The Aporia
The Aporia
141 articles about 108 events for “Elon Musk's Influence and Power”.
“Mega-donors overwhelmingly gave to Republican candidates, including Elon Musk, who spent nearly $450 million, with large sums of that directed at boosting Ken Paxton in Texas, who, by the way, lost to James Talarico.”
“But his campaign against Republican Ken Paxton also focused on the cost of living and corruption, including the influence of wealthy donors like Elon Musk, who supported Paxton.”
““We won the Slaughter case and the Slaughter case gives the president tremendous powers that it never had before,””
“Elon Musk, the crypto industry and AI backers together poured hundreds of millions of dollars into key midterm races from Texas to Ohio but came up short.”
“Elon Musk will face scrutiny from Democrats after midterms Elon Musk wasn't on Tuesday's ballot, but he stands to lose a lot from Democrats' sweeping midterm victories in the House and Senate.”
“Elon Musk suffered a significant blow as Dems won big in the midterms – including pivotal seats in Texas – in spite of millions of dollars he poured into campaigns for Republicans he hoped would greenlight his ambitious data center projects.”
“Hall added: “Ken Paxton was bankrolled by Elon Musk and other oligarchs.”
“While James Talarico’s victory in the US Senate race and Gina Hinojosa’s defeat of three-term Governor Greg Abbott stole the headlines, Democratic candidates also triumphed in a series of lower-profile races on Tuesday, giving them the power to reshape the…”
“He sought to appeal to independents and Republicans disillusioned with the administration, arguing that the cost of living and the influence of wealthy donors mattered more to Texans than partisan divisions.”
“Take Daily Mail's quiz and find out The largest political donor in US history, Elon Musk, is warning that Democratic victories in the midterms could seal a 'permanent one-party state' and the end of democracy in America.”
“Ahead of the midterm elections, billionaire Elon Musk warned that a Democratic sweep of the White House and Congress in 2028 could spell the "end of democracy," outlining three moves he fears the party would make to cement its political power.”
“Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk backed Republicans on Friday and warned that a Democratic sweep of the US House of Representatives, Senate and presidency in 2028 could lead to what he described as the “end of democracy in any meaningful sense of the word”,…”
“The results will serve as the first nationwide verdict on Trump’s presidency, revealing whether voters want to check the Republican president’s power by giving Democrats control of one or both chambers of Congress or are willing to accept the status quo…”
“The results will serve as the first nationwide verdict on Trump's presidency, revealing whether voters want to check the Republican president's power by giving Democrats control of one or both chambers of Congress or are willing to accept the status quo…”
“If the implications of the Democrats’ triumph for AI and crypto were combined, you’d have to say it hasn’t been a good week for the tech bros - especially Elon Musk.”
“The result is a slap for Elon Musk too, the biggest individual donor in the midterm cycle, who spendt US$446m trying to influence the results (mostly in Texas).”
“Another senior Administration official says Trump plans to concentrate even more heavily on the Western Hemisphere in the final years of his presidency, where a succession of pro-Trump heads of state have risen to power and where he and his allies see an…”
“Leading the Future and associated PACs were far outspent by pro-safety PACs designed specifically to counter their influence.”
“As a reward for letting Silicon Valley run the country, Elon Musk spent $474 million trying to help Republicans maintain the status quo; super PACs tied to the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industries spent roughly $250 million to largely support…”
“That's why this narrative [of Russia's invincibility] is powerful and why it sticks."”
“In the States, a proper Republican drubbing on Tuesday might give the anti-empaths the kind of shock they deserve, but Musk’s power and influence alone shows that it will take a lot more than a single round of election results to really push them back.”
“Elon Musk's SpaceX and Microsoft did not publish policies and Meta's midterm election policy does not mention its Meta AI chatbot.”
“Much of the dark and functionally dark money has come from Super Pacs funded by billionaires, including Elon Musk and Jeff Yass, and corporate interests, particularly the AI and crypto industries.”
“President Donald Trump said he would be willing to protect Elon Musk and his staff if Democrats take control of Congress after the midterm elections this week.”
“The impact of the rise of megadonors such as Tesla founder Elon Musk, and an increase in dark money among the very top donors, on this year’s electoral outcome is hard to quantify.”
“Strip out the 10 biggest – including Elon Musk – and 51 per cent of donations in the second quarter went to the Democrats, up from 36 per cent throughout last year.”
“In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Dan Williams discuss whether AI is a genuinely transformative technology or just another tool, how the temptation to outsource thinking to AI may be eroding the cognitive skills of young people, and why the…”
“As to why Ukrainian forces were suddenly deprived of their previous levels of access to the military-grade version of Elon Musk’s Starlink, the US administration gave conflicting accounts over the rules that govern such systems, and what actually happened.”
