Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
Boring Company, and Neurolink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
How would a Trump presidency potentially benefit Elon Musk?
And also, could Musk gain even greater influence over U.S.
policy? And what specific impact might
Musk's alliance with Trump have on Tesla, SpaceX and his other
ventures? Now, Elon Musk, who has spent
election night alongside Donald Trump at Mar A Lago, has
expressed clear enthusiasm about the former president's return to
the White House after Trump's victory.
Musk took to X writing. The people of America gave at
real Donald Trump a clear, crystal clear mandate for change
tonight. Now, Musk's endorsement of Trump
reflects a major shift for the billionaire entrepreneur, who
had previously described himself as a politically moderate.
Now, in his victory speech, Trump signaled that Musk had
spent a lot of time with him and he talked about his
achievements, especially with SpaceX.
And as a result, Tesla's stock saw a significant jump, with its
price rising by over 12% the day after Trump's victory was
confirmed. Now, the game boosted Musk's net
worth, which now stands at an estimated $290 billion,
highlighting the immediate financial impact of Musk's
alliance with Trump. Now, Musk's financial support
for Trump's campaign has been extensive, though we donated
more than $119,000,000 to a pro Trump super PAC in a direct
attempt to sway voters in Trump's favor.
No. In addition, Musk funded a large
Get Out the Vote campaign across key battleground states,
offering daily giveaways of $1,000,000 to incentivize
participation, a tactic that eventually survived a legal
challenge. Now Musk's alliance with Trump,
however, extends beyond monetary contributions.
Trump announced he would consider appointing Musk as head
of a newly imagined Department of Government Efficiency if he
takes office now. Musk has expressed a vision for
this role as a streamline agency to cut down bureaucratic waste,
and he jokingly dubbed it DOGE, referencing a popular meme and
cryptocurrency he's promoted. Now, SpaceX stands as one of the
biggest potential beneficiaries of Musk's strength and ties.
With Trump. Already a dominant player in
U.S. government contracts for space projects, SpaceX could
further expand its hold on contracts for defense and
intelligence satellites. With Trump in office, SpaceX
could deepen its connections to government agencies like NASA
and the Pentagon, which already rely heavily on SpaceX for
critical missions. Now, Musk has openly criticized
competitors, particularly Boeing, for the reliance on
traditional government contract structures that he claims led to
budget overruns and delayed project completions.
And if Trump implements a more streamlined government contract
system, Musk SpaceX, known for faster, more cost effective
projects, could see even more opportunities to increase its
market share. Now Tesla is another Musk LED
enterprise positioned to benefit under Trump's potential
administration. In campaign promises, Trump has
outlined the goal of reducing regulatory constraints on
corporations, which could have direct implications for Tesla's
operations. With Trump's support, Musk may
have to leverage to secure a lowest regulatory burden
environment that he argues could accelerate Tesla's innovation
now. Shortly before the election, the
National Hwy. Traffic Safety Administration
began investigating Tesla's self driving software, which Musk has
touted as the future of autonomous vehicles.
And if Trump takes office, Musk may push for a reduction in
regulatory scrutiny over Tesla's driving assistance systems,
including Autopilot and Full Self Driving.
Now, a single federal standard for autonomous vehicles could
offer Tesla an advantage in rapidly deploying this
technology. Currently, regulations vary
widely from state to state, which Musk has criticized as an
obstacle to the widespread adoption of autonomous
technology. And a Trump LED government that
sets a unified framework would reduce compliance hurdles and
simplify Tesla's rollout process across multiple states.
Now, Elon Musk's latest project, the Cyber Cab has no steering
wheel or pedals, may require federal waivers to proceed with
production. By aligning himself with Trump,
Musk could gain the influence needed to secure favorable
policies for autonomous vehicle production, potentially allowing
Tesla to introduce innovations ahead of his competition.
Now, Musk's Neuralink, focused on developing brain implants,
could also stand to gain under Trump.
Musk has frequently criticized the FDA for what he describes as
its overly slow approval process.
In a Trump administration, Musk may seek to influence the FDA to
expedite approvals, which he argues would accelerate the pace
of innovation for technologies like Neuralink's brain
interfaces. Now, inside Musk's companies,
employees are already discussing how a Trump administration could
impact regulatory processes. Sources familiar with neural
links operations say some employees believe that Musk
could push for a looser regulatory framework within the
FDA, even to the extent of seeking to remove FDA officials
he deems inefficient, a move that would likely be
controversial. Now, the Trump administration
can also have wider implications from Musk's overall regulatory
landscape. Sources from within Musk
companies describe a de enforcement strategy aiming to
reduce federal oversights on all of Elon Musk's operations.
For example, Musk's emphasis on efficiency aligns with Trump's
intent to reduce regulatory friction, which could ultimately
reduce oversight on companies like Tesla and SpaceX.
Now SpaceX, despite its prominence in federal contracts,
has at times faced scrutiny over workplace safety practices, now
an investigation that happened last year by Reuters with 600
worker injuries at SpaceX facilities.
The federal agencies have refrained from significant
enforcements of these actions, though, so ministry and signers
attribute this to the government's dependence on
SpaceX for critical operations, which is a reliance that could
deepen if Musk's influence grows under Trump.
Spacex's contracts with NASA represent a substantial
investment from the US government, estimated to about
$15 billion or over. And this interdependence has led
to a dynamic where, as one federal official put it, NASA
needs SpaceX more than SpaceX needs NASA.
With Musk's expanded influence, government agencies may become
more inclined to favor SpaceX over its competitors,
particularly in high stakes projects like intelligence and
defense satellite networks. And Musk's ventures collectively
hold a prominent position in areas where government
contracts, subsidies, and regulation intersect.
His vocal opposition to what he considers stifling regulations
has made him a natural ally to Trump's regulatory agenda.
And if Trump wins, Musk's power in sectors ranging from autos to
space to biotech could set a precedent reminiscent of
America's Gilded Age, where industry leaders exerted
considerable control over public policy.
Now, a supporter of Musk's strategy believe his
relationship with Trump could transform the US government to
operate with the agility of a start up.
Now there's this venture capitalist from Silicon Valley.
Shervin Pishvar, also a SpaceX investor, sees Musk's potential
influence as a pathway the scale Spacex's mission of reaching
Mars and beyond. They describe Musk as someone
who could make America function like a start up, viewing Musk's
potential government role as pivotal for a streamlined
regulatory environment. And with Musk's alliance with
Trump, it's seen as advantageous for his businesses.
There's concerns about the potential risks of easing
oversight and industries with high stakes safety risks.
A former SpaceX official cautioned that regulatory laxity
in the high risk sector of rocket building could lead to
severe consequences, potentially sending back industry progress.
And such risks under score the potential trade-offs in Musk's
push for deregulation. Now Elon Musk's aligned with
Trump suggests a clear departure from his prior image as an
environmental innovator focused on clean energy.
Once seen as a key advocate for fighting climate change, Musk
now leads a new class of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs pushing for
a libertarian approach to governance critical of what he
calls the Woke Mind virus. And he associates with the
traditional liberal ideas of the region.
The broader trend of Musk's political involvement points to
a rising class of tech billionaires with increasing
influence over policy. Musk advocacy for deregulation,
combined with his substantial campaign funding, signals an era
where the interests of tech giants are more aligned with
government power than ever before.
Now, if Trump's promises materialize, Musk's empire may
grow to hold an unprecedented level of sway over U.S.
government policy and economic regulations.
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