Well, not so much the magazine as their senior opinion editor, Daniel Vergano, who wrote an article entitled, Elon Musk Owes His Success to Coming in Second (and Government Handouts) (Sept. 13, 2023).
The first three paragraphs:
The superstar success of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, with a fortune now estimated at $246 billion, poses quite a puzzle. How can someone whose wealth and fame rest on innovative technologies—electric cars and rocket launches—be such a doofus? Never mind his cursing at advertisers, getting high on a podcast, fostering white supremacists or challenging another peculiar rich guy to fistfights, the globe’s most famous technology mogul has spent much of the past two years blowing $44 billion on Twitter (now X) only to drive it into the ground.
And yet this same character remains critical to Ukraine’s defense against Russia, U.S. national security space launches and the American automotive industry’s hopes of withstanding a flood of cheap Chinese electric vehicles. His Dragon capsule will retrieve astronauts stranded on the International Space Station by his doddering space competitor, Boeing, NASA announced in August. This same genius crudely proposed impregnating the pop star Taylor Swift, in front of millions of people, following the second presidential debate in September. Again, how can someone be so essential, so rich and, at the same time, such a dingbat?
A look at history and economics suggests that Musk, now age 53, won his fortune from a “second-mover” advantage, well known in innovation scholarship. With regulation, marketing and basic principles established, a savvy second comer—think Facebook trampling MySpace or Google crushing Yahoo—can take over a burgeoning industry with a smart innovation pitched at a ripe moment. Musk also enjoyed a great deal of good fortune, otherwise known as handouts from Uncle Sam and less astute competitors.
The rest of the article fleshes out that last paragraph.
I wouldn’t use the words “doofus” or “dingbat” but, yes, he’s a bit strange. So?
As for the rest, OK. Am I an Elon-fanboy? No. That’s not how I am.
Does he mess up? Yes, what he's done with Twitter is not a success story. And no matter how much he blathers about free speech, free speech is not his game at all. He's egocentric. I think it’s incredible. Still, look at what he’s done.
Vergano’s critique is weak tea.
