Elon Musk has just become the world’s first trillionaire. Just the thought of a trillion dollars is hard to wrap your head around. That’s a thousand billions. Or a million millions. Think of a millionaire and then think of a million of them. That’s how much Elon Musk is now worth.
In just one day, Elon Musk’s wealth increased by more than US$180 billion on paper following SpaceX‘s historic initial public offering. That’s enough money to completely eradicate extreme poverty worldwide for an entire year.
Imagine having billions of billions and not thinking about trying to make the world a better place. How can you not think of at least trying to pull children out of poverty, or of tackling some of the most devastating causes of childhood mortality – malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, birth complications, malnutrition?
Instead, Musk seems to constantly think about how he can make more money and how he can change the system in his favour. But there’s worse. Musk seems to revel in engaging in rage baiting. He’s constantly promoting far right parties across Europe, including the AfD (Alternative for Germany), a Party as close to the Nazis as possible. Musk told his millions of followers that the AFD was Germany’s best hope.
He pays Tommy Robinson’s legal costs and speaks at his rallies. Last year he suggested that America should liberate British people from their tyrannical government. He is one of the most prominent spreaders of misinformation, false narratives, conspiracy theories and outright lies.
He intentionally stokes civil unrest. He tweeted a picture allegedly showing migrants storming a British hospital armed with axes and blades, which turned out to be a still from one of the Batman films, The Dark Knight Rises.
Musk’s wealth now exceeds the total wealth of 46% of the global population – that’s 3.8 billion people. And yet instead of being a force for good, he creates havoc.
Musk’s power and influence stem from his massive wealth. But others have gained power through democratic electoral processes.
Joseph Muscat won two landslide victories for the Labour Party after long years in opposition. He had huge and broad support, and many believed his promises of meritocracy, transparency, and fairness. Many were convinced he would keep his word and fight corruption.
Yet Muscat didn’t even manage to complete a single full term as Prime Minister. He notoriously earned the title of the most corrupt man of the year in 2019, beating stiff opposition including Vladimir Putin.
Muscat promised hospitals that never materialised. He promised major projects that never got off the ground. He protected Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, who were exposed in the Panama Papers. His name is forever tainted with a litany of scandals – from the Vitals-Steward scam, to the Electrogas project, the Pilatus Bank and the Mozura windfarm.
He maintained a private WhatsApp chat group with the man now facing trial over the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
He personally benefited financially through suspicious consultancy positions given to him by business magnates and development tycoons. He received tens of thousands of euro from Accutor AG, a company closely linked to the Vitals-Steward scam.
He’s still scrounging taxpayers’ money to fund his Sa Maison offices to make personal profit. And that’s besides the extremely generous termination payments that he engineered for himself, the luxury vehicle and driver, the vehicle for his wife and his diplomatic passport.
The man who thought himself invincible had his assets frozen over the serious crimes he is charged with. Despite his worldwide travels and the glamorous lifestyle he projects through his social media pages, the reality is that his life is now punctuated by intermittent court hearings and his appointments with the justice system.
He conveys an air of nonchalance and confidence, yet the truth is that he was pushed out by his own colleagues.
The saddest part of the story is that Muscat had the most golden opportunity to become a huge success. Instead, he’s soiled his reputation forever – and for what?
We’re all destined at some stage in our life to look back on it, probably with a mixture of pride, gratefulness and regret. Do people like Elon Musk and Joseph Muscat have it in them to recognise the true horror of every decent choice they could have made and didn’t? Are they able to feel the crippling regret at having used their power for the wrong reasons?
What is certain is that there will come a time when we are faced with the very fragility of human health and even life, and any God complex we possess will simply evaporate.
There will come a time when we will finally realise that no matter how big our bank balance or how much power we once wielded, nothing can save us from the inevitable consequences we must all face.
