Tech writer lashes out

“Elon Musk has decided to be an a****hole”

Elon Musk always stands out.

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Dimitrios Kambouris)

Does billionaire Elon Musk need therapy because he "clearly has mental health issues"? If well-known tech journalist Kara Swisher has her way, the Tesla boss should be institutionalized as soon as possible. In an interview with Handelsblatt, she doesn't spare the insults: "Elon Musk has simply decided to be an asshole."

In her new book "Burn Book", the Silicon Valley expert takes on several powerful figures in the tech industry. She takes particular aim at Tesla boss Elon Musk, whom she even knows personally. She describes his chameleon-like transformation: Musk used to be a supporter of the Democrats under Barack Obama, but now he is one of the most ardent and loudest Trump fans among prominent US Americans.

He recently caused a stir when he mockingly offered to give pop icon Taylor Swift a child and look after her cats on his X platform. The background to this was a statement of support from Swift for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, which she signed "childless cat lady".

Drug use and corona radicalized Musk
"When Tesla was in trouble, he took out a huge government loan. That saved his company. After that, he immediately started insulting the government again," Swisher tells Handelsblatt.

In general, the political guiding principle of tech bosses in Silicon Valley is their own self-interest. Whatever helps them earn the next dollar is supported. "During the Covid pandemic, he began to radicalize. He then crawled further and further down this strange rabbit hole. A lot has been written about his drug use, which I think is also a component," says the author.

Politically, the influential billionaire moved further and further to the right under the Democratic Biden administration. There is also trouble with the authorities: "He is currently being investigated by a number of government agencies, including for suspected fraud. SpaceX has a lot of government contracts, and some in Washington are worried that he is a threat to national security," Swisher told Handelsblatt. Should Donald Trump become president in the future, Musk wants to be on good terms with him. The entrepreneur is even said to be in line for a government post.

He used to be charming and interesting, despite all his flaws. Then he changed completely.

Kara Swisher

"He needs therapy, quite simply"
When asked about the anti-Semitic accounts supported by Musk, warnings about the "woke mind virus" and the spread of conspiracy theories, such as a transsexual infiltration of state schools on Platform X, insider Swisher said in the interview: "I don't know what went wrong with him. He used to be delightful and interesting, for all his flaws. Then he changed completely. He obviously has psychological problems. He should be in therapy, quite simply. You know, it's actually a sad story. He could have been the next Steve Jobs, but he chose to be Howard Hughes," says Kara Swisher. She is alluding to the aviation pioneer Hughes - who is also considered a genius, but spent the last few years of his life in a state of mental derangement.

"Musk has decided to be an asshole"
In general, Swisher points out that Musk was merely the driver behind Tesla, but not the founder or even the inventor. Although she appreciates the entrepreneur's achievements and ideas, she lashes out at him: "He just decided to be an asshole".

However, the journalist concludes in the German Handelsblatt newspaper: "I don't care what happens to Elon Musk. Maybe it will end up like Henry Ford. Then I'll say: Thanks for the cars, Henry! As a person, you are and will always be a bastard."