The Economist’s Zanny Minton Beddoes Is ‘Bemused’ by Elon Musk’s Post-Interview Jabs
A few months ago, The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes ran into Elon Musk at an event in California and asked if he’d appear on The Insider, a video series in which she sits down with influential and sometimes polarizing figures, including Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, and European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde. Musk, by her account, told her to DM him on X, which she did, and after a back and forth, including a thumbs-up emoji, they agreed to an interview after the SpaceX IPO at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. “It was very easy,” Beddoes tells me.
Despite the cordial setup, the resulting interview grew heated. The the first 55 minutes of Beddoes and Musk’s 85-minute conversation is quite civil, with respectful exchanges on the future of technology and other matters. The world’s richest man spoke optimistically about the potential for an “age of abundance” and how he’s going to “enjoy the ride.” Musk even expressed a willingness to meet with former friend turned rival Sam Altman to address AI safety concerns.
