Muskism

Named a Most Anticipated Book by The New Yorker, The Financial Times, Kirkus Reviews, and Literary Hub “An illuminating book that examines where Mr. Musk came from and the episodes that shaped his worldview. In many ways it is the inverse of Walter Isaacson’s authorised biography. . . . the authors provide a portrait of his psyche that is arguably more revealing. . . . the resulting book is, you might say, a Musk-read.” –The Economist A Pyrotechnic Examination Of Elon Musk As A Symptom And An Avatar Of Our Postliberal Age. Messiah. Menace. Genius. Clown. Everyone’s got an Elon take. The verdicts differ, but they share one theme: they treat him as an individual. Muskism argues otherwise. Elon musk isn’t a glitch in the system—he is the system. His world-view promises sovereignty through technology: plug in, power up, and become self-reliant. But the more you connect, the more he owns you. If Fordism defined the capitalism of the twentieth century, Muskism may define that of the twenty-first. Fordism helped build the welfare state. Musk undoes it. He thrives on dependence while preaching freedom. His cars run on subsidies; his satellites run battlefields; his social networks train the ai that trains us. Muskism sells itself as the future but entrenches age-old hierarchies. It offers autonomy for some and exclusion for others. It’s pro-natalist but anti-immigrant, futurist but reactionary. It speaks of humanity but warns against empathy. Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff cut through the hype and the hate to reveal what musk really represents: a new political economy, where to be free means to serve a techno king. Muskism isn’t about the man, it’s about the machine that made him—and the world he’s making. Silicon Valley: A sharp look at Elon Musk beyond the CEO myth, introducing “Muskism” as a new Silicon Valley paradigm shaping AI, startups, and 21st-century capitalism. Big Tech, AI and the Future of Capitalism: Analyzes Tesla, SpaceX, and digital platforms through technösovereignty, automation, and state symbiosis, showing how Big Tech is reshaping markets and power. Geopolitics, Power, and the Tech Billionaire Era: Explores how Musk’s companies affect global politics and infrastructure—from satellites to energy—revealing how private tech power is remaking global governance.

Quinn Slobodian is professor of international history at Boston University, and the author of several books including Globalists, Crack-Up Capitalism and Hayek's Bastards. The last won the National Book Critics Circle award for Criticism.