The far right is the only place left for Elon Musk’s X-rated ego

Over the years, Elon Musk has captivated millions with his audacious dreams of Martian colonies, subterranean superhighways, and an electric car revolution. But in the past two years, the techno-messiah has veered off course, plunging headlong into a swamp of far-right ideology.

The latest installation in this evolution came on Monday when Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Musk’s social media company, X, be taken offline.

Elon Musk, no champion of free speech, shuts down his opponents.

Despite having ample warning of what would occur should the company refuse to comply with local laws, X refused to commit to tamping down on anti-democratic content and the spread of misinformation. For his part, Musk called the Supreme Court judge who issued the take-down “a dictator and a fraud”. Overnight, the company, already haemorrhaging users, advertisers and staff, lost an estimated 22 million users.

Musk’s transformation has left many wondering how the poster boy for futurism ended up sounding like that conspiracy-theory-spouting uncle you only put up with at Christmas. Surely, we think, there must be a grand plan. A reason for it all, a logical explanation.

But what if we’re all missing the point? What if Musk’s political pirouette isn’t about ideology at all, but something far more primal: ego?

Early on in his career, Musk courted the adoration of liberal progressives. Admired as a clean energy messiah and a space exploration visionary, he basked in their praise, positioning himself as the eco-friendly billionaire who would one day save the planet. He donated to the Democrats in US elections and publicly voiced support for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

But in the two years since he bought X, the change has been radical.

Now, it’s just another day to see Musk cosying up to far-right figures, engaging in the spread of misinformation, and committing $US45 million ($67 million) a month to a Trump-supporting election committee.

So what happened? The left dared to criticise the labour practices of Tesla and SpaceX. It questioned his increasingly outlandish promises, and called out his sometimes erratic behaviour. His ego outgrew their approval, and Musk couldn’t take it.

Since then, he’s been butting heads with government officials like a Tesla on autopilot gone rogue, burning bridges faster than he can build rockets. In the past few months alone, Musk has spread lies about the gender of an Olympic athlete, claimed civil war in the UK is inevitable, destroyed his relationship with his transgender daughter, and said the glitches that marred his interview with Donald Trump were the work of a massive cyberattack (without providing any evidence to back up the claim).

Former business allies, once eager to bask in his innovative glow, are now giving him the cold shoulder. Tesla owners are starting to ask questions – such as, where is the Roadster they pre-ordered in 2018?

At this point, it seems that ego alone is now behind the steering wheel, and whatever business acumen Musk once had is in the rearview mirror.

His tech optimism, his penchant for provocative statements, his self-image as a maverick – all of these found a new, welcoming home in the far-right corner of the internet. His $US44 billion acquisition of Twitter gave him a platform and a community. In a swirling storm of accountability and rejection from the left, X’s thriving right-wing offers him a lifeline he seemingly can’t resist. Every controversial tweet is met with cheers, every jab at the “woke mob” celebrated as brave truth-telling. It’s a potent cocktail of validation and community.

The more Musk leans into his new community, the farther removed he becomes from the world he used to command. The irony, of course, is that in his quest to be seen as a brilliant mind, Musk seems to have lost all business sense, becoming something of an outlier. The billionaire who rails against “elites”, the self-proclaimed free speech absolutist who blocks critics on his own platform, the futurist who sounds increasingly like a relic of the past.

What we’re witnessing isn’t just an ideological U-turn – it’s a desperate scramble for belonging in a world evolving too fast for Musk to buy it or change with it. For all his wealth and influence, he appears to be finding himself outpaced by societal shifts he can neither fully comprehend nor control.

His rightward lurch reveals the deep-seated human need for acceptance and community, even when it means embracing increasingly dangerous viewpoints.

If it weren’t so dangerous, it would be fascinating. Because that’s the rub, isn’t it? Musk isn’t just some random guy spouting off on the internet. He’s more than your tin-foil-hat-wearing uncle. He’s one of the richest, most influential people on the planet. His words carry weight, whether he’s talking about electric cars, space travel or the “woke mind virus”.

Musk’s political statements now affect everything from perceptions of US politics to the war in Ukraine. When he amplifies conspiracy theories or makes pronouncements on geopolitics, people listen.

But increasingly, we’re beginning to see real pushback. After all, how much does a tweet calling a Supreme Court judge “Voldemort” count for when the 22 million people in the country who know who that is can’t see it?

Elon Musk is a cautionary story for our times. Here’s a man who promised to revolutionise transport, energy and space travel, now seemingly more focused on culture wars than colonising Mars. In letting ego win out over business, his support of the far right finally seems to be catching up with him.

It raises uncomfortable questions about the role of fallible and fragile billionaires in shaping public discourse, the responsibility that comes with influence, and the consequences of allowing a personal need for validation to dictate global narratives.

As we watch his descent into far-right ideology, we’re left to wonder: what’s the cost of genius when it comes unmoored from accountability?

Joan Westenberg is a freelance writer.

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