There is probably no contemporary figure more baffling—and polarizing—than Elon Musk. Alongside his outsize entrepreneurial ventures—Tesla and SpaceX, among them—there is his public persona: charming, puckish, combative, mercurial. He has aroused admiration and scorn in about equal measure. What are we to make of him?
Caption
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with business leaders at the US Ambassador’s Residence on October 28, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. (Getty Images)