Elon, Inc.

For the past day or so, Elon Musk has been singularly focused, on X, on one target: funding the US government. He has, basically, single-handedly, killed a bipartisan bill that would keep the federal government running through January 1, 2025. To unpack what is happening — and will what will happen — Max Chafkin sits down with Bloomberg News reporter Ted Mann. It’s a huge gamble, by Musk and Trump, on what could be a very problematic start to Trump’s new administration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The simmering feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman is boiling again. In the latest round, OpenAI, which is being sued by Musk, uncorked a long post last week that included emails purporting to show that Musk didn’t really care about the safety of artificial intelligence (as he has long said he does). According to OpenAI, Musk just wanted to control the company. Also on the docket for Elon, Inc. this week: a conversation with Bloomberg reporter Loren Grush, along with regulars Dana Hull and Max Chafkin, about what Donald Trump’s designated head of NASA, billionaire Jared Isaacman, means for Musk. (Probably only good things.) Another story that is discussed is Hull’s deep dive into Musk’s funding of a preschool project. It’s part of a larger push from Musk to implement his own far-right agenda into education, and the money runs through at least two of his non-profit entities. There is a familiar cast of characters involved (like longtime money manager Jared Birchall) and some vague goals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk is frequently on the move, but in his new role as Donald Trump’s wealthiest enforcer, he seems to be everywhere at once. One minute he’s on Capitol Hill with Vivek Ramaswamy pushing his boss’s government-gutting agenda, the next he’s in Paris with the president-elect for some awkward mingling with the global elite. Then he’s back at Mar-a-Lago, huddling with Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban. Bloomberg political writer Josh Green joins Max Chafkin and Dana Hull to talk about these developments. Also on the episode this week, a discussion about the recent astronomical SpaceX valuation, Max thinks he might have spotted a possible feud, and a quick peak into the show email inbox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This holiday season, it would seem that Elon Musk has much to be thankful for—he even spent Thanksgiving by Donald Trump’s side in Mar-a-Lago. But last night, a Delaware judge handed him a rare defeat, rejecting yet again his enormous Tesla pay package. To discuss this and other legal matters, the Elon, Inc. team has brought on Bloomberg legal reporter Jef Feeley as well as the regular crew: Sarah Frier, Max Chakin, and Dana Hull. The gang also discuss Elon's shifting customer base. One consequence of Musk’s far-right political turn has been how consumers now have to weigh the political ramifications of buying products from his companies. This has been the case at Tesla for a while now (a market for anti-Elon bumper stickers has flourished) but there’s a huge debate about the meaning of using X post-election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.