Before discussing the similarities between Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin, it is worth noting some fundamental differences.
Vladimir Putin is the bloodthirsty instigator of genocide, responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people, victims of the army he leads. Elon Musk is the genius inventor behind the world’s best-selling electric car, innovative batteries for large-scale electric energy storage, and PayPal, a system that enables payments to be made by email. Not forgetting, of course, SpaceX, which launches reusable rockets into space.
Because of urban traffic, also imagine high-performance excavators that dug tunnels under the busiest urban areas. Then there is the incredible Neuralink Implant Company. Its mission is to develop technologies that make it possible to communicate with a computer by means of thinking, with the aim of improving important neurological functions.
Destruction versus construction
Both Putin and Musk want to change the world. But the first destroys while the second builds. They both have the means to realize their ambitions – power and money. According to the American business magazine ForbesElon Musk has the largest fortune ever recorded.
But according to the intelligence services of many countries, Vladimir Putin is also the richest man on the planet. Obviously, in addition to his personal fortune (Estimated at more than 200 billion dollarsor 190 billion euros), Putin is also free to use Russian government money to fund any business.
Hence, the dictator and the businessman are alike. Putin was looking to Ukraine: he ordered his army to invade this country next to Russia. Musk was looking forward to Twitter: He paid $44 billion to buy this company.
“strong men”
Either way, only one man decides. It is too bad for the organizations, bodies, and other checks and balances that should normally influence the making of such important decisions.
Needless to say, the invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath – casualties and destruction – are far more dangerous than buying, for a colossal sum, a company whose operations have multiple political and social advantages. But this invasion and acquisition happened because these two men wanted it. And that’s it.
The Russian dictator justifies himself by invoking arguments from the past, arguing that Ukraine should join Russia, because it would still be part of it were it not for this terrible geopolitical mistake that occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to him, Moscow should never have allowed the independence of the countries under its control.
Musk talks about the future to explain his intentions. He plans to make some changes to Twitter and make it the most powerful tool for protecting freedom of expression around the world. “I have a very strong hunch that, for the future of civilization, it is very important to have a public platform that is of the utmost confidence and is broadly inclusive.”did he say.
For years, Musk worried about the world’s future. In one of his letters, he made this bold prediction: “Humanity will go in one of two great directions: either we will become a multi-planetary species and a civilization that knows how to travel in space; or we will remain stuck on one planet and eventually an event will occur that will cause our extinction.”
no accountability
The contrast between this visionary who wants to change our civilization so that it inhabits other planets – and travels between them – and this dictator who is trying to return the world to the nineteenth century.And A century full of lessons.
The invasion of Ukraine and the purchase of Twitter shows how a man, a charismatic leader at the head of an authoritarian regime or tech giants, can do as he pleases. Without the need for an account, or approx.
Putin and Musk made choices without taking into account the opinions of those around them, without questioning the criticisms that might have been leveled. Without seriously considering that they might make a huge mistake. It never occurred to them that they don’t know what they don’t know… This is one of the most common reasons for the downfall of a dictator or the failure of a company. Let’s hope, at this point, that Musk clearly distinguishes himself from Putin.