“The top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees are demanding that President Donald Trump preserve his conversations with artificial intelligence chatbots as part of an inquiry into whether Elon Musk’s AI system Grok has influenced official…”
“Last week, Elon Musk throttled the speeds of Starlink and Starshield over Ukraine in mid-October, severely disrupting Ukrainian military and defense operations.”
“This was far from the first indication the mailers were a GOP operation; last week, the group that sent them retained a lawyer who has previously represented both Ken Paxton and Elon Musk in high-profile matters.”
“Most of the money from Musk and other donors has flowed not to candidates, but to powerful super PACs representing a variety of different special interests.”
“For their part, Talarico and Hinojosa have focused relentlessly on the cost of living and the outsize political influence of billionaires like Elon Musk, who poured nearly $160 million into Texas to buoy Paxton.”
“The federal government is down more than 420,000 workers after Elon Musk was given the power to introduce massive jobs cuts after donating nearly $300m to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.”
“How his political influence compares to past U.S. moguls How powerful is Elon Musk?”
“The explosive growth of data centres, political integrity and the popularity of President Donald Trump himself are under scrutiny in this election cycle, which is on track to be the most expensive in US history, thanks to massive donations by the world’s…”
“Meanwhile, in Texas, Elon Musk is funding an AI-powered robocall campaign that (rather ironically) attacks Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico for allegedly taking money from "data center special interest" groups, CNN reports.”
“(In October, Elon Musk chipped in $5 million more.) Outside Amarillo, Hinojosa walked the grounds of what is projected to be one of the largest data center campuses in the country—a 7,570-acre complex named for Donald Trump, backed by Rick Perry, and powered…”
““They are not going to have an impact on the balance of power in Congress,” said Shaunna Thomas, one of the founders of Guardrails Alliance, another new super PAC set up to counter Leading the Future’s influence.”
“It wouldn’t stop individuals—say, an Elon Musk or George Soros—from pouring millions of their personal wealth into independent political ads in Montana.”
“Even the left’s most moderating voices and a few Republicans agree it’s time to rein in the power and influence of big business.”
“Then came the slowdown in Starlink/Starshield, followed by a round of blame-shifting between the White House and Elon Musk as to who ordered it.”
“Around the head table at the centre of the room sat two of the most powerful leaders, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, alongside some of the most influential figures in American technology: Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Taiwanese-born leaders of two of the world's most…”
“When the BBC entered the dining hall for the dinner, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was standing over a table and appeared to be telling an entertaining story that had two others nearby barreled over with laughter.”
“The bosses of two rival AI firms, Sam Altman from OpenAI and Elon Musk from Grok, rallied behind Amodei’s proposal.”
“Ukraine’s access to Starlink has since been restored, and Mr Musk has claimed the decision to restrict it came ultimately from Mr Trump, which the president has denied.”
“The row has sparked concerns the US may have stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv, and seen the Ukrainian military’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink system restricted, inhibiting its ability to intercept Russian drone and missile attacks.”
“And yet, he said, nothing compares to the scope of power held by his latest subject, Elon Musk.”
“And yet, he said, nothing compares to the scope of power held by his latest subject, Elon Musk.”
“Midterms 2026 The Elon Musk Funder Trying to Sway the Race for LA’s Top Lawyer The leading candidate for LA city attorney has the backing of the local DSA and vows to regulate Big Tech.”
““The Epstein class has become a symbol [of] how the wealthy and powerful rig the system to avoid accountability and enrich themselves,””
“A DSA-backed California prosecutor who helped force Meta to pay a historic $17 billion settlement this year is on a glide path to become the top lawyer for Los Angeles — unless a tech investor cozy with Elon Musk can spend enough to stop her.”
“Musk and Trump, the Journal noted, have both “expressed anger at Ukraine for attacking Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks, which the president blames for high energy prices” – although the high prices are really due to Trump’s war in Iran.”
“Social media decentralized the information environment and weakened the influence of expert opinion.”
“Early last week, Ukrainian officials said they had lost some of their access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink, the global satellite communications system owned and operated by Elon Musk's company SpaceX.”
“Plus, does Elon Musk wield too much control in space?”
““Elon Musk has bought his way into the favor of President Trump and with it, unlimited riches and lucrative government contracts in the space industry,””
“It also offers a stark contrast to the roles that the superrich like Elon Musk are trying to play in influencing elections.”
“James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, has taken aim at Elon Musk, warning that the tech mogul is trying to buy political influence and declaring: “Texas is not for sale.””
