5 Habits of People Who Reject Elon Musk Culture
Our love-hate relationship with an intelligent jerk.
“Honey, can we get Elon’s dish on our roof?”
The question came after my wife’s love affair with TikTok brought a video to her feed. She forwarded it to me via SMS (I’m old school).
The video is of a young man who lives in Australia not far from me. He raves about how he got Starlink on his roof and now his internet speeds are faster than Jeff Bezos’ home wifi.
As a wifi junkie, I became curious. It couldn’t be true. Elon in Australia, again? First, he offered over Twitter to fix our energy grid problem in Adelaide by installing solar panels.
Then he gave us the gift of electric cars. Everywhere I go now there are Tesla power banks (including right outside the honeymoon suite we stayed at after our wedding).
It’s true. The Starlink website shows Elon is testing internet in our area. He is going to put the phone companies and internet providers out of business. Apple is next. He plans, according to rumors, to launch a Tesla phone that’s better than the current version of smartphone that we’re all tired of.
Elon Musk is everywhere.
He’s infected the world with his new breed of culture. Here are the habits of people (like me) who reject Elon culture.
We believe in humility and kindness
Elon is a strange character.
When I think of him it reminds me of the quote: “intelligent people can hold two opposing ideas in their brain without it exploding.”
That’s how I feel about YOLO Elon. On the one hand, I love what Elon has done for the world. What his company Space X is doing is truly remarkable too. The ability to travel to Mars once the refueling of a spaceship problem gets solved will be incredible.
The kick up the ass Tesla cars have given auto-makers is amazing. Elon’s Solar City project has accelerated the speed of adoption of renewable energy.
On the other hand, Elon can be a dick.
I sometimes wonder whether his Twitter profile picture is a hint at that fact. Does this image remind you of a male body part?
Examples of Elon flexing his huge ego
- Sent to Bernie Sanders via Twitter: “I keep forgetting that you’re still alive.” Bernie is old. Elon wishes him a timely death.
- Then there are the cryptic messages to appear smart and start internet wars: “traceroute woke_mind_virus”
- When Elon tries to send a submarine to save the Thai kids trapped in that cave, one person calls it a PR stunt. Elon didn’t like it and said, “Never saw this British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus) at any point when we were in the caves.” The sus is the first right hook. The final tweet in the series is “Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.” Elon calls a stranger a sus pedophile for no reason and ruins his reputation. What a way to use fame to ruin someone’s life.
- Perhaps the least intelligent tweet in history: “The coronavirus panic is dumb.” Loads of boof-heads ‘liked’ it though.
Elon uses Twitter like an adult baby.
We hate cruelty
The tale of Elon’s personal assistant is perhaps the most famous act of cruelty you will ever see. She dares ask the billionaire for more money after taking on extra executive-type duties.
She worked for Elon for ten years and was still on the same personal assistant pay. It takes a lot of courage, but she finally asks Elon for a pay rise.
He sets a nasty trap for her.
If she can take two weeks off and her loss is truly felt by Elon, he will give her the pay rise. Two weeks later she returns.
He tells her that her absence wasn’t felt so her personal assistant services were no longer needed. Another role gets offered to her but it’s still at the entry-level personal assistant pay. Years later, a book she writes about the tale is her only taste of revenge.
There’s never a need to be cruel and put humans through real-life hunger games. If you don’t want to pay someone more money then you can always help them get another job.
We don’t want to burnout
Work like hell.
I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week.
If other people are putting in 40 hour workweeks and you’re putting in 100 hour workweeks, then even if you’re doing the same thing, you know that you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve — Elon
Elon Musk-inspired culture has given millions of young people permission to work themselves into the ground. The mind needs rest. Time away from work creates some of the best work of your life.
When you work you create dots in your mind. When you rest, exercise, do chores, or spend time with family — the dots join together.
Intelligent people work smarter not harder. This isn’t the factory worker age anymore. 100-hour weeks get you nowhere … other than to an early grave.
We dislike market manipulation
With power and influence comes temptation. Elon has used his voice many times to manipulate markets. The SEC in America agrees.
- Example 1: “Tesla stock price is too high imo.” Stock price falls straight after.
- Example 2: “Gamestonk!!” The price of the Game Stop surges 50% right after the tweet.
- Example 3: “Bitcoin is almost as bs as fiat money.” Then, “You can now buy a Tesla with Bitcoin.” Then, “Tesla & Bitcoin.” Later, he stops accepting Bitcoin. Each time the Bitcoin market moves (allegedly) based on his tweets. Recently, he’s just gone silly: “Bitcoin cures cancer.”
Bottom line: Elon loves to gaslight investors.
We understand Web 3.0 just like a 5th grader
Elon doesn’t get Web 3.0. His tweets show it.
The image he posted of a shrink with a patient that has the caption “These NFTs — are they in the room with us” shows it.
NFTs are about more than JPGs. NFTs are digital contracts that prove ownership. For creators, like me, this is huge. No more middlemen fees. No more gatekeepers.
Then this:
I’m not suggesting web3 is real — seems more marketing buzzword than reality right now — just wondering what the future will be like in 10, 20 or 30 years. 2051 sounds crazy futuristic!
Then in classic Elon culture fashion he contradicts himself: “Tesla will make some merch buyable with Doge & see how it goes.”
The Doge cryptocurrency is part of Web 3.0. It has zero utility, but what it does have is an enormous community.
And in Web 3.0, community is the most important thing. A dog coin that’s supposed to be a joke could become a valuable commodity if it has real-world use. I’m skeptical about Doge, but open-minded.
Then Elon goes on to make fun of DAOs.
A DAO is a powerful tool.
The standard business structure of an LLC has nation borders. It’s hard to set up in multiple countries, and even harder to automate incentive structures so people within a project don’t turn into cannibals and rip each others’ heads off to eat for lunch.
People who reject Elon Musk culture understand the power of an internet built on blockchain.
The design of Web 3.0 will go a long way to make things fair again, and allow users to own a piece of the technology they use and become evangelists for.
One thing we don’t disagree with Elon culture on
This:
“Let’s set an age limit after which you can’t run for political office, perhaps a number just below 70 … “
I don’t agree with the age limit. But we can all agree our politicians are too old and mostly male — that’s why they’re so out of touch with reality.
Final Thought
Elon Musk culture is everywhere.
Do you love it or hate it? I’m still on the fence as to whether his influence on civilization is a good one or a bad one.
Sometimes it feels like Elon sees all of us as dumb characters in a giant meme that he can mess with.
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