Latest Interviews
Showing 1–5 of 5 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist7 min
Elon Musk on Europe, the far right and civil war in Britain | The Economist
Elon Musk, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Elon Musk and an interviewer clashed over the classification of his political views and his claims that civil war in Britain is inevitable due to demographic shifts. While Musk defended his promotion of a film depicting vigilante violence and rejected accusations of racism by citing his personal relationships, the interviewer challenged his assertions with crime statistics and labeled his influence on UK politics as irresponsible and based on a distorted American perception. Despite Musk's dismissal of his critics as a minority, the discussion highlighted a fundamental disagreement over his role in shaping public discourse and the validity of his warnings regarding Western safety and immigration.
- The Economist8 min
Why does Elon Musk want to put data centres in space? | The Economist
Elon Musk, Tom Standage, Alex Hern
Elon Musk has merged XAI into SpaceX and filed an FCC application to deploy one million satellites, aiming to establish orbital data centers powered by sun-synchronous orbits to achieve terawatt-scale annual capacity. While Musk targets lunar manufacturing and mass drivers to lower launch costs, OpenAI's Sam Altman and industry analysts currently dismiss the concept as technically infeasible due to prohibitive expenses and unrepairable hardware failure rates. Despite this skepticism, competitors including StarCloud, Google, Jeff Bezos, and Eric Schmidt are advancing their own pilot projects or securing launch capacity to test the viability of space-based computing.
- The Economist8 min
Who is Elon Musk and what drives him?
Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, Jack Ma, Tom Standage
Elon Musk transformed his $180 million PayPal exit into dominant market positions for Tesla, which accelerated the global electric vehicle transition, and SpaceX, which now supplies the majority of global launch capacity. His 2022 $44 billion acquisition of X involved mass layoffs and controversial moderation policies that have sparked geopolitical conflict-of-interest debates regarding his influence on international relations. While critics question the risks posed by his unpredictable leadership style, Musk remains the sole operator of X and the driving force behind his companies' ambitious goals to address existential threats.
- The Economist6 min
How does sci-fi influence the real world?
Martin Cooper, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Paul McAuley, Syd Mead
Prominent innovators like Martin Cooper, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk have directly translated science fiction concepts from works such as *Star Trek* and *Blade Runner* into tangible technologies ranging from mobile phones to Mars colonization efforts. By examining the mechanical viability strategies of designers like Sid Mead and the ethical warnings embedded in narratives about AI and virtual reality, industry leaders utilize the genre to anticipate both technological trajectories and societal risks. Ultimately, the event highlights how a sci-fi foundation drives real-world innovation while serving as a crucial cautionary framework for navigating future ethical dilemmas.
- The Economist13 min
Solar technology that will shape the future
Elon Musk, Alison Archambault, Chuck Boggs
Earthspark International and Tesla are deploying off-grid solar microgrids and battery storage to address the global energy crisis, as demonstrated by Les Anglais' 100% renewable transition and Appel Steel's industrial independence. Innovations in perovskite cells promise to drastically increase efficiency and enable building-integrated power, while Richard Branson's Carbon War Room advocates for this decentralized shift to bypass fossil fuel dependence. Although currently representing only 1% of global supply, these scalable solutions aim to meet an 80% projected demand surge and eventually achieve financial viability without subsidies.