“The regulator is already facing a wave of legal actions from tech companies challenging its powers including the Instagram operator Meta, as well as TikTok and X, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX group.”
“Elon Musk and the most expensive Senate race Total ad spending sits just under $340 million since each candidate locked up his nomination, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.”
“Deepening fiscal and capital markets union and building a genuine fiscal-military state would provide the foundations of Europe’s power and its ability to deter and win wars.”
“Published: | Updated: Elon Musk and the CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang were on stage at the America.gov launch near the National Mall speaking about their new AI-powered platform and global tech competition when their chat stretched beyond the 30-minute mark.”
“Together, Elon Musk's two companies would potentially amplify his influence as one of the wealthiest individuals on Earth.”
“SpaceX chief Elon Musk, a Trump ally, has said Starshield is controlled by the U.S. and any limits are decided by the military and ultimately Trump.”
“Musk’s power is so immense that he’s described in the documentary’s teaser trailer as the “Earth’s most unchecked man” and, more concerningly, a “nuke”.”
“Restore Britain, led by former Reform lawmaker Rupert Lowe and publicly backed by billionaire Elon Musk, is targeting voters who believe Farage's party isn't pushing hard enough on immigration, Islam and national identity.”
“Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, responded to Anthropic’s plans for a public benefit fund on social media by pledging to give some of his own shares away.”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith came to believe in a version of Canada that she experienced online — in which Canadian democracy was in twilight, evil forces had seized the levers of power to silence patriots and the health establishment was profiting…”
“After nearly nine years of waiting, Elon Musk finally showed the world what his redesigned Roadster can do.”
“Zelenskyy told moderator Kristen Welker that Ukrainian officials believe the decision to limit Starlink, imposed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, came in response to a “message from American government.””
“Elon Musk does everything he can to support Germany’s AfD, and JD Vance has met with them.”
“Musk also put significant money, $290m, and effort into helping elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024.”
“Director Alex Gibney on terrifying Musk documentary: 'It's not a funeral; it's a warning' Documentarian talks about going after the richest man in the world Alex Gibney's nearly four-hour, fire-and-brimstone documentary Musk — about tech oligarch and the…”
“The entity in question is Elon Musk, whose satellite-delivered internet business has mostly been a hit with the public, many of whom may now have to rethink their position.”
“Elon Musk calls this “the age of abundance”, and Jeff Bezos predicted last week that a likely outcome of wide AI adoption would be the average person working just three days a week.”
““There are massive online harassment campaigns launched by Elon Musk against European leaders in order to influence debates by exploiting the virality of his social media platform.””
“And yet the real radicalism in American politics today comes from those like Musk, those on the right who are consolidating the power of the government and the money of the American people into their own hands: Musk’s businesses depend on government…”
“Still, following that victory, US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, considered the richest man on the planet, applauded the results.”
“SpaceX's Elon Musk wants to build a self-growing city on the Moon within a decade, a dream researchers have said could be near-impossible due to its lack of water.”
“Elon Musk’s accusation that powerful Indian business interests are blocking Starlink’s entry into India has sparked a political row, but analysts say the dispute also highlights security concerns, regulatory hurdles and strategic calculations shaping the…”
“Talarico has said, insinuating that wealthy and powerful individuals have been able to evade justice because of their association with Epstein, who counted scholars, celebrities and world leaders among his coterie before committing suicide in a Manhattan…”
“All versions include a set of economic priorities: Signatories must support lowering prescription drug costs by expanding the government’s power to negotiate directly with companies, expanding healthcare coverage, capping childcare costs, bringing down the…”
“For a while there, every day brought some fresh outrage from Elon Musk: inciting dangerous harassment of his former employees; rigging the platform against journalists and their work; posting support for anti-semitic conspiracy theories; dismantling the…”
“Even more so for others like Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, whose facial expressions and demeanor seem to lean far more silly than threatening.”
“Yes, professional influencers existed, but posting was still largely by and for amateurs.”
“…ds of major Maga donors By installing the tech billionaires Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to advisory roles in a Pentagon project about the future of warfare, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has given extraordinary influence to two of Maga’s most…”
“The political coalition that returned Trump to power has frayed, with signs of discontent among independents, rural voters, and parts of the Latino electorate, even as his GOP base remains substantially loyal.”
“Jet Set Radio Future's lingering influence extends to Owusu's latest album, Red Star Wu & The Worldwide Scourge, which opens with a track titled Pirate Radio that skewers Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the degrading effects of "blue check mania".”
“OPINION VASS BEDNAR: Canada says it wants to move away from Elon Musk.”
