When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.

Months after reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi asks whether the insights he gained from that investigation reveal how Musk will operate in his new political era, and what that means for everything in his orbit.

Find out more about The Observer, the new home of Tortoise Investigates:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Head to our website observer.co.uk 

Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear, contact [email protected]

Reported and produced by: Alexi Mostrous, Gary Marshall, Matt Russell & Patricia Clarke

Sound design: Bart Warshaw

Original Music: Tom Kinsella

Podcast artwork: Jon Hill 

Executive producer: Basia Cummings

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.