We are living in a time when people are waking up to the truth about billionaires. The truth is that they aren’t people we should put on a pedestal. In response, some people are jokingly calling for the return of the French Revolution; instead of putting the rich on a pedestal, put them in a guillotine instead. Just look up Jeff Bezos and the empire he’s built for himself and the legacy he will leave behind.
Another billionaire at the center of our awakening is Elon Musk. Recently, the public criticized him and Jeff Bezos for the Billionaire Space Race alongside other controversies surrounding their status, businesses, and other life decisions.
Between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the Amazon CEO might be winning at the evil billionaire race. As for the SpaceX and Tesla, Inc. CEO, two narratives are surrounding him and his persona. The debate is that Elon Musk is a superhero or—just like Bezos—a billionaire supervillain.
So which is the truth? With the current trend in the social conditioning of people, it might seem like it’s pointing in the direction of him being no better than Bezos. But before we jump to any conclusions, let’s take a step back and get to know the man.
The Early Life, Education, and Career of Elon Musk
By now, Elon Musk has been semi-ubiquitous in the limelight that it’s impossible for people not to know him. His claim to fame is his big companies and the title of being one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Elon Musk was born to a Canadian mother and a South African father. His parents raised him in Pretoria, one of the three capital cities of South Africa. He eventually moved to Canada to attend college. Two years later, he moved to the U.S. and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Physics from the University of Pennsylvania.
After graduating, Elon Musk decided to pursue a career in business and started several companies. 2002 was when his career as a business magnate took off. It was when he founded SpaceX, which is a company meant to revolutionize space technology. Two years later, he joined Tesla Motors, Inc., later shortened to Tesla, Inc. as the chairman and product architect, and eventually became its CEO in 2008.
Based on the website of Tesla, Inc., it is “accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” And the company aims to do this with its products like electric cars, solar panels, and renewable and clean energy solutions.
Tesla, Inc. on paper doesn’t sound that bad, does it? Elon Musk looks like he’s the good guy here for using his status and platform to make a difference. So, why does he still have a lot of critics? Simply put, he’s a multifaceted being who may be trying to save the world, but he has a side that makes people question his morals and end goals.
The Criticisms Against Elon Musk
Besides being a CEO and a business magnate, Elon Musk has also added being a celebrity to his résumé. He has appeared on some TV shows and movies like The Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and Iron Man 2. On May 8, 2021, he also happened to host Saturday Night Live (SNL), and the events leading up to this were not in his favor.
Many critics and expressed disapproval of SNL’s decision to have Elon Musk host their show. And there is a long list of people criticizing him. Their reasons include his misuse of his billionaire status as his wealth increased exponentially during the pandemic, which Bernie Sanders called out as greedy and unsustainable.
Elon Musk has also been known for clapping back at his critics and even going as far as bullying them. He’s also known to manipulate the cryptocurrency prices and perpetuate some Covid-19 misinformation. On top of that, it turns out that his Tesla cars, which got him a hero title, aren’t a fully functional product that even George Clooney expressed his disapproval for. Uh-oh, it looks like it’s time to search for a Nissan car for sale instead.
The Legacy of Elon Musk
Going down the rabbit hole of Elon Musk’s life is fascinating. There’s a side of him that’s good and sides of him that are bad and, shall we say, ugly. While it is impossible to know everything about Elon Musk’s life, most information we will need to pick a side and have our own opinions about him are online, especially since he loves tweeting.
Speaking of picking a side—since choosing the lesser evil is important—between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, it’s the latter.