“In contrast, Elon Musk’s xAI caters to Republican interests and, accordingly, its meager usage comes almost entirely from the political right.”
“Some leaders had enough power to execute their policies and make an impact.”
“Ted Cruz (R-TX) told ABC’s The View that he had asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk on his podcast, “‘OK, what are the odds that AI destroys humanity?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘10-20 percent.’ And I’m like, ‘holy crap.’””
“Anthropic chief and co-founder Dario Amodei has also called to slow down the development of AI technology, a recommendation that Sam Altman of OpenAI and even notorious good judgment-haver Elon Musk quickly cosigned.”
“Their model is a clear precedent for figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison and more.”
“He may not hog the limelight in the same way as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, or many of his other friends and associates, but Peter Thiel has a fair claim to be one of the world's most influential figures — as well as one of its richest.”
“In a rare public display of unity, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis and xAI owner Elon Musk agreed.”
“It's holding everyone back, particularly holding our country back.' Sir Ed has sought to boost his party's profile with attention-grabbing stunts and ramped them up before the last general election Sir Ed will pitch the party as 'willing to fight' at a rally…”
“In recent days, Trump has also talked with Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of SpaceX, both of whom endorsed Amodei’s plan to slow down, test new models for vulnerabilities and let in outside inspectors, at least in general terms.”
“Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.”
“Shortly after Amodei’s essay, his position was endorsed by Sam Altman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of xAI, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Satya Nadella of Microsoft.”
“Here are some excerpts: When Americans picture the ultrarich, they typically think of tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, whose wealth lies predominantly in shares of publicly traded companies.”
“He tasked Elon Musk with aggressively cutting government spending and Robert J Kennedy Jr to make cuts to health agencies.”
“Two further regional elections this Sunday in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will be closely watched, including by the AfD’s American backers such as Elon Musk.”
“Days later, Anthropic’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, called for a slowdown in the pace of cutting-edge AI development – a move that was immediately supported by OpenAI, Google and Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX.”
“Two of his fiercest rivals, Elon Musk of SpaceXAI and Sam Altman of OpenAI, said they agreed decelerating was necessary; Altman announced that because of safety concerns his company wouldn’t go public this year.”
“Elon Musk turned wealth, control of a major communications platform, and his relationship with President Donald Trump into direct political influence and (for a while) operational powers at the widely detested layoff project known as DOGE.”
“As we reported back then, Tesla, under Elon Musk, sought to circumvent the dealership model and sell directly to consumers.”
“To take us down the rabbit hole, I’m joined by my colleague, Intercept reporter Sam Biddle, a senior technology reporter who focuses on issues of surveillance, privacy, and corporate power.”
“This is obviously a problem and a challenge that newcomer parties always face—that’s true in certain ways of the Green Party in the 1980s when it rose to positions of political power.”
“The film traces Musk's path from his early days as a dot-com-era entrepreneur in Silicon Valley to the present, as one of the world's wealthiest people, exerting extraordinary influence over politics and culture around the world.”
“In today’s ‘First Draft,’ I take on double standards from Democrats who pretend to care about racism but suddenly lose their voices when it’s the likes of Elon Musk or Laura Loomer.”
“The issue came to the fore ahead of the 2024 presidential election, during which billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk offered cash incentives to registered voters in seven swing states who signed a certain petition.”
“The AfD, which was famously backed by Elon Musk in last year’s national election, has been criticized for being pro-Russia and was accused of being a "right-wing extremist endeavor" by Germany’s domestic intelligence office, has the chance to become the first…”
“Perhaps somebody else would have come in and done that same thing, but it’s natural to think that it’s because of Elon Musk that Tesla was able to develop and mainstream electric cars, and that they’re beautiful objects, and all of those kinds of things.”
“… partly because actually creating privacy in the modern age seems like a hopeless task; to a rounding error, all of American society has welcomed Big Brother into their pockets, turned on “track location”, accepted cookies, uploaded their nudes to Snapchat,…”
“Gibney also spoke with those who know the tech titan best, including his father, to develop this deep dive into Musk and the extreme power and influence he wields. -Tara Deschamps TANGLES When this animated feature premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in…”
“Democratic socialists want Americans to believe that billionaires such as Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have enough money to finance their utopian dreams.”
“He urged “middle countries” to create “coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests” as an alternative to a “world of fortresses” made up of major powers with spheres of influence.”
“Pritchard argues that the effect of income on happiness, though real, is small: In short, a correlation does exist, and it’s plausibly causal.”
“What is more realistic is the situation the Ukrainians found themselves in after 2022, when they were invaded by Russia—all of a sudden they’re confronting a much more powerful enemy, and they really have to rely on their own wits to do that.”