Musking it up?

"To anyone I've offended, I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars, and I'm sending people to Mars on a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?"

Conspiratorial laughter ripples across the room. Jokes about his own genius aside, Elon Musk could be mistaken for a run-of-the-mill celebrity as he appears on America's favourite late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live.

But whatever you might think of Musk, run-of-the-mill he is not. The founder of SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, and richest man in the world according to ForbesAn American business magazine. , is divisive. Some see him as a genius, but others see him as a fool coasting on his generational wealth.¹

Now he stands to lead one of the biggest social media platforms. Musk initially offered to purchase Twitter in April of this year at the staggering price of $43bn (£38bn). He backed out of the deal just a few weeks later.

He has now recommitted to the purchase, claiming that "buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app", an all-in-one service resembling China's WeChat.²

The debate around "Musk's genius", or lack thereof, is lively. One of Shakespeare's most famous quotes is that the "fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool". Those of his characters with a claim to genius rarely act like Musk, but are instead humble and unassuming.

Musk has an impressive history of gaffesBlunders or unintentional actions or sayings which cause embarrassment. that even Shakespeare could not have thought up. In 2018, Tesla's stock plunged 9% after Musk smoked marijuana on a podcast and embarked on an unwise two-hour monologueA long speech by one person. . In the same year, he falsely accused a British diver helping to rescue twelve teens from a cave collapse of being a paedophile for refusing to use his submarine technology and landed himself in a sticky legal case.³

The case of Musk sparks broader questions about how we regard 'genius' and 'idiot' minds. In 19th century author Fyodor DostoevskyA 19th Century Russian novelist who explored human psychology in his works. 's novel The Idiot, in aiming to depict a "positively good and beautiful man," he is compelled to write about a blundering fool.

One might question how undisputed genius minds such as Dostoevsky and Shakespeare would have characterised Musk: well-meaning idiot, forward-thinking genius or a rich man testing his luck?

Yes: His blunders go beyond mere moments of human foolishness. There are clear patterns of idiocy which make it terrifying that he is as powerful as he is. We need to dispel the myth of Musk's genius.

No: Musk is clearly a genius. He has co-founded six major companies and has contributed to developing some of the most futuristic technology we have. Few of those who call him an idiot are so accomplished.

Or... The debate surrounding his genius is a waste of time. We should look into his moral qualities, especially regarding allegations of poor working conditions at his companies, and the fact that he spread misinformation about the pandemic.