Elon Musk
Critics at Large
Is Science Fiction the New Realism?
In an era of life-altering pandemics, advanced A.I., and climate catastrophe, anticipating the future can seem like a futile exercise. Is sci-fi our best chance at making sense of what’s to come?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
What Biden Is Thinking About the 2024 Election
The staff writer Evan Osnos had a rare, frank talk with the President about his battle for a second term. Plus, Kara Swisher falls out of love with tech in “Burn Book.”
Annals of Technology
What We Lost When Twitter Became X
As a former Twitter employee, I watched Elon Musk undermine one of the Internet’s most paradoxical, special places.
The Political Scene Podcast
Ronan Farrow on the “Shadow Rule” of Elon Musk
How the tech billionaire built a one-man monopoly over American infrastructure and became too powerful for the U.S. government to rein in.
2023 in Review
The Top Twenty-five New Yorker Stories of 2023
The articles that sustained the longest hold on readers during a year when many avoided the news.
Infinite Scroll
Elon Musk’s Poisoned Platform
Users and advertisers are fleeing X after Musk’s message supporting an antisemitic conspiracy theory. But the platform seems destined to die a slow death.
Daily Comment
The Border Doesn’t Need Elon Musk’s “Citizen Journalism”
A congressman described Musk as a “concerned citizen with a megaphone.” But Musk’s megaphone is the problem.
Critics at Large
The Myth-Making of Elon Musk
The New Yorker’s critics discuss a new biography of Elon Musk, how the archetype of the tech entrepreneur has shifted over time, and how we might move beyond it.
Daily Comment
The World According to Elon Musk’s Grandfather
What happened to antisemitic rants before social media.
The Political Scene Podcast
Ronan Farrow on the Rule of Elon Musk
How the tech billionaire built a one-man monopoly over American infrastructure and became too powerful for the U.S. government to rein in.
Cultural Comment
We Don’t Need a New Twitter
It’s time to move beyond the flawed idea of a global conversation platform.
Cultural Comment
Elon Musk’s X Factor
The surprising personal and cultural reasons for his “X” affection and rebranding of Twitter.
Annals of Communications
How Elon Musk Could Affect the 2024 Election
The personal politics of Twitter’s owner wouldn’t matter so much if he hadn’t also demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for pettiness.
Infinite Scroll
BuzzFeed, Blue Check Marks, and the End of an Internet Era
Just a decade ago, Twitter and BuzzFeed were the popular poles of online life. Now their struggles are emblematic of where social media went wrong.
Satire from The Borowitz Report
Elon Musk Seething with Envy Over Attention Balloon Is Getting
Musk disclosed that the sensation the Chinese spy balloon has created is making him consider becoming a balloon himself.
Satire from The Borowitz Report
Elon Musk Sees Trial as Way to Finally Force People to Be in Same Room with Him
“I thought if I required Twitter employees to come to work in the office, that would do the trick,” Musk said. “Instead, they quit en masse.”
The Political Scene
What the Twitter Files Reveal About Free Speech and Social Media
The company’s internal documents were supposed to prove a progressive agenda—mostly, they have exposed the limitations of the platform and its new owner.
Infinite Scroll
Is This the End of Elon Musk’s Twitter Odyssey?
By offering to step down as C.E.O., Musk may be admitting that a social network can’t be a one-man show.
Satire from The Borowitz Report
Elon Musk Named Most Exhausting Person of 2022
The Twitter C.E.O. wrested the title from Donald J. Trump, who had won the honor every year from 2016 to 2021.
Satire from The Borowitz Report
Poll: Most People Want to Know Elon Musk’s Location so They Can Avoid Him
The results reveal that a visceral fear of encountering Musk is what drives eighty-nine per cent of those who follow his movements.