According to political theorists Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, Musk has created an entirely new ideology called “Muskism” — a system where technology companies merge with state power, AI shapes politics, and billionaires become more powerful than governments.
In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with Quinn Slobodian, co-author of the new book Muskism, to break down how Elon Musk’s worldview went from Silicon Valley optimism to tech authoritarianism. We discuss Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, Neuralink, AI censorship, OpenAI, Grok, surveillance, DOGE, data centers, Silicon Valley’s shift toward defense tech, and why Musk’s influence now reaches into every part of society.
We also unpack:
Elon Musk’s political transformation
The rise of Muskism
AI paranoia and “woke AI”
Why Silicon Valley is embracing militarization
Musk’s obsession with reproduction and population decline
How SpaceX and Starlink could reshape global power
The future of AI and surveillance capitalism
Why tech billionaires are becoming impossible to escape
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