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Sunday Tribune Opinion<br>Elon Musk: The misconception of wealth and genius<br>Opinion|Published 1 year ago<br>Ask AI<br>9min

Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk gestures while speaking during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena last month in Washington, DC. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Christopher Furlong / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

By Nco Dube<br>Nco Dube is a political economist, businessman, and social commentator on Ukhozi FM. SuppliedIN THE contemporary world, where wealth is often conflated with wisdom, Elon Musk stands as a towering figure. As the richest man on earth, Musk is revered by many as a visionary, a genius, and a saviour of humanity. His ventures, from Tesla to SpaceX, are often hailed as revolutionary, and his tweets can move markets and shape public opinion.<br>Yet, this uncritical adulation of Musk, and by extension, other ultra-wealthy individuals, is deeply problematic. It perpetuates the myth that wealth equates to genius, and that being rich means one is inherently smarter, more innovative, or more capable than the rest of us.<br>This opinion piece seeks to dismantle this myth, using Musk as a reference point, but also delving more broadly into the societal implications of equating wealth with genius.<br>The Myth of the Self-Made Genius<br>Elon Musk is often portrayed as a self-made man, a modern-day Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla. His narrative is one of relentless hard work, boundless creativity, and an almost superhuman ability to foresee the future. However, this portrayal is not only simplistic but also misleading. Musk’s wealth and success are not solely the products of his genius or hard work; they are also the results of privilege, luck, and the exploitation of systems and people.<br>Firstly, Musk’s early life was marked by significant privilege. Born into a wealthy family in South Africa, he had access to resources and opportunities that most people do not. His father, Errol Musk, was an electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor, who owned a share of an emerald mine in Zambia. This wealth provided Musk with a safety net that allowed him to take risks and pursue ambitious projects. While Musk’s defenders argue that he has since far surpassed his initial advantages, it is important to recognise that his starting point was not one of humble beginnings, but of considerable privilege.<br>Secondly, Musk’s success is also a product of luck. The tech industry, in which Musk made his initial fortune, is notoriously volatile. Many brilliant entrepreneurs have failed not because they lacked talent or vision, but because they were unlucky. Musk’s early ventures, such as Zip2 and X.com (which later became PayPal), succeeded in part because they were in the right place at the right time. The dot-com boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s created an environment in which tech start ups could flourish, and Musk was able to capitalise on this. While his success is undoubtedly impressive, it is not solely the result of his genius; it is also the result of being in the right industry at the right time.<br>Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Musk's hand gestures at an inauguration event for US President Donald Trump, which quickly drew comparisons to Nazi salutes, appear to have resonated in some far-right extremist spaces online. Several neo-Nazi leaders have shared clips of the viral moment from Musk's speech, in which the billionaire brought his hand to his chest and extended it straight out, twice, before saying: "My heart goes out to you." (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)Finally, Musk’s wealth has been built on the backs of others. Tesla, for example, has been criticised for its treatment of workers, with reports of long hours, low pay, and unsafe working conditions. Similarly, SpaceX has been accused of exploiting its engineers, who are often expected to work gruelling hours for relatively low pay. Both companies have also been built on the back of American taxpayers with their over-reliance on huge tax breaks and concessions (for Tesla) and lucrative government contracts (for SpaceX. Musk’s defenders argue that these sacrifices are necessary for the greater good, but this argument ignores the fact that Musk himself is not making these sacrifices. He is a billionaire, living a life of luxury, while his employees struggle to make ends meet. This is not the mark of a genius; it is the mark of a ruthless businessman.<br>The Cult of the Wealthy Genius<br>The reverence for Musk is part of a broader cultural phenomenon: the cult of the wealthy genius. In this cult, the ultra-wealthy are seen not just as successful, but as inherently superior. They are viewed as visionaries, as people who see the world more clearly than the rest of us, and who have the ability...