It is more disturbing, to me, that he supports Germany's AfD. They are a far right party often viewed as neo-Nazi.
I viewed this as the most significant line in my post, but nobody else did. Nobody asked for the evidence (*), which shows Elon Musk supports a neo-Nazi party. It suggests he has neo-Nazi sentiments, which used to be a harsh criticism. It also provides context for Musk's "awkward gesture" (according to the Jewish Anti-Defamation League). Based on Musk's support for neo-Nazis, a more accurate interpretation is that Musk made a Nazi salute. I guess pointing out that someone supports neo-Nazis is ignored these days, but it used to be a meaningful criticism.
(*)
"Tens of thousands of Germans have rallied against the far-right ahead of next month's legislative elections, as US tech billionaire Elon Musk again endorsed the far-right Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) party."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-26/elon-musk-supports-afd-party-again-/104860812
"The Anti-Defamation League defended Musk and argued that the gesture carried no significant meaning, but condemned the Nazi-themed jokes he made in the backlash of the incident."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk_gesture_controversy
TBF this is also exactly the shit that I was referring to when I talked about him behaving like a fucking asshole with a lack of compassion...
You never referred to Musk's support for the AfD in your replies. My preference is for people to cite sources when they claim Musk behaves badly, but I'm also aware virtually nobody is going to do that. Multiple people are ranting, speculating, and giving opinions without sources - I don't see room to change anyone's views, or correct any factual misstatements.
Since autism is part of your job, if it comes up again in a discussion, I might tag you for your experience.
It's abundantly clear to me that you and I process information differently. That's not me saying that the way you process information is wrong, just different. I'm neurodivergent, so it's pretty common that I handle info differently than others.
I personally think it's extremely self-evident that saying/doing Nazi shit makes someone an asshole. I wouldn't feel the need to specify. I also don't remember details well once an idea is formed. I have a ridiculously parsimonious processing system. It makes me an incredibly efficient thinker of ideas, but I would be a terrible lawyer or engineer.
But I've also been reading about Musk and the PayPal Mafia for years, so my sources on "he acts like an asshole" are pretty much: every book ever written about him.
But if you want to know specific sources: The Founders and Character Limit are two extremely well written and very detailed books that can give a ton of insight into Musk's behaviour. The Contrarian and Zero to One (about and by Thiel respectively) also give deep context to Musk's experiences and behaviours.
I would be shocked if Musk wasn't autistic, but I don't think that's particularly explanatory of a lot of his behaviour. I would be extremely shocked if he didn't have a personality disorder, which would be much, much more predictive of the kind of asshole behaviours he displays.
In particular, the way his first wife describes their relationship, which began when he was quite young, gives a lot of insight into much of his dehumanizing patterns being fundamental to his personality, and not a product of his unusual position of power.
Is that enough sources for my impression of Musk??
