He genuinely did not ever appear (publicly) to be a shit bag narcissist, though. I say this as someone who kept an eye on musk from around 2000, and invested early (as well as exiting early due to his narcissism). In every interview he just came across as neurodivergent, but never as though he didn’t care about the planet, the environment, or the climate crisis. He was one of the only wealthy leaders promoting electric cars 20 years ago. He was also the only wealthy person advocating for risk mitigation (a mars colony).

Regardless of recent events, I’m not dumb enough to believe he was simply acting flawlessly for well over a decade. I have come to the conclusion — like many people before me — that absolute power corrupts, absolutely. It’s no different to Bezos. In this interview from 27 years ago he’s just a regular nerd; not the corporate sociopath he’s been the last decade. The evidence is clear. Billionaires should not exist.