Elon Musk is one of the most influential figures of our era.  He remade the space, car, social media, and AI industries.  He shaped the Ukraine War.  He helped put Donald Trump back in office and became Washington’s most powerful official.  How can one CEO alter the fate of multiple nations—and what does that say about our world?

A provocative new book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, argues that Musk has pioneered a new form of capitalism that fuses technology with political power.  On this episode of The World Unpacked, authors Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff explore Musk’s historical meaning and debate the politics of technocracy with host Jon Bateman.

Host: 

Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman 

Guest: 

Benn Tarnoff, Quinn Slobodian