I don't like calling this "waking up". He fought for his own benefit before, and he fights for his own benefit now. He hasn't changed a thing.
The situation has changed, so from the outside it may seem like he switched side. But he didn't: he was always fighting for himself and himself only.
Trasmatta · 4h ago
What he's waking up to is the fact that backing Trump was never actually going to be to his benefit in the end. Which was obvious to anyone actually paying attention, from the moment he jumped on the MAGA train.
ethan_smith · 5h ago
This follows the classic pattern of business-political alliances fracturing when policy interests diverge - similar to what happened with numerous industrialists throughout history who initially supported politicians only to find themselves on the wrong side of tariffs, regulations, or subsidies.
Musk vs Trump is a cautionary tale for Silicon Valley [0]
Story by Michael Moritz
The writer is a longtime Silicon Valley investor, former board member of PayPal and an investor in SpaceX (i.e. a Musk fan)
> While Musk has left Washington with his reputation tarnished and his businesses impaired, the president’s family has inked deals for new hotels and golf courses around the world. Membership fees at Mar-a-Lago, his Floridian sanctuary, ballooned last year. And he is milking the enthusiasm of his supporters with his own controversial memecoin, launched days before his inauguration.
> One word of advice for those in Silicon Valley who followed Musk’s lead and sided with Trump. Leave. Don’t delude yourself that you are working to make crypto a part of global finance, minimising artificial intelligence regulation, helping start-up companies or protecting the interests of Silicon Valley. You have no sway. You are just cannon fodder.
The crypto cohort would be the one area that does seem to have some serious sway.
Trump doesn't care about his free Tesla. Hundreds of millions from meme-coins talks louder. Ditto with new markets for influential financial players to grow into, and a vast new area for VC to cash-in on (the IPO cash-outs greatly benefit from "legitimacy"). Follow the money. Although I do have to circle back to the first point which is that they do seem to have played the game right on many fronts (including threatening to primary politicians/using the stick effectively).
Trasmatta · 6h ago
Elon backing Trump in the 2024 election was one of the dumbest and most obvious own goals in history.
infotainment · 5h ago
Letting “DOGE” be the ones to cut spending was kinda a great play on Trump’s part — it effectively got Elon to take the heat for cuts Trump himself wanted.
People are still talking about how “Elon” cut USAID, even though that was very clearly a Trump priority from the beginning.
pfdietz · 6h ago
I wonder how much of it was because of his reaction to his daughter.
downrightmike · 6h ago
Wait until we get to the part of this play where trump nationalizes companies for his personal gain.
toomuchtodo · 6h ago
I’m kinda stoked to see what happens when the technocrats are in peril and how they respond to the authoritarian nationalists. Enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of deal.
k310 · 3h ago
The technocrats probably felt that they were in peril when Joe Biden pushed or EO'ed regulation.
I think they are in FAFO mode, learning how they were used and abandoned by Trump, like the people who sat out the election because of the (Gaza) peril they felt from Harris, aided by Russian bots bombarding social media, ignoring the blueprint that was circulated, called Project 2025, a profoundly anti-science and racist volume.
I just read that the CT folks call Project 2025 a Democratic hoax, like pretty much everything else they want to distance themselves from.
Very loud warnings were issued, and people ignored them in their emotional frenzy. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it, and get it, they did, big tech and supporters of what's left of Gaza.
Think things through, people.
xenospn · 5h ago
they’ll just back another nationalist. They’re not really short on them and they’re not going to run out anytime soon.
toomuchtodo · 5h ago
Indeed, but in the meantime, chaos that could lead to various forms of self destruction.
TheAlchemist · 3h ago
I think he choose the lesser of 2 evils (for him). As he stated himself, if Trump was not elected he was going to prison.
I know it can be seen as a conspiracy theory now, but once the Tesla house of cards crumble, Enron will look relatively minor in comparison.
xenospn · 5h ago
The own goal was Trump winning. Elon just made the assist.
taylodl · 6h ago
I despise Trump and the Republican party, but we can't deport Elon fast enough for the damage he's done to America. Good riddance!
The situation has changed, so from the outside it may seem like he switched side. But he didn't: he was always fighting for himself and himself only.
> 'Elon has woken up'
He's woke now?!
Story by Michael Moritz
The writer is a longtime Silicon Valley investor, former board member of PayPal and an investor in SpaceX (i.e. a Musk fan)
> While Musk has left Washington with his reputation tarnished and his businesses impaired, the president’s family has inked deals for new hotels and golf courses around the world. Membership fees at Mar-a-Lago, his Floridian sanctuary, ballooned last year. And he is milking the enthusiasm of his supporters with his own controversial memecoin, launched days before his inauguration.
> One word of advice for those in Silicon Valley who followed Musk’s lead and sided with Trump. Leave. Don’t delude yourself that you are working to make crypto a part of global finance, minimising artificial intelligence regulation, helping start-up companies or protecting the interests of Silicon Valley. You have no sway. You are just cannon fodder.
[0] https://www.ft.com/content/c779b3b6-e989-4277-91fd-d72468291...
https://archive.is/hnPQC#selection-136.5-136.6
Trump doesn't care about his free Tesla. Hundreds of millions from meme-coins talks louder. Ditto with new markets for influential financial players to grow into, and a vast new area for VC to cash-in on (the IPO cash-outs greatly benefit from "legitimacy"). Follow the money. Although I do have to circle back to the first point which is that they do seem to have played the game right on many fronts (including threatening to primary politicians/using the stick effectively).
People are still talking about how “Elon” cut USAID, even though that was very clearly a Trump priority from the beginning.
I think they are in FAFO mode, learning how they were used and abandoned by Trump, like the people who sat out the election because of the (Gaza) peril they felt from Harris, aided by Russian bots bombarding social media, ignoring the blueprint that was circulated, called Project 2025, a profoundly anti-science and racist volume.
I just read that the CT folks call Project 2025 a Democratic hoax, like pretty much everything else they want to distance themselves from.
Very loud warnings were issued, and people ignored them in their emotional frenzy. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it, and get it, they did, big tech and supporters of what's left of Gaza.
Think things through, people.
I know it can be seen as a conspiracy theory now, but once the Tesla house of cards crumble, Enron will look relatively minor in comparison.