Elon Musk is a genius. But his influence makes me fear for democracy

There is much to admire about Elon Musk. Born in South Africa in 1971, he developed his own video game at the age of just 12 and managed to sell it to a computer magazine. He left South Africa in 1988 to avoid compulsory military service for the country’s apartheid regime.

When still in his 20s, he co-founded X.com, which became the global giant PayPal, and then, convinced humanity would need to colonise other planets in order to survive, set up SpaceX to find a cheaper way to travel in space. His leadership of Tesla has also done much to boost the popularity of electric cars, which are vital if the world is to reduce its carbon emissions and escape the worst effects of climate change.

However, when he decided to post on X/Twitter that "civil war is inevitable" in the UK, during the far-right riots this summer, that was the final straw for me as far as Musk is concerned, after a number of other worrying signs about his politics.

Elon Musk's ambition to Occupy Mars is commendable, but his politics are deeply alarming (Picture: Michael Gonzalez) | Getty Images

Free speech absolutist

Clearly, his remark was nonsense. The relatively few mindless thugs who decided to respond to the heartbreaking murders of three young girls by attacking other innocent people were never going to find enough allies to start anything close to a civil war.

However, such a statement would have encouraged the more extreme among their ranks to believe they were on the brink of something big. Fellow Scotsman columnist Brian Wilson was among those who saw Musk’s post as an attempt to encourage a civil war, rather than a prediction or a warning. It’s hard to disagree.

Musk, who regards himself as a "free speech absolutist”, also allowed the once-banned Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, to return to X/Twitter. The far-right activist took advantage of this to flout the law by posting a so-called ‘documentary’ in which he makes false claims about a Syrian child refugee.

In 2021, these claims were found to be defamatory in court and Robinson was ordered to pay £100,000 in damages. In October this year, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for contempt of court after repeating the defamation. Despite this, it is still possible to watch Robinson’s film on X.

‘Nobody is above the law’

As he jailed Robinson, the judge made a crucial point: “In a democratic society underpinned by the rule of law, court orders must be obeyed. Nobody is above the law... Even if they believe that an injunction is... contrary to their views they must comply with the injunction. They are not entitled to set themselves up as the judge in their own court. Otherwise the administration of justice and rule of law would break down.”

For whatever reason, the ruling does not appear to apply to X. A UK ‘publisher’ – like The Scotsman, for example – which repeated Robinson’s false claims could similarly be sued for damages and senior staff, such as a comment editor like me, could end up in prison.

Social media companies should be held to the same standards. Failing to do so makes a mockery of the law. I think that aspects of UK and Scots law do overly infringe on the right to free speech, but I also recognise that everyone needs to abide by the rules. Even if X is not technically breaking the law, it is still facilitating a criminal in Robinson.

A ‘useful idiot’ on X?

I follow Musk and more than 4,000 other people on X. But every time I log on, I discover one of his latest posts. Of course, I could mute, block or even ‘report’ him. However, that’s not really the point. A mass communication tool is becoming the mouthpiece of its owner, and one with a deeply alarming political agenda.

Many reasonable people and organisations are still on X but, personally, it has started to feel like I’m helping to support a dangerous political project, like one of Stalin’s “useful idiots”. Bluesky, which I joined recently, has turned out to be virtually the same as X, except without Musk’s influence.

But his vast wealth provides other avenues to political power. Claims from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party that they are in talks with Musk about a major donation may or may not be true. However, given Musk’s support for Donald Trump and his interest in UK politics, it would come as no surprise.

Members of the hard or far-right seem remarkably keen to help one another across international borders, although the bonhomie may not last. International bonds between ultranationalist politicians who adopt a ‘My Country First’ approach are always likely to be fragile. Trump repeatedly fell out with members of his own government during his first term as US President and it seems likely his current friendship with Musk will be similarly short-lived, given the size of the egos involved.

But, given his astonishing achievements, Musk has a far greater right to have a touch of arrogance than the buffoonish Trump. As a former science correspondent, I have huge respect for people who push the boundaries of human knowledge and experience. Musk’s ambition that humanity will, one day, ‘occupy Mars’ represents exactly the kind of pioneering spirit that has served our species well.

Democracy at risk

However, most sadly, he appears to have bought into a political philosophy that is almost entirely about culture wars between the ‘woke’ and ‘anti-woke’, competing nationalisms and, most of all, power.

Any democracy that becomes dominated by such issues and ignores pressing, real-world problems – like the state of healthcare, education and living standards – risks its own destruction as people become disillusioned and, therefore, more open to the simplistic answers of extremists at one end of the political spectrum or the other.

I want to admire Musk but instead find I’m increasingly starting to fear his influence. The SNP’s style of nationalism has been bad enough for Scotland. If the Reform party ever comes to power in the UK, I’m not convinced democracy would survive.