Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentAmy Hamm: Here's how to properly love Elon Musk, the world's greatest entrepreneurThe world's first trillionaire deserves our admirationLast updated 10 hours ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Protesters leave messages in chalk as they gather outside of JP Morgan's New York Headquarters on June 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Elon Musk has made himself the world’s first trillionaire and, in doing so, cemented his supervillain status among his green-with-envy hordes of critics, who are embarrassing themselves.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorLast week, The Globe and Mail issued a distinctly non-apologetic mea culpa over their op-ed headline, “SpaceX IPO makes Elon Musk the first trillionaire. Here’s how to properly hate him.”The paper subsequently announced on social media and in an editor’s note that “(t)he previous headline on this article did not meet The Globe’s editorial standard. It has been replaced.” Their new headline asks if Musk’s achievement is a “bad look for capitalism.” The first paragraph, by columnist Chris Gay, asks if it is “okay to despise him just for being one” before concluding, in its final paragraph, that Musk, with his allegedly “often-malignant influence… make(s) it a whole lot easier” to “excite class warfare.”The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again(Do attempts to provoke class warfare fall within The Globe’s editorial standards? Questions abound.)Gay’s thesis, laid bare, is that we must shift focus from any argument over the “fairness” of Musk’s wealth accumulation onto Musk’s politics. “Most importantly, concentrated wealth means concentrated political power that tends, in a self-reinforcing cycle, to exacerbate economic inequality,” wrote Gay, who clearly views Musk as a nefarious plutocrat with all the wrong ideas.Musk engages in “gratuitous political provocations,” wrote Gay. He “shamelessly bend(s) public policy toward private advantage.” The examples cited: Musk was critical of a congressional budget that President Trump, while elected but not yet in office, also opposed; and Musk spent four months heading Trump’s now disbanded Department of Government Efficiency last year (which Musk has since described as only “a little bit successful” and not something he has any interest in doing again).That’s not much of a resume, as far as plutocrats go. Would Gay be making the same argument if Musk was the richest man on earth but was keen on making orthodox, leftist political provocations? I suspect not. In fact, I suspect that Gay would be the type to slap an “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy” bumper sticker onto a Tesla, should he have one.The Globe’s and similar attacks on Musk are motivated by divergent views, envy, and tall poppy syndrome — nothing more.On that note, may I suggest ways that we can properly love Elon Musk for being the world’s greatest entrepreneur?Musk has built important things and stood up for important principles. We generally cannot predict who will enter the annals of history, but not a truthful soul can deny that Musk’s name will never be forgotten.SpaceX has revolutionized satellite and rocket technology in ways that no government space programs arguably could have done in such a short length of time. Reusable rockets? Not without Musk. Commercial space travel? Again, not without Musk. Or, at the very least, not for decades and without enormous political will and taxpayer funding. (Take a moment to imagine what “Air Canada — Space” might look like. Abysmal, right?) Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service, has made connectivity in war and disaster zones a reality.And then there is the electric car: Millennials like me grew up believing that a viable and mass-produced electric vehicle was not something we would experience in our lifetimes. Without Musk in charge of Tesla, we almost certainly wouldn’t have.One can decry Musk’s political bent, but not without sounding astoundingly foolish if they do it in the same breath as complaining about Musk’s acquisition of X (formerly Twitter). Our culture normalizes, and even begs for, private and government censorship, so having Musk at the helm of X has been a boon for freedom of speech when our de facto public square is social media. This benefits all of us, from the fringes to the political centre.In addition to the universal benefits afforded by Musk’s ingenuity and business acumen, hundreds of thousands of persons are employed either directly or indirectly as a result of his entrepreneurship. Should these persons be earning a greater share of Musk’s wealth on their paycheques? That is an argument, certainly, but it is not reason to promote hatred of and contempt for the man.May we never forget that the liberty to create wealth is a feature of our society, and not a bug. Musk is not a “bad look” for capitalism — he is among greatest examples of capitalism to have ever lived.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.