We can’t stand Musk – but what he did this week is astounding

I have a confession to make: for a brief moment this week, I became a fully paid-up Elon Musk fanboy.

Please, let me explain: I’m a science fiction nerd. I have been since I learnt to read. But the predictions of the sci-fi I read as a kid were often wildly optimistic with regard to things like moon bases and Martian colonisation – and I’ve always waited for something to come along and make them a reality.

Musk might bring the fictional futures that thrilled me closer. The photos released on Tuesday to celebrate the fifth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket, which included the catching of the first stage via launch tower “chopsticks” minutes after take-off, were stunning. They genuinely look like something out of Star Trek. It seems that SpaceX is, to borrow a phrase, “boldly going”.

Space programmes are expensive and, as a result, controversial. But if a private outfit wants to take the plunge – and if it can find investors to back it as SpaceX has – then why not? Yes, we need to fix Planet Earth. But people like the late Stephen Hawking eloquently made the case for exploring – and, yes, colonising – space as an insurance policy for the human race.

If only Musk were to focus his attention on providing one – and pushing SpaceX’s innovations, rather than playing scary demagogue, pushing conspiracy theories on X and fanning the flames of hatred. I’m sure many of his investors would agree.

Elon’s “main” business, if he has such a thing, is the electronic vehicle (EV) maker Tesla. While still a world leader, it has recently encountered more than a few potholes on what once looked like a super-fast financial autobahn. Citing data from Companies House, The Daily Telegraph this week reported that UK sales fell by nearly £400m to £2.47bn over the 12 months to December 2023 – the first such decline in more than a decade.

True, the UK is just one market, and not a large one by global standards. By that’s just your hors d’oeuvre. While the group’s third quarter (the three months to 30 September) was better than its second, it still missed Wall Street’s estimates for deliveries. The first part of the year saw Tesla recording two consecutive sales declines. Profit margins have been squeezed by price cutting and the shares are down 13.5 per cent over the past 12 months.

The company’s flagship models look dated while competition is heating up, especially from China, which is emerging as a formidable producer of cheap EVs. True, EV sales generally have hit something of a bump in the road (although they are still growing). But one has to wonder how much Tesla’s particular issues are at least partly being caused by the boss having too many fingers in too many pies. And that’s before one even considers the likelihood of brand damage caused by his divisive public statements.

Yet another controversy emerged after the director of hit movie I, Robot accused Musk of copying his designs for humanoid machines and self-driving vehicles. Alex Proyas, who directed the 2004 Will Smith project, posted screenshots from the film next to images of Musk’s machines, accompanied by the caption: “Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?”

That pales in comparison to the sound and fury created by the Musk-owned X – formerly Twitter – which is arguably the inverse of SpaceX, if we’re measuring business success: Fidelity, a large asset manager, wrote down the value of its investment in the group by roughly 80 per cent earlier this year.

X has been beset by controversies over misinformation and ugliness. I’m not a big fan of censorship and it is frankly dangerous to allow governments to decide what we can and can’t see and say. That said, the decision to change the block function so that “blocked” accounts can still see – but not interact with – a user’s tweets is unconscionable.

The tendency of politicians to block people with whom they disagree shows them in a poor light – even more so if they are ministers. But a woman should absolutely be able to block a stalker. Users must be able to shut out those threatening them with physical harm and/or death. This move is anti-free speech. It is potentially dangerous and may bar vulnerable users from what Musk has described as the “public square”.

If only he were to stick to his starry-eyed conquest of space. The world might be better off. His investors might do better too. He’s already had to fight a court case with a dissident group over his absurd multibillion-dollar Tesla pay package. Continuing to play the role of “world’s biggest troll” could push more into the dissident camp.

Musk may have aspirations of exploring the stars – but when it comes to his decision-making, he’s a far cry from Captain Picard.