Elon, Inc.

In this enlightening discussion, Kirsten Grind, a New York Times reporter, delves into Elon Musk's ambitious vision for Mars and the interconnectedness of his companies. She reveals potential partnerships between Tesla and Musk's xAI and how this could impact Tesla's innovative edge. The conversation touches on the daunting challenges of colonizing Mars, from food supply to governance. Kirsten also highlights the delicate balance Musk must maintain in his multifaceted empire while addressing concerns over leadership focus amidst new ventures. Fascinating insights abound!

After months of back and forth, Brazil finally did what it’s been threatening to do: ban X. This comes on the heels of government complaints from Britain and elsewhere about false information thriving on Elon Musk’s embattled social media platform—some of it from Musk himself. In this episode of Elon, Inc., we dig into Brazil’s action and also talk about the Android app launch of X TV, a way to watch video content from the former Twitter on your home TV screen. Our panel—David Papadopoulos, Max Chafkin and Kurt Wagner—have some ideas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tesla is often heralded as Elon Musk’s premiere company, the business at the foundation of all his other businesses. But as Tesla has struggled and lost market share, it’s SpaceX that keeps surging ahead of the competition. SpaceX is trying to add the first commercial spacewalk to its list of accomplishments, and is set to bail out embattled rival Boeing by retrieving astronauts stranded by its faulty Starliner. This week reporters Loren Grush and Bruce Einhorn sift through the developments and debate if there’s any competition left for SpaceX in this field. Host David Papadopoulos is also joined by reporter Kurt Wagner and editor Sarah Frier to discuss the latest development over at X. Why is Donald Trump all of a sudden posting again on his richest fan’s troubled platform? Will the arrest of Telegram Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov have any consequences for Musk and X? And why did Diddy invest in Musk's takeover of X? As always with Musk, there’s a lot to talk about.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality TV stars are freezing their eggs on camera. Lawmakers in DC are debating federal protection for IVF. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in slick startups that market fertility treatments for all. But this rapid growth has revealed cracks in the system. Misconception, a new series from Bloomberg’s Prognosis, follows reporter Kristen V. Brown on her own intimate journey as she uncovers the business of fertility. Along the way, she finds a fractured industry — a profit-driven field of medicine that thrives on dueling messages of hope and fear as people gamble everything for a chance at a baby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, X users might have noticed a new kind of artificial intelligence-generated image proliferating: strange visions of Elon Musk next to Disney characters carrying guns, or Donald Trump in all kinds of, well, weird situations. This was what followed a new release of Musk’s Grok AI tool, which can now make images—unsurprisingly with fewer guardrails than other image-creating machines out there. On this episode we’ll talk about Grok’s new skillset and also get into the semiotics of the Cybertruck. Initially conceived of as a mass-market truck, it’s slid into another category: marker of a certain kind of right-wing flex, the kind Musk himself has engaged in on his struggling social network. Joining David to discuss is Davey Alba, a Bloomberg technology reporter, along with Max Chafkin and Dana Hull.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday night, Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Elon Musk on Musk’s social media platform, X. An unfiltered conversation between two of the most influential figures of the last decade? It was no surprise that over one million people listened concurrently in as they meandered across topics ranging from electric vehicles and immigration, to a play-by-play of the assassination attempt Trump survived in Pennsylvania last month.So what’s the significance of this interview, which produced very little news and was marred from the start by technical issues? On the latest episode of Elon, Inc., host David gathers Max and Dana to try and untangle it.But wait there’s more. In the final installment of our summer conversation series, Papadopoulos speaks with Bethany Allen, head of program for China investigations and analysis at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Allen unpacks Musk’s business ventures in China and what his involvement with the country means for Tesla and the electric vehicle industry at large.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world reacts to US Vice President Kamala Harris’s own vice-presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, our attention stays focused on Monday’s stock market selloff (though much was recovered on Tuesday). One of the big topics of conversation was, does the sudden dip represent a popping artificial intelligence bubble? And what would such a correction do to Elon Musk? On this week’s episode of Elon, Inc., Bloomberg Businessweek’s Max Chafkin, Bloomberg technology editor Sarah Frier and reporter Kurt Wagner discuss. Plus later on: a conversation between Chafkin and the New Yorker’s Rachel Monroe and journalist Chris Hooks on what Musk’s relocation to Texas has meant for the state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Frier, a technology editor at Bloomberg, and Kurt Wagner, a tech affairs reporter, dive into Elon Musk's dramatic political shift as he supports Donald Trump. They discuss his provocative social media antics, including misleading memes, and the implications for public perception. The conversation also touches on Musk's contentious move from California to Texas, exploring how it reflects broader changes in the tech landscape. Additionally, they examine the evolving cultural dynamics in Texas and the potential for future space ambitions.

Tech editor Sarah Frier joins to discuss Elon Musk's Twitter politics, his support for Trump, and the evolving Elon Musk fanbase. The conversation explores Musk's political influence, Tesla's stock performance, and Fred Lambert's journey from fan to critic.

Bloomberg Businessweek editor Brad Stone discusses Elon Musk's donation to a Trump Super-PAC, Musk's immediate endorsement of Trump after an assassination attempt, potential consequences under a Biden presidency, the complex relationship between Musk and Trump, and speculation on Musk endorsing Trump through a Zoom session. The episode also covers Tesla's delayed Robotaxi unveiling and speculates on a potential October announcement.