Elon Musk: money, power and influence

How has Elon Musk become so powerful? And should anything be done about it?

Collage of pages from the "Elon Musk: money, power and influence"  teaching resource showing the cover and lesson plan

Published 24 January 2025

Elon Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur, is the world’s richest person and a close ally of President Donald Trump. With over 200m followers on his social-media platform X, his wealth and influence have enabled him to shape political narratives, endorse candidates and affect public discourse.

Mr Musk’s recent involvement in global politics has sparked debates about his power. How has he become so powerful? And should anything be done about it?

This resource was created for Topical Talk Festival 2025. See student discussions on this lesson here.

About this lesson

  • Discuss the impact of money, political position and influence on power
  • Understand why Elon Musk is in the news
  • Debate whether or not one person can have too much power

This lesson develops the following skills and knowledge:

  • Speaking

    Step 4: I speak effectively by thinking about what my listeners already know
    Step 7: I speak engagingly by using facts and examples to support my points
    Step 11: I speak adaptively by planning for different possible responses of listeners

  • Knowledge

    I know how Elon Musk is involving himself in politics and the potential effects on the world.

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