Leaders | Iron Man with a dodgy peace plan

How worried should you be about Elon Musk’s superpowers?

With great technological power comes great political responsibility

FILE -- Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, speaks to reporters with the company's Falcon Heavy rocket standing by at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Feb. 5, 2018. Employees at SpaceX have written an open letter in June 2022 denouncing the behavior of Musk, the company's chief executive, following recently publicized allegations of sexual misconduct against him. (Todd Anderson/The New York Times)Credit: New York Times / Redux / eyevineFor further information please contact eyevinetel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709e-mail: info@eyevine.comwww.eyevine.com

As the boss of Tesla, the world’s most valuable carmaker, and SpaceX, the world’s second-most valuable unicorn, Elon Musk is the stuff of business legend. As a gifted technologist with an enduring air of misfit adolescence he also has more than a whiff of the comic book about him. When he is talked about as an inspiration for Tony Stark in the “Iron Man” and “Avengers” movies, it is not just because he too is a fabulously rich, frequently irritating egotist with a saviour complex. It is because he has every intention of using the remarkable technological capabilities under his control to change the future course of history.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “How will Elon Musk use his superpowers?”

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