Jill Lepore, a Harvard historian and author, dives into the mind of Elon Musk, revealing how his obsession with science fiction fuels his ambitions, including the controversial rise of Dogecoin. She explains Musk's vision for Mars colonization and how it shapes his political stances, likening his grand designs to a cosmic messiah narrative. Additionally, activist Patty Hoyt shares her experiences in opposing Musk's influence, highlighting the risks of taking a stand against such a powerful figure in today's society.
28:09
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Musk's MAGA Shift Roots
Elon Musk's shift to MAGA is part performance and part sincere belief shaped by his science fiction influences.
His support for Trump connects to his SpaceX goals and vision of humanity's future in space.
insights INSIGHT
Musk Misreads Science Fiction
Musk misreads science fiction, seeing heroic fascism in Batman rather than its anti-imperialist messages.
He treats H.G. Wells' colonization stories as blueprints instead of cautionary tales.
insights INSIGHT
Musk's Sci-Fi Inspiration Flawed
Musk's devotion to space exploration was inspired by Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide, which he misunderstood as a serious vision.
He models his mission after Beeblebrox, a self-deluded and bumbling character.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
The book follows Arthur Dent, an ordinary Englishman, whose house and planet are about to be demolished. He is rescued by his friend Ford Prefect, an alien researcher for the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. Together, they embark on a journey through space, encountering various characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed president of the galaxy, Trillian, a human woman, and Marvin, a paranoid android. The story involves their adventures on the spaceship Heart of Gold, which has an Infinite Improbability Drive, and their quest to understand the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, which is revealed to be '42'. The novel is known for its humor, satire, and imaginative storytelling.
These Truths
A Brief History of the United States (Volume 2)
Jill Lepore
In this ambitious one-volume history, Jill Lepore examines the origins and rise of the United States, focusing on the core ideas of political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. The book spans over five centuries, from 1492 to the present, and delves into various themes such as the legacy of slavery, the persistence of inequality, and the impact of technological change. Lepore's narrative is characterized by its elegant prose and comprehensive coverage of American politics, law, journalism, and technology, highlighting both well-known and lesser-known figures in American history[2][5][3].
Elon Musk, who’s chainsawing the federal government, is not merely a chaos agent, as he is sometimes described. Jill Lepore, the best-selling author of “These Truths” and other books, says that Musk is animated by obsessions and a sense of mission he acquired through reading, and misreading, science fiction. “When he keeps saying, you know, ‘We’re at a fork in the road. The future of human civilization depends on this election,’ he means SpaceX,” she tells David Remnick. “He means . . . ‘I need to take these rockets to colonize Mars and that’s only going to happen through Trump.’ ” The massive-scale reduction in social services he is enacting through DOGE, Lepore thinks, is tied to this objective. “Although there may be billions of [people] suffering here on planet Earth today, those are miniscule compared to the calculation of the needs of the billions of humans that will one day ever live if we can gain escape velocity from planet Earth. . . . That is, in fact, the math that lies behind DOGE.” Lepore’s BBC radio series on the SpaceX C.E.O. is called “X-Man: The Elon Musk Origin Story.” Plus, an organizer of the grassroots anti-Musk effort TeslaTakedown speaks with the Radio Hour about how she got involved, and the risks involved in doing so. that poses. “It’s a scary place we all find ourselves in,” Patty Hoyt tells the New Yorker Radio Hour producer Adam Howard. “And I won’t stop. But I am afraid.”
The New Yorker Radio Hour 
