Episode 2271: Keith Teare on why he's fallen in love with Elon Musk

Dec 13, 2024

Keith Teare, founder and CEO of SignalRank Corporation and author, expresses his newfound admiration for Elon Musk, arguing that innovators are essential for modern growth. He discusses the dichotomy of Musk's public persona and the polarized views on his actions, especially regarding ongoing legal issues. The conversation shifts to cryptocurrency’s volatility and its impact on central banks while also touching on the evolving power dynamics in tech. Teare ultimately calls for builders like Musk to foster constructive discourse on societal change.

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INSIGHT

Differing Views on Musk

Keith Teare supports Elon Musk, viewing him as a builder and innovator.
Andrew Keen questions Musk's motives and methods, highlighting his "Randian" free-market obsession.

ANECDOTE

Musk's Lawfare Tactics

Andrew Keen points out Musk's use of lawsuits (like against OpenAI) mirroring Trump's "lawfare" tactics.
This challenges the idea of Musk as solely a victim of government overreach.

INSIGHT

Silicon Valley's Political Shift

Keith Teare suggests a shift in Silicon Valley, with figures like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel gaining influence.
Andrew Keen acknowledges Marc Andreessen's alignment with this movement.

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It’s been coming a while. But now it’s official. Keith Teare has declared his love for Elon Musk. In this week’s THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter, suitably entitled “I’m With Musk”, Keith argues that without Musk “I have no idea what a positive narrative about modernization and growth would be.” America, Keith argues, needs “builders” like Musk who will enable “a real conversation about change”. I’m more ambivalent, but then Ambivalence is my middle name. While I agree with Keith that Musk has been childishly vilified by progressives, I disagree with his Randian argument that innovators are naturally progressive because they claim to want to improve the general lot of humanity. In tech, there are right-wing (Musk, Sacks, Thiel &Andreessen) and left-wing (Moskovitz, Hoffman & Moritz) builders. Some builders are better than others. I know which I prefer.

Keith Teare is the founder and CEO of SignalRank Corporation. Previously, he was executive chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd., a U.K.-based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. Teare studied at the University of Kent and is the author of “The Easy Net Book” and “Under Siege.” He writes regularly for TechCrunch and publishes the “That Was The Week” newsletter.

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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