Elon, Inc.

Elon, Inc.

Elon Musk’s sprawling business empire has granted the billionaire a degree of power and global influence that transcends the industries he’s reshaped. He is the leader of no fewer than six hugely influential companies, spanning electric vehicles to wartime communications, and their innovations could shape the fates of nations.  Musk is polarizing, confounding and inescapable. And he is the biggest business story of our time.  Each week, listen in as host David Papadopoulos convenes a panel of Bloomberg Businessweek journalists who are tracking Musk’s companies and the surprising ways they intersect. They break down the business mogul's latest moves and analyze what they could mean for us all.

  1. Is Elon’s Political Capital Spent?

    3D AGO

    Is Elon’s Political Capital Spent?

    Elon Musk’s highly publicized and arguably brand destructive tenure as President Donald Trump’s would-be hatchet man has supposedly drawn to a close. His foray into politics has resulted in tens of thousands of federal workers losing their jobs, the attempted shuttering or gutting of federal agencies (with grim consequences for the world’s poorest) and a growing pile of lawsuits challenging as illegal much of what he did. Add to that his failed bankrolling of a Wisconsin judicial candidate and growing global disdain for him personally, and it’s no wonder the South Africa-native would want to head back to the office. In this episode of Elon, Inc. David Papadopoulos is joined by Max Chafkin and Sarah Frier to analyze just how damaged Musk really is and what his future ambitions might be. After cavorting around Washington and Mar-a-Lago for months, he appears to be rechristening himself as a businessman (instead of Daddy Warbucks of the far-right). Recent interviews with Bloomberg, CBS and the Washington Post certainly make it seem like he wants us to believe that. But on the other hand, his latest X post on the massive Republican spending bill might mean he’s not quite ready to leave the political spotlight. The crew also go through a number of Musk news items from last week, including successful fundraising, some confusing Grok deals that might not actually happen and an explosive report from The New York Times regarding his custody battles and alleged ketamine use.  Finally, the trio tries to figure out the origin of that shiner Musk sported at Friday’s press conference in the Oval Office. He blamed his five-year-old son. Although the parents on the panel find that believable, they also go through a list of other suspects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min
  2. Is Elon Really Quitting Politics... for Banking?

    MAY 27

    Is Elon Really Quitting Politics... for Banking?

    When Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain interviewed Elon Musk last week, it caused quite a stir. This was especially the case when Musk proclaimed, “in terms of political spending, I’m gonna do a lot less in the future.” (Most news reports missed a sly qualification that made this seem more like an ultimatum. But more on that below). Coverage of the supposed end of Musk’s role as Republican Party’s Sugar Daddy added fuel to the ongoing “what will Elon do now?” frenzy. Over the weekend, a substantial outage at his social media platform X may have added some clarity. In response, the serial entrepreneur announced he was going “back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms.” Or not. In this episode of Elon, Inc., Max Chafkin brings together Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull and social media reporter Kurt Wagner to discuss whether Musk means what he says about politics, subsidizing the GOP or even going back to work. Is he really leaving politics in the rearview mirror? Or were these statements calculated? Could they be a way for him to intimidate lawmakers who are expecting campaign funds while assuring investors he’s on top of his sometimes struggling companies?  To round things off, they rank Musk’s most immediate plans on a scale of how likely they are to succeed in the foreseeable future. Will it be X Money? A functioning fleet of “robotaxis?” Or maybe shooting Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus to Mars? There was some disagreement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min
  3. MAY 24

    In Case you Missed It - Everybody’s Business: Wrestling With Taxes, Robots and Gold

    Check out the feed of our sister podcast Everybody's Business in any podcast app of your choice. After several week's of cross publishing, in the future you're going to have to head to that feed to enjoy the show. But for now...---All the economy is a stage this week, as the “big beautiful” tax bill passed the House in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and millions of college graduates got their diplomas and set off into the  the job market, competing with an ever growing army of robot workers.   In the second episode of Everybody’s Business from Bloomberg Businessweek, hosts Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin dive into the tax bill, the AI job threat, and the turning of (actual) lead into (actual) gold.  The tax cut extension still has to pass the Senate, but the House version would add roughly $4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, and would be, by far, the most expensive policy the Trump administration has enacted. In spite of this, the tax bill has not gotten nearly the attention of other policies, including the Department of Government Efficiency (its cuts have not amounted to even 1% of the federal budget). But all the sound and fury signifying a rounding error is by design according to author and economic journalist Kyla Scanlon. Scanlon says you can learn a lot about the Trump Administration’s economic policies by watching Wrestlemania. Then Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier joins to talk about AI and jobs. Fears are growing in the US workforce that jobs are being lost to artificial intelligence, and a new study estimates up to ⅓ of jobs in developed countries will be “transformed” by AI.  Frier looks at what jobs might be under threat and how real the worries are. Finally, Stacey and Max talk about a major development in commodities markets. Scientists were able to turn lead into gold! Stacey thinks this could be a turning point for the gold market and all mankind. Max has doubts…after all, all that glitters is not gold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

Shows with Subscription Benefits

  • Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway explore the most interesting topics in finance, markets and economics. Join the conversation every Monday and Thursday.

  • Bloomberg Daybreak delivers today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes. Get informed from Bloomberg's 3,000 journalists and analysts.

  • Bloomberg Radio host Barry Ritholtz has in-depth discussions with the people and ideas that shape markets, investing and business.

  • The economy and the markets are "under surveillance" as we cover the latest in finance, economics and investment. Listen to Jonathan Ferro, Lisa Abramowicz and Annmarie Hordern for the top interviews from Bloomberg Surveillance Television. And join Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney for the best conversations from Bloomberg Surveillance Radio. Watch Surveillance TV LIVE each mornings: http://bit.ly/3P7nstQ. Watch Surveillance Radio LIVE weekday mornings: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

  • Tariffs, crypto, deregulation, tax cuts, protectionism, are just some of the things back on the table when Donald Trump returns to the Presidency. To help you plan for Trump's singular approach to economics, Bloomberg presents Trumponomics, a weekly podcast focused on the Trump administration's economic policies and plans. Editorial head of government and economics Stephanie Flanders will be joined each week by reporters in Washington D.C. and Wall Street to examine how Trump's policies are shaping the global economy and what on earth is going to happen next.

  • Zero is about the tactics and technologies taking us to a world of zero emissions. Each week Bloomberg’s award-winning reporter Akshat Rathi talks to the people tackling climate change – a venture capitalist hunting for the best cleantech investment, scientists starting companies, politicians who have successfully created climate laws, and CEOs who have completely transformed their businesses. The road to zero emissions has many paths and everyone’s got an opinion about the best route. Listen in.

Unlock episodes early and listen ad-free.

3.3
out of 5
150 Ratings

About

Elon Musk’s sprawling business empire has granted the billionaire a degree of power and global influence that transcends the industries he’s reshaped. He is the leader of no fewer than six hugely influential companies, spanning electric vehicles to wartime communications, and their innovations could shape the fates of nations.  Musk is polarizing, confounding and inescapable. And he is the biggest business story of our time.  Each week, listen in as host David Papadopoulos convenes a panel of Bloomberg Businessweek journalists who are tracking Musk’s companies and the surprising ways they intersect. They break down the business mogul's latest moves and analyze what they could mean for us all.

More From Bloomberg

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada