I'm ambivalent regarding Musk. Part of me wants to hate him simply for having a stupid name, but that would be churlish. Part of me admires what he's done & is seeking to do - yes, he's an exploitative, mega rich totem of a capitalist system, but then so is Philip Green, and I know which of the two I'd rather have tarred, feathered & dropped into a hornets nest.
People like Musk might be the future, they might drive society forward in a way that governments & aged monolithic corporate concerns are unable to do. But ultimately I think any such progress is driven more by their own personal desire for greatness & legacy. Is that a problem though? Maybe, maybe not, depends what the rest of society gets out of it.
My biggest problem with Musk is his extremely annoying tactic of periodic press releases that promise the unachievable. Creating the impression that hyper fast public transport or landing men on Mars is only a few years away. It's a bit like if a drug company puts out press releases saying they were on the verge of curing cancer, purely because they've done a bit of interesting research. I find it tiresome & transparently publicity driven, far more about currying favour with easily impressed investors than anything genuinely tangible.
Overall I think he's a knob, but one who might revolutionise areas of technology & advance society, or might just turn out to be an overambitious plutocrat who promises more than he ever delivers. Only time will tell.
