“I believe he realized that what massive tech firms spent many years involved about, which is basically learn how to average or learn how to manage speech on this loopy scale, is that is not an issue,” says Magalhaes. “That is a chance for him.”
For the reason that election, Musk has not pale into the shadows, content material with backroom conferences and covert affect. As an alternative, he has joined calls with international leaders, weighed in on staffing picks for the brand new administration, and threatened to make use of America PAC to fund major challenges in opposition to lawmakers who don’t help Trump’s (and his) agenda.
In November, Trump introduced that Musk would colead a brand new federal advisory committee referred to as the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE, just like the memecoin), liable for reducing $2 trillion from the federal price range. (Eliminating all discretionary federal spending, together with on protection, wouldn’t obtain this goal.) The committee doesn’t but exist, however already Musk has used his presence on X and this new government-adjacent, if nebulous, place to dictate coverage. Maybe not coincidentally, on paper, his estimated wealth reportedly elevated by about $170 billion following the election.
“He is parlayed [his ownership of X] right into a governmental place the place his potential to affect coverage that impacts all of his enterprise pursuits is simply super. And that might pay big monetary dividends,” says Phil Napoli, a professor of public coverage at Duke College. “I believe that may be the scariest factor that might occur, is that if a variety of these platforms take that sign from Musk.”
The early returns counsel that different tech leaders are more likely to observe swimsuit. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have visited Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring. Meta officers say Zuckerberg desires to take an “energetic position” in serving to form the Trump administration’s tech insurance policies.
“Each time there is a new authorities, massive capitalism, massive cash, tries to place themselves able to learn from it. And I believe that is what they’re doing,” says Magalhaes. And Musk’s use of X for explicitly political functions might induce the Trump administration to anticipate comparable behaviors from different firms, he says. “I believe in that sense it’s a blueprint.”
Musk’s ambitions are clearly not restricted to the US. For the reason that election he has visited the UK to fulfill with far-right politicians there and posted about his help for the far-right Germany celebration, Various for Germany. Earlier this 12 months he tried to defy a courtroom order in Brazil that required X to take away sure far-right accounts that the courtroom stated have been undermining the integrity of the nation’s elections.
All of which means that Musk’s management over politics isn’t only a matter of his closeness to Trump. Even ought to the 2 titanic egos have a much-predicted blowup, Musk’s affect might be felt within the new coziness between Silicon Valley and the MAGA motion, and in no matter components of the world on which he chooses to forged an eye fixed.
In a approach, it’s a return to acquainted floor. Even earlier than shopping for Twitter in 2022, Musk was a brilliant person, one of many platform’s most adopted individuals. His Tweets might have an effect on inventory costs for his different firms, notably Tesla, and his favored memecoin, Dogecoin. Trump, equally, was an energetic Twitter person earlier than changing into president, and through his first presidency he was infamous for making coverage by tweet. It now seems that the subsequent 4 years, no less than, might see extra governance by social media put up—now simply by a special shitposter.
