Elon, Inc. - podcast cover

Elon, Inc.

Bloombergwww.iheart.com

Elon Musk’s sprawling business empire has granted the billionaire a degree of power and global influence that transcends the industries he’s reshaped. He is the leader of no fewer than six hugely influential companies, spanning electric vehicles to wartime communications, and their innovations could shape the fates of nations. 

Musk is polarizing, confounding and inescapable. And he is the biggest business story of our time. 

Each week, listen in as host David Papadopoulos convenes a panel of Bloomberg Businessweek journalists who are tracking Musk’s companies and the surprising ways they intersect. They break down the business mogul's latest moves and analyze what they could mean for us all.

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Episodes

Introducing: The Mishal Husain Show

Make sense of the world with one essential conversation, every week. Mishal Husain, one of Britain's best interviewers, brings her signature blend of curiosity and tenacity to weekly conversations with world leaders, business titans, and cultural icons, revealing who they really are and how they see the world changing around them. Follow the podcast wherever you listen, so you don't miss an episode. https://link.podtrac.com/iu94w2n4 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 18, 20252 min

Everybody's Business: Will the Shutdown Lead to DOGE 2.0?

On this week's Everybody's Business, Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin discuss a possible return of DOGE-like cuts due to the shutdown, the wild ride of crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun and a very surprising economic indicator. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 04, 202542 min

Everybody's Business: Elon Inc's Host Explains the Mess in Argentina

In the latest episode of Everybody's Business , Elon, Inc.' s own David Papadopoulos visits Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith to explain the roller coaster ride that is Argentina's economy. Also on the menu: the UN, MrBeast, David Ellison and a new, depressing office trend. Subscribe to Everybody’s Business wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 27, 202543 min

Everybody's Business: SpaceX in Unexpected Places

As promised in Tuesday's episode, Everybody's Business will carry the Elon, Inc. banner moving forward. In the latest episode, Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith discuss a plane crash carrying illicit cargo with a SpaceX twist, fed independence and salary caps in sports. Subscribe to Everybody’s Business wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 20, 202537 min

Elon, Inc. Over and Out

This is the final episode of Elon, Inc. , and it comes at a fitting point in the story of the highly controversial entrepreneur Elon Musk. The podcast was launched around the time the South Africa native bought and rebranded Twitter, transforming a mainstream social media platform into something else entirely. Now, the podcast has found a natural conclusion with his full return to his companies, his exit from the Trump administration and the unprecedented governmental upheaval, mass firings and ...

Sep 16, 202540 min

Will Elon Get Paid $1,000,000,000,000?

What do you give a man who has everything? $1 trillion of course. The news broke Friday that despite a seemingly waning interest in making cars and his alienation of many of Tesla’s customers, Elon Musk was offered a record-busting payday by the carmaker’s board. The catch? The South Africa native and richest person in the world (even before the $1 trillion) has to help the embattled automaker meet certain goals when it comes to company value and product development. In this episode of Elon, Inc...

Sep 09, 202532 min

Tesla's Master Plan, Part Quattro

Labor Day is generally a slow news day in the US. But this year it happened to be the day Elon Musk chose to unveil Tesla’s “ Master Plan, Part 4 .” Since its first installment in 2006, the electric vehicle-maker’s future roadmap has been seen by some as a big part of the company’s identity. The latest version comes at a critical moment for the company. With Tesla sales down in many markets , tepid interest in new models and high-profile controversies often stemming from its voluble CEO, his rig...

Sep 02, 202526 min

Forget the Cagefight: Are Elon and Mark Friends Again?

On this week’s edition of Elon, Inc. , Bloomberg editor Sarah Frier sits down with Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull to discuss the latest news from the world’s richest man. They start with what was arguably the most dramatic development: X and Xai’s lawsuit alleging that Apple has unfairly favored artificial intelligence giant OpenAI in its app store. Hull says she isn’t convinced that it’s a matter of collusion, though. “It’s because ChatGPT is the most popular chat bot and Grok is not,” she says “...

