Elon Musk: Power and Controversy

Elon Musk is the wealthiest and one of the world’s most powerful and influential people, especially after becoming an ally to President Trump. However, this brings up the question: How did Musk become so powerful and how will this affect other people?

I believe that his power and success are a combination of his intelligence, his companies, and other factors such as social media and his connections with Trump. His ambition and determination make him a great leader, but there could be negative impacts on his workforce, as well as on other people.

An example to support my opinion about his success is his intelligence quotient, which is of 155, though Musk himself contradicts this statement, considering his IQ to be non-relevant. Another factor for his power is his net worth of $347.8 billion from his shared ownership of Tesla and SpaceX, making him the wealthiest person on the planet. In addition, he has over 200 million followers on X, the social media platform he now owns.

The second example to support my opinion, regarding how his power affects others, is the long history he has of treating his workers poorly and opposing their rights to protest and to a decent salary and safe workplace environment. For instance, Musk revealed that his team at DOGE is working 120-hour weeks, which is close to 17 hours a day, including weekends. Furthermore, conspiracy theories and controversial statements he has made have led to him being accused of sexism, transphobia, antisemitism, and spreading misinformation.

I stand with my theory about Elon Musk’s success and controversy, although my mind is open to suggestions and constructive criticism, as it was when I debated on the factors for his power. To summarize my point, Musk is an incredibly influential man thanks to his intelligence, his businesses and his following; but demands excessive work from his employees and is very intolerant of under-performing workers. I view him as a skilled entrepreneur with great ambitions, but as a bad leader who has little thought for his team.