Great Leaders Simplify Things — But Sometimes Incorrectly, And Often So In Elon Musk’s Case

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Like many, I proceed to be a bit baffled that somebody who has led a few firms to nice issues has additionally confirmed to be very simple minded and gullible on different issues. In a single subject, it’s all about “first principles” and digging down into the center of issues so as to clear up issues and innovate, and in one other subject, it’s all about fast, poorly thought out assumptions and latching onto misinformation. What?

MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: CBS Information Evaluation Reveals That the Clear Majority of Tweets By Elon Musk Concerning the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election Are Both Misinformation or Disinformation

Sure, the *clear majority*. https://t.co/56ATBk8brL

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) October 23, 2024

I do know some individuals suppose Elon Musk is an fool on all the pieces and simply obtained fortunate in enterprise, or suppose he’s only a good showman for tech bros. I’m probably not in that camp, and am not assuming that for this text.

Nonetheless, there have lengthy been indicators that he struggles to know some social issues and jumps to conclusions and massive statements in a short time on political issues. (Keep in mind when he supported Ye for president?)

The difficulty recently is that Musk has been spreading tons of misinformation and disinformation. Exhibiting both lack of current political historical past or no take care of it, for instance, he’s been spreading claims about Dominion voting programs that led to Dominion claiming billions of {dollars} of damages in opposition to others, and successful their lawsuits. Perhaps Musk desires to be subsequent to pay Dominion an enormous chunk of money, or perhaps he’s merely uninformed, or perhaps he is aware of higher and thinks he’ll get away with it. In any case, it’s one other case of simplistic pondering that’s resulting in misinformation. Overall“The CBS News Confirmed team fact-checked Musk’s posts on election security and found that 55% contain misleading or false statements, or amplify posts that do.” Yikes. However, actually, I’m stunned the outcome wasn’t increased than 55%.

“Further analysis of these posts showed that 40 of the accounts Musk replied to or reposted were accounts researchers have identified as promoters of voter fraud claims.” In different phrases, Musk is in a misinformation bubble, or echo chamber, and thus has a warped view of the world on this topic and is definitely missing tons of context. He additionally, for positive, is simplifying the state of affairs in his thoughts and leaping to incorrect conclusions based mostly on that simplification.

It nonetheless shocks me that no more individuals have bothered to determine what occurred on January sixth and main as much as it. But it surely’s clear Musk is a kind of individuals, and that’s been clear for a very long time. I keep in mind his tweet in response to it proper after it occurred — it indicated he had little or no understanding of what was happening and the way it took place. By the way, Musk at the least acknowledged just lately that he’s a political novice and is out of his depth. “I have never been materially active in politics before, but this time I think civilization as we know it is on the line,” Musk posted final month. “If we want to preserve freedom and a meritocracy in America, then Trump must win.” Ah, sure, from lack of involvement and actually understanding the sport to pondering that somebody who tried to implement a coup and cease the authorized, regular, democratic switch of energy is the one we have to vote for to guard civilization and democracy. It’s nuts, and it comes from simplified assumptions which can be naive and incorrect.

It’s not as a result of Trump is a superb chief that his former vp gained’t endorse him, that different former Republican vice presidents and presidential nominees are endorsing his Democratic opponent, and that his former Chief of Employees and others who labored carefully with him within the White Home say that he’s a fascist at his core, has praised Hitler, and is a grave menace to US democracy and society.

By the way, it has come out up to now day or in order that Musk has been in contact with Putin on and off since 2022. That’s from the conservative Wall Street Journal and has 5 journalists on the byline. That explains among the bizarre issues which have occurred since then, and in addition explains Musk parroting simplistic Russian authorities speaking factors on a number of events. One can assume Musk is simply evil and pursuing grasping self pursuits. I believe he’s simply very open to flattery and fast to leap to easy conclusions on social and political issues, extra typically incorrectly than not.

I do know it’s a simplistic reply in itself that I’ve put within the headline, and I do suppose there’s additionally way more at play, however from following Elon Musk for 12 years, I do suppose that a few of his finest genius has been simplifying ideas and dealing laborious on simplified objectives — not being distracted by too many issues that might have killed Tesla’s progress — and suppose that a part of his drawback within the political area is that he’s continuously looking for and parroting easy options or solutions on advanced points. And I’ve seen quite a few events the place he’s claimed that advanced explanations or ideas don’t make any sense. Simply because he can’t perceive them doesn’t imply they don’t make any sense.

To shut, I need to circle again to one thing above and expound on it. Recall that he stated “I have never been materially active in politics before.” Certainly. Everyone knows that he has been extremely engrossed in rocket ship growth, electrical automotive growth, manufacturing, the battery provide chain, laptop software program, having 12 youngsters, Neuralink, and different issues. He didn’t have time to study what was taking place politically, or he’d must have actually nice consultants briefing him shortly on such issues — which he clearly didn’t. The issue is he’s jumped into a complete host of advanced matters with lengthy histories and shortly assumed that fundamental explanations about them from biased, echo-chamber sources are appropriate. The extra regarding half is that he has had his misinformation corrected many occasions — even by his personal Group Notes service — and he hasn’t modified how or the place he’s accumulating info in response to that. As an alternative of broadening and deepening his analysis, it appears he has narrowed it and gotten a lot much less open minded. It’s a tragic and disturbing stomach flop into the mud.