Aug 26, 202515 min

In Elon's Silicon Valley, Drug Use Was Par for the Course

In this week’s episode of Elon, Inc., we conclude a series of “jealousy interviews” where we talk to authors of Elon Musk stories we wish we had written. This time, Bloomberg News Musk reporter Dana Hull chats with Kirsten Grind of the New York Times about her May exposé on the alleged campaign trail drug habits of a certain entrepreneur-turned-aspiring political kingmaker. The conversation covers not only Musk’s reported drug use ( which he has denied ) but the prevalence of drugs in Silicon Va...

Aug 19, 202525 min

So What Did Musk Accomplish With ‘DOGE’?

Elon Musk left Washington and his “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative with a highly controversial and, many would say, disappointing track record. For followers of President Donald Trump and the idea of slashing what he’s claimed is out-of-control government spending, Musk’s self-reported $199 billion in savings (which cannot be independently confirmed) is a far cry from the $2 trillion the Tesla CEO promised. As far as Musk’s detractors are concerned, his cuts—often executed in hap...

Aug 12, 202523 min

Elon Gets $30 Billion to Stick Around, Boring is Largely Stuck

It was an expensive week for Tesla. On Friday, a jury in Miami found the electric car company 33% to blame for a deadly 2019 crash involving its full self-driving feature, ordering it to pay a total of $242.5 million in damages. A few days later, the company’s board said it would dole out a $30 billion stock payoff to co-founder Elon Musk in order to keep him focused on the company, which has been bouncing from crisis to crisis. In this episode of Elon, Inc., host David Papadopoulos is joined by...

Aug 05, 202533 min

Elon Opens a Restaurant, Strikes a Chip Deal, Dreams of Robots

The growing blowback from years of spreading conspiracy theories , embracing far-right political causes and attempting to dismantle the US government (with calamitous results for millions ) might have finally taken its toll on Elon Musk and his companies. Or perhaps not. Last week’s Tesla earnings call ended on a somber note, with world’s richest man declaring his struggling and divisive electric car company could have “a few rough quarters” ahead. With revenue down 12% and the political climate...

Jul 29, 202532 min

Musk’s Trump Feud Is Still Hurting His Empire

On this week’s episode of Elon, Inc., host Max Chafkin and Bloomberg News reporter Ed Ludlow discuss their cover story for the latest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek . Their reporting details the ways in which Elon Musk’s companies—specifically Tesla, SpaceX and xAI—are struggling in the wake of his feud with President Donald Trump. Chafkin and Ludlow break down where each of these companies stands now, and analyze how investors are rationalizing their continued investments in the multibillionai...

Jul 22, 202535 min

Forget DOGE. Musk Is Suddenly All In on AI

On this week’s episode of Elon, Inc. , host Max Chafkin and Bloomberg News reporters Dana Hull and Kurt Wagner chat about Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI. The endeavor just debuted its new Grok 4 model on the heels of an antisemitism controversy , but Musk sees a brighter future for his creation, claiming it might discover “new physics” one day. Before that happens, though, the buzziest feature of the model is its AI companions—including a pigtailed and corseted anime character....

Jul 15, 202535 min

Emergency Episode: Linda Yaccarino Leaves X

The day after Grok started spewing antisemitic propaganda, X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced that she's leaving the company. The timing sticks out, although sources says she's been planning an exit for a while. In this emergency episode, Max Chafkin summons Bloomberg's big tech team leader Sarah Frier to chat about Linda's legacy, her possible future plans and the timing of her departure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 09, 202516 min

Can Elon’s ‘America Party’ Dream Come True?

On this week’s episode, David Papadopoulos invites Bloomberg political reporter Nancy Cook and Bloomberg Businessweek ’s Max Chafkin to the studio to discuss Elon Musk’s latest idea—the creation of the “ America Party .” Third parties have famously been losing propositions in American politics, and Cook questions if the distractible multibillionaire even has the patience to handle the paperwork required to register with the Federal Election Commission. And then there’s