Abdelrahman
On the final Friday of September 2023, Elon Musk arrived about an hour late to a dinner gathering hosted by technology investor Chamath Palihapitiya at his luxurious Silicon Valley estate.
Musk intended for his appearance to be low-key. Despite his hesitance to publicly engage in politics, he expressed the need for caution regarding his support in the Republican nomination race. However, he was present alongside Claire Boucher, famously known as Grimes, and the mother of three of his children, at a high-profile dinner that cost $50,000 per plate, honoring presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, who aimed to disrupt the political landscape as an entrepreneurial candidate.
Throughout the evening, Musk shared insights on a range of subjects while enjoying the outdoor setting, as reported by four attendees familiar with the discussions. These topics included his recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, his dissatisfaction with government regulations impacting his rocket company, SpaceX, as well as Ramaswamy’s primary goal of reforming the federal bureaucracy.
Musk emphasized that he viewed the dismantling of this bureaucracy primarily as a technological hurdle. He explained to the group of around 20 guests that when he revitalized Twitter—now rebranded as X, a company he acquired in 2022—the crucial step was obtaining access to the organization’s servers.
Musk playfully suggested that it would be beneficial if he could also access government computers. He jokingly requested the passwords, claiming he could streamline and optimize government operations.
What began as lighthearted banter at a dinner party soon transformed into a visionary idea for a comprehensive overhaul of the federal bureaucracy. Musk’s unyielding focus and his libertarian ideals, coupled with frustration over regulatory constraints affecting his expansive business empire, propelled him into a position of notable influence.
