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One random guy talking crazy, racist, extreme nonsense on the street corner doesn’t warrant coverage here at CleanTechnica. But when someone is using hundreds of millions of dollars and nearly unmatched social media influence to affect elections, which then affect cleantech more than anything else in our society, it seems like a complete dereliction of duty to not cover it. Especially if that person got their wealth and power mostly from a cleantech company. Elon Musk is not just like some random guy at Subway or Starbucks voicing his political opinions and belief that anyone who doesn’t support “remigration” is a traitor. He is one of the most powerful people in US society, especially in a political system that favors wealth far above anything else.
News out yesterday from Axios: “Musk plans massive push for GOP in midterms.” Some people want us to only focus on the technology of Full Self Driving and the strengths and popularity of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. They think we shouldn’t touch or make a big deal out of Musk’s personal beliefs, crazy rants on X (which we do mostly try to ignore now), and political opinions. But he’s using his vast, giganormous wealth and social power to swing the United States in an extreme direction politically and culturally. You cannot disconnect the two. Or, at least, you cannot say the two are disconnected and be correct. There is a strong, important connection between Tesla and Musk spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence political elections and policies.
