Elon Musk, a walking conflict of interest

Standing resolutely beside the president in the hallowed halls of the Oval Office on Tuesday, Elon Musk fervently dismissed any apprehensions surrounding conflicts of interest. With unwavering confidence, he proclaimed that his role as chief executive officer in his companies bears little correlation to the contracts being negotiated. Are we truly so naive as to accept such a notion?

Elon Musk, the epitome of a walking conflict of interest, seems to have a knack for skirting around federal laws that prohibit Executive Branch employees from participating in matters that could impact their own financial interests. Tesla recently sealed a lucrative deal worth $767 million to supply batteries to Genera, the company now running Puerto Rico’s power plants. Meanwhile, SpaceX managed to secure an additional $7.5 million contract with NASA, adding to the already hefty $38 million deal with Musk’s private rocket company.

But wait, there’s more! Musk’s empire extends beyond Tesla and SpaceX to include X (formerly Twitter), xAI (a competitor to OpenAI), Neuralink (a startup focused on brain implants), Starlink (a satellite internet service), and the Boring Company (a tunnel drilling venture). Together, these companies have raked in a staggering $20 billion in US government contracts and subsidies. It’s almost as if Musk has mastered the art of leveraging his various ventures to line his pockets with taxpayer dollars.

In case you were wondering, the federal code 18 USC 208 clearly states that Executive Branch employees are prohibited from participating in government matters that could impact their financial interests or those of individuals they have ties with outside of the government. But hey, rules are made to be broken, right?