best if we focus for a minute on Musk’s political involvement. As an entrepreneur dominating the free private markets, he can be concluded as more than valid and skilled, despite emotional outbursts. However, does his role at the White House portray him just as well? Some would argue against private sector billionaires joining the government administration.
Trump’s loyal staffers and prime advisers expressed concerns with Elon ruling DOGE and the productivity of his strategies. They called DOGE a shadow ‘oligarch’ move. Aiming to cut unnecessary funding from the government budgets was, at the end of Elon’s temporary contract, easier said than done. The same staffers, including Sergio Gor, allegedly celebrated Tesla stock declines after Elon’s popularity started to plunge.
The public feud with President Trump only exacerbated concerns with Elon. And it all started with Musk publicly denouncing Trump’s fiscal policy, labeling the “One Big Beautiful Bill” a “disgusting abomination.”
It is interesting to witness all this within our lifetime, as the biggest sponsor in Trump’s presidential campaign last year quickly became his own nemesis. Whatever the future holds in store, it is uncertain whether Tesla profits will suffer significantly, since we all now know that the company heavily depends on federal contracts. The financial stakes at risk did not waste time to surface, as Tesla’s stocks dropped by 14% recently.
When it comes to social implications, opinions are widely polarized. The Trump-Musk rift is fracturing Republican support, giving Democrats new talking points and legislative leverage. We are so used to it, but not in a positive light. The ongoing and upcoming repercussions can include protests and rallies against the works of Elon.
What do you think about the psychology of Elon Musk? Go ahead and leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
If you found this useful, continue reading Why People Become Left-Wing: A Social Perspective.