Is Elon Musk the Ultimate Scam Artist? with Max Chafkin | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast

This week author and journalist Max Chafkin, co-host of the podcast Elon, Inc. joins myself and Christiana to discuss one of today’s most fascinating and controversial figures: Elon Musk. We talk about how Elon came to be the world’s richest person, whether he’s a brilliant entrepreneur, scam artist, or both, and whether he and the rest of the “Paypal Mafia” have helped the world or helped ruin it.  00:00 Intro 02:00 Introduction to Max Chafkin and podcast background 04:47 Defining the tech elite and their connections 15:15 Peter Thiel's background and influence 25:48 Discussion of Musk's erratic behavior and wealth 31:02 Trump's relationship with tech leaders 41:25 Understanding billionaire motivations 56:40 South African influence on Musk's worldview 01:03:21 Elon Musk's global business strategy 01:07:50 Future predictions for tech oligarchs If you haven't already.... Subscribe to What Now? here on YouTube! https://bit.ly/SubscribeToWhatNowPodcast Or follow along on your other favourite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnSpotify / Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnApplePodcasts More episodes... The Problem With Men, with Scott Galloway https://youtu.be/_i11gj-iq1I American Amnesia with Tressie McMillan Cottom https://youtu.be/bOT53IY6tJg The Reality of Fiction with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie https://youtu.be/yfNbrC3HJpU Christiana Gave Birth (Again)! https://youtu.be/ER-EZnyjSJM Human-Kind or Human Evil with Rutger Bregman https://youtu.be/vhg2RLXUovs Meet Khaya Dlanga – One of My Favorite People https://youtu.be/qEJV3t1m_Y4 The Second Coming of Halle Berry https://youtu.be/hW7Mld_WksU RIP… D.E.I. with Ruha Benjamin https://youtu.be/1VRCfuKEGdo No One Told Trevor He Was Hosting the Grammys https://youtu.be/bNEJVTNU8N8 Wringing in the New Year https://youtu.be/Ge_0YMwfTes Is Marques Brownlee the Most Powerful Man in Tech? https://youtu.be/pNDidttHP9M?si=5GDvs3sbehGH5ZZm Why Are All Bosses Idiots? with Simon Sinek https://youtu.be/BooPVxoRmEY?si=IV5bDRKpJj2Z1WHV How To Be The Most Healed Guy with Neal Brennan https://youtu.be/InNbGfVVtJk?si=rKM8EcfC-bGcWEsk If You Ruled the World: Listener Grab Bag https://youtu.be/lRBA74Yd6eo Love on a Timeline with Esther Perel https://youtu.be/wXoi2mcS79c Tight Values, Loose Ideas with Malcolm Gladwell https://youtu.be/0nzREiczBaA?si=FpCq7CQIg8wavN89 What’s In An Accent with Lupita Nyong’o https://youtu.be/OncAEu9sfD8?si=CEM-ZAFKABE9agLx For Kids or Anyone Who’s Ever Been a Kid https://youtu.be/iv3CMDfKM5w?si=_e0aLFDiHBxPutCB Have We Missed The Message? with Ta-Nehisi Coates https://youtu.be/IPbD9PZ5FP4?si=6Jo16ww9qDqjPFIF Kevin Hart Gets the Bubble Guts! https://youtu.be/LxWiLYHEdYI?si=DQfQxsE_qbQU18gc Doctor Roger Federer Will See You Now https://youtu.be/0foth8r3Zbg?si=jLLMfq9DE90rLAZn Welcome To The Julia Louis-Dreyfus Brain Museum https://youtu.be/gIM1aQ9KS1o?si=z6pYIWwtEOfjqspB Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Kicks Off The Podcast! https://youtu.be/gPmBuZbnn0g?si=R2jJLxG5cb-BwF03 Jessica Alba Is Standing in Her Power! https://youtu.be/zY9KZyJ1EiI?si=qGolN-Ga4PI3C-5a Making Bureaucracies Sexier with Yuval Noah Harari https://youtu.be/jO8ZLWYg71M?si=Ihm6QzZEnueJJWr1 Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and the Art of Mentoring https://youtu.be/_ZeEiE42kNk?si=UNc9HE9NnyQbSVs6 Tripping Past Your Ego with Michael Pollan https://youtu.be/RMXu7Fn_bZc?si=fujRFMjoW0gwtMLu Why AI Won’t Destroy Us with Microsoft’s Brad Smith https://youtu.be/N5qEv-0fyQ4?si=YqEp8HUM5TCvVoZi Sam Altman Speaks Out About What Happened at OpenAI https://youtu.be/dVTxt5K8YZo?si=tNjKcPxtZuj6crVd There’s No I In Trevor Noah https://youtu.be/NZYnFYmn1Q0?si=5mYwzWfs83XoXhLO The Ozempic Obsession with Jia Tolentino https://youtu.be/ZR9QASRetRc?si=FmhMdLFmYKAOtxP8 #MaxChafkin #TrevorNoah #WhatNowPodcast