On May 9, 2022, the cover of Time magazine read: “What does everyone get wrong about him? Elon Musk». At the time, the tycoon explained to the magazine that to him Republicans and Democrats are all the same and that he refuses to choose between the lesser evil.

In December of that year, The New York Times published a profile of him: “Critics say Musk has revealed himself as a conservative. It’s not that simple”. The press wondered about the worldview of the world’s richest man, who has played a key role in wars like the one in Ukraine by offering the use of his satellites to the government in Kiev. Several journalists have concluded that his ideological profile is complex, loaded with both progressive and right-wing features. In June 2022, in an assembly with Twitter employees, he noted that the “his political leanings are moderate.”

Much has changed since then. Last Saturday, December 16, 2023, Musk “landed” at the center of the Italian post-fascist universe, where the far-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, hosted several extremist European leaders.

“Please do not import the woke mind virus from the United States!” the businessman said with a smile, to the delight of the audience. At the conference, Musk estimated that woke policies have led to “an artificial intellectual civil war.” The Tesla CEO – who was born in Pretoria 52 years ago, during apartheid South Africa – also criticized excessive European regulations, denounced illegal immigration, advocated the defense of national cultural identities, demanded that the fossil fuels and expressed his disapproval of multiculturalism. His speech was not exactly “moderate”.

Elon Musk—never much of a progressive given his past support for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton—has continued to meet with moderates such as Emmanuel Macron (they met in June) while catering to conspiracy theorists, like Alex Jones, who recently got his X account back, thanks to the company president.

He then held public debates on social media with various far-right figures including Rep. Matt Gage, Michael Flynn — the former US national security adviser who was pardoned by Trump — and Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for the presidency, who questions both the 2021 attack on Capitol Hill and climate change. And, just days earlier, Musk had referred to a series of anti-Semitic conspiracies, posted by one user, as “the real truth,” causing X to lose major advertisers such as Disney, Apple and IBM.

It seems far-right conspiracy theorists increasingly share the worldview of the world’s richest man. Therefore, it is vital to pay attention to the implications their views may have, given Elon Musk’s power in strategic areas such as disinformation, telecommunications and Artificial Intelligence.

It is also valuable to understand how Musk has fallen victim to the most absurd and toxic conspiracies. “You can be the richest man in the world and have an entire social media network at your disposal… and yet be completely unable to distinguish fact from fiction. He chooses to live in a fantasy land of false beliefs.” explains Jay Van Bavel, a psychologist at New York University, as “El Pais” writes.

Musk has questioned the pandemic and believes in the existence of a secret elite—he of all people, who has the most wealth and direct access to every ruler—with dark plans to replace white people.

His company, X, has become particularly toxic since he acquired it, as various studies show. His personal interactions with far-right accounts skyrocketed once he bought Twitter.

Musk has always been conservative and progressive on social issues, although he has shown some libertarian resistance to rules and political correctness. But all that changed because of three factors, which affected him personally: the influence of the pandemic on the construction of Tesla, the debate about transgender rights (his daughter revealed that she is transgender at the age of 16) and the “woke” phenomenon. According to Musk, progressives are wrong on these issues. He claims that while he has remained firmly in the center of the political spectrum, it is the rest of the world that has suddenly gone far left.

The shutdown of the billionaire’s factories in China and California due to Covid restrictions has been devastating for Tesla’s share price. But, above all, the padlocks “fired his anti-authoritarian streak.” The controversy over the restrictions — championed by Democrats and rejected by Republicans — was a defining factor in Musk’s political development, according to his biographer. The political decision hit his pocket hard. As the far right tends to be suspicious of science, it embraced this faction.

Musk supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision. to run for the White House. The assassinated presidential candidate’s son is a well-known anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. However, in the post-pandemic election, Musk asked his followers to vote Republican for the first time. He also says he won’t vote for Biden in 2024… though he’s having a hard time voting for Trump.

Vivian Jenna Wilson has cut off her father because he doesn’t respect her female pronouns.

Musk thinks Jenna isn’t talking to him because she’s a “communist.” He feels he is being “attacked” because of his wealth. Many analysts point out that these criticisms of the tycoon – which have become widespread since the pandemic – are sparking another backlash against Musk for demanding admiration for his success and his rockets.

Musk’s social environment also played an important role in shaping his personality and political beliefs. His father, Errol Musk – a real estate developer from Apartheid South Africa – has always been a fan of conspiracy theories. So are some of his friends.

With his fame and wealth, Musk could be treated like a king almost anywhere in the world. However, this does not seem to be the case. Musk’s move to the right confused his progressive friends. After his appearance in Rome, there is no doubt which side one of the most powerful men in the world has chosen. It remains to be seen what his future will be…