How SpaceX Became the MyPillow of Government Contractors.
I blame NASA.
Observing Elon Musk's transformation has undoubtedly been an intriguing spectacle. In recent months, his behavior has generated a series of unfortunate events ranging from unsettling comments about murders to absurd claims that his own son was “murdered” by a “woke mental virus.” Many have interpreted this as a sign of political radicalization, but one can also see a business calculation behind his actions.
Musk has found a way to leverage culture wars to his advantage. His approach seems to focus on making his sole priority doing as he pleases. His recent political statements appear to be directly linked to his economic interests. Like Donald Trump, he has come to the conclusion that it is easy to scam Republican voters, a strategy that carries rewards and few consequences.
At first glance, the idea of a businessman seeking to alienate a crucial political party may seem foolish. Musk has historically relied on subsidies and government contracts. However, he seems to have understood how cultural tensions can serve him. The trajectory of SpaceX includes numerous lawsuits against the government, such as those filed in 2005 accusing Boeing and Lockheed Martin of anti-competitive behavior. Despite the circumstances, these actions have provided the businessman with more opportunities for government contracts, becoming a distinctive feature of his company.
There are notable parallels with Donald Trump's approach, who appointed numerous federal judges during his tenure. This intersection between Musk's personal interests and the current judicial landscape could play to his advantage, as the appointed judges could support his initiatives.
The state of Texas has shown a particular interest in Musk. During his acquisition of Twitter, the Texas Attorney General launched an investigation into the number of bots on the platform, which conveniently aligned with Musk's arguments for trying to back out of the purchase. Additionally, a Texas judge with ties to Tesla has advanced a lawsuit from Musk against Media Matters for America.
On the other hand, SpaceX received nearly $900 million in subsidies for rural broadband during the Trump administration, funding that was reversed in 2022 by the Biden FCC, leading to an investigation by Republicans.
Cultural war politics have historically been used to motivate a voter base that generally shows little interest in government allocations. Musk seems to have learned from this tactic and is positioning himself to benefit from it.
It is a reality that genuine political beliefs tend to be more common among those with a background in politics. In contrast, those like Musk, who are more concerned with power, are driven to express extreme opinions without negative consequences. His relationship with NASA illustrates this; despite his unconventional behavior, he knows there will be no repercussions.
Musk believes that positioning himself as a Republican ally could be more beneficial than remaining neutral, assuming that Democrats won’t hold it against him. This situation allows any controversy over SpaceX's environmental damage or working conditions at Tesla to be dismissed as a political attack.
Even in his management of the social platform that was once Twitter, he has sought to build a valuable argument for a company he has significantly disrupted. His strategy seems to be that if X fails, he can blame the "radical left." Thanks to his contacts, he might even sue those who criticize his management.
Despite his appearance at Trump's rally, which sparked a series of analyses and memes, the key to understanding Musk's political convictions lies in the one thing that truly interests him: money.
