Tesla Files - Who is Elon Musk really? Part II: The big analysis of his power & methods in the Moove podcast

In the second episode of the "Tesla Files" series of the podcast "Moove - Der New Mobility Podcast von auto motor und sport", hosts Gerd Stegmaier and Luca Leicht, together with their guests Michael Verführden and Sören Iversen from Handelsblatt, take a deep dive into the person of Elon Musk. After Part 1 looked at the "Tesla system", "Moove | Tesla Files #2 - The Elon Musk Strategy: Myth and Power" focuses on the man behind the company. The episode analyzes Musk's personality, his leadership style, his controversial methods and his growing political power, especially his recent role around Donald Trump and his surprising support for the AfD in Germany. The discussion aims to understand the drivers behind Musk's actions and assess the implications of his influence on business, politics and society.

Key findings / key messages

• Elon Musk's personality is characterized by contradictions: He cultivates the image of a visionary world savior, but shows traits of extreme toughness, irascibility, emotional coldness and lack of respect for the truth. His self-description of having no problem with being hated contrasts with his extreme sensitivity to criticism.
• The "long-termism" philosophy serves as justification: Musk invokes a long-term vision (Mars colonization, saving humanity) to relativize short-term problems, mistakes or ethically questionable decisions (e.g. in the introduction of autopilot). Whether he believes this himself or uses it as a marketing tool remains to be seen.
• Musk's political commitment is primarily self-serving: His massive commitment to Donald Trump and the Republicans is interpreted as an attempt to fend off the threat of regulations and investigations against his companies (Tesla, X) and to create a more business-friendly, deregulated environment.
• The support of the AfD seems contradictory, but follows a logic of destabilization: Although the AfD opposed Tesla's settlement in Brandenburg, Musk now recommends it. The guests suspect that this is due to a desire to weaken established structures and strong governments in order to be able to act more freely globally - a demonstration of power.
• Musk's focus seems to be shifting away from Tesla: Despite a huge bonus package, Musk seems less interested in Tesla. Failures such as the Cybertruck and the canceled low-cost model, coupled with his enthusiasm for SpaceX and political maneuvering, point to a possible reorientation.
• A lack of error culture characterizes Musk's company: criticism is suppressed, employees act out of fear, and even obvious problems (such as a muted microphone at an analyst conference) are not addressed for fear of his reaction. This could jeopardize long-term success.
• Musk is establishing a new dimension of corporate power: His open, direct influence on politics - including appointments to key positions and the dismantling of regulatory bodies - is unprecedented and could serve as a model for other billionaires, undermining democratic processes.

Musk's personality and leadership style: between genius and tyranny

The guests paint a complex picture of Elon Musk as a leader and a person. He is described as extremely demanding, with unrealistic expectations of his employees, illustrated by anecdotes about late-night patrols and outbursts of rage at supposedly low work morale. Musk himself emphasizes that he does not possess the human weakness of wanting to be liked and that he has no problem with hatred. However, this self-portrayal clashes with his extreme reaction to contradiction or criticism, as the infamous "Piedoguy" incident involving the British cave diver shows. Reports from ex-partners and employees point to emotional coldness, narcissism ("Elon's DNA" training material) and irascibility, including physical altercations with his brother. Musk himself flirts with his difference and has made public that he has Asperger's syndrome, which he partly cites as an explanation for his behaviour and partly uses to stylize himself ("Do you really think I'm a normal guy?"). His immense willingness to take risks, which has made him successful on the one hand (he put his entire fortune on the line for SpaceX and Tesla), also manifests itself in reckless behavior towards others, as the story of the near-fatal accident with Peter Thiel in the McLaren shows.

The "long-termism" philosophy as justification

A central aspect of Musk's self-staging is his alleged motivation to save humanity and pursue long-term goals - keyword "long-termism". This philosophical trend postulates that decisions today should primarily be geared towards the well-being of future generations (in thousands or millions of years). Musk cleverly uses this narrative to invalidate criticism of current problems. For example, fatal accidents involving autopilot are presented as regrettable but necessary steps on the way to a future in which autonomous driving saves millions of lives. The guests express doubts as to whether Musk has actually internalized this philosophy or rather uses it as a useful cover that allows him to ignore short-term negative consequences and ethical concerns and postpone his often unrealistic promises (robotaxis, Mars colony) indefinitely ("I'm always right, I'm just not that good at timing").

Musk's relationship with the truth and the public

A recurring theme is Musk's problematic relationship with the truth. The guests emphasize that his statements can hardly be believed - an assessment that even his own lawyers share in court ("Judge, how can you possibly believe anything about Musk?"). His career is riddled with exaggerated announcements and unfulfilled schedules, which he dismisses as a pure timing problem. At the same time, Musk actively seeks publicity and stages himself masterfully. Examples range from the CNN-filmed delivery of his first McLaren to his intensive use of X (formerly Twitter), where he not only promotes his companies, but also provides personal insights (such as hour-long Diablo streams) and pursues political agendas. This omnipresence and constant "flood the zone" with new messages means that even serious incidents (such as the eavesdropping on a sensitive SpaceX meeting while gaming) hardly cause any public outrage. According to the analysis, he is primarily a salesman of his visions and needs the public stage to do so.

Political engagement: motivation and methods

Musk's latest political offensive, in particular his massive support for Donald Trump, is interpreted as a strategic move that primarily follows self-serving motives. In the face of increasing investigations and the threat of regulations against his companies (autopilot safety, data protection at X, hate speech), Musk apparently saw his entrepreneurial freedom under threat. He perceived the Democrats as the party that wanted to restrict him, which is why he turned to the Republicans. After initially supporting Ron DeSantis, he switched completely to Trump after his failure, whom he supported with considerable sums of money and his media platform X. His goal: the elimination of regulations and the weakening of supervisory authorities. This culminated in the role created after Trump's election as the de facto head of a new cost-cutting and deregulation agency ("Dosh"). This gives Musk direct influence over the very institutions (Transportation Department, SEC, FTC) that are supposed to control him - an unprecedented conflict of interest that is being openly flaunted. The White House spokeswoman succinctly stated that Musk would recuse himself in the event of conflicts of interest.

The case of Germany: Musk and the AfD

Musk's public support for the AfD in Germany appears particularly controversial and contradictory at first glance. The guests recall that the AfD in Brandenburg had protested massively for years against the establishment of the Tesla Gigafactory. The fact that Musk now describes this party of all parties as the "only" salvation for Germany and even brings Alice Weidel into play as chancellor seems absurd. The proposed explanation is multi-layered: on the one hand, it could be a general strategy to weaken established state structures and regulatory mechanisms wherever Musk operates by strengthening the political fringes. On the other hand, it is seen as a pure demonstration of power - Musk clearly enjoys exerting global political influence. Last but not least, supporting the AfD also fits into his narrative of defending "free speech" against a supposed "cancel culture", a narrative that the AfD gratefully picked up on. The fact that AfD representatives suddenly seem to have forgotten their earlier criticism of Tesla after Musk's support ("Wes Brot ich ess, des Lied ich sing") underlines the effectiveness of his method.

Musk's future and Tesla: lost interest?

The discussion also raises the question of what the future holds for Tesla. The guests suggest that Musk may have lost interest in the company that made him the richest man in the world. His focus seems to be increasingly on SpaceX (with the big goal of colonizing Mars) and his political activities. Recent developments at Tesla support this theory: the Cybertruck, once heralded as a revolutionary product, has turned out to be problematic (several recalls, disappointing sales figures) and the long-promised affordable entry-level model for the mass market was surprisingly canceled. Instead, Musk prefers to talk to employees about a new edition of the Roadster with rocket propulsion from SpaceX, which might even be able to fly. Although Tesla's disruption of the automotive industry is an undeniable achievement, its innovative strength appears to be stagnating. The German car industry is currently looking to China rather than Tesla with concern.

Criticism of the Musk system: error culture and consequences

One major point of criticism concerns the corporate culture under Musk. There is an atmosphere of fear in which dissenting opinions and criticism are not tolerated. Examples such as the minutes of silence at an analyst conference when no one dared to point out Musk's muted microphone, or the documentation of how employees, against their better judgment, implemented Musk's "Lego Fit" claim for car parts or adapted the navigation system to his personal favorite route, illustrate this. This lack of error culture and the absence of internal corrective measures could, it is feared, become a long-term problem despite past successes, especially when it comes to complex products such as cars, where safety plays a central role. The extremely high staff turnover at Tesla is also cited as an indication of problematic working conditions.

The new dimension of power: entrepreneurs as politicians

The conclusion of the discussion is quite worrying. Musk's current political influence in the US marks a new level of intertwining of economic and political power. Unlike previous billionaires, who exercised their influence more covertly, Musk acts openly and directly. He uses his money and his media platform (X) for election campaign support and in return receives a quasi-governmental position that allows him to dismantle regulations and weaken critical authorities. This approach, which bears traits of planned corruption and is openly flaunted (e.g. through the "family photo" with the Trump clan), could set a precedent. Other tech billionaires like Zuckerberg, Bezos or Gates might realize that overt political influence works and follow suit, which could lead to a kind of oligarchy in which super-rich individuals directly control politics.

Conclusion

The second episode of the "Tesla Files" paints a critical and multi-layered portrait of Elon Musk. He is portrayed as a personality full of contradictions: a visionary disruptor with enormous drive, but also a ruthless, truth-flexible and increasingly political entrepreneur whose methods and concentration of power give cause for concern. His ability to control narratives, steer public attention and now also directly influence political processes calls established systems into question. The episode leaves the impression that Musk's actions are driven less by altruistic motives than by self-interest and an unconditional desire for power and control, which could have far-reaching consequences for the economy, society and democratic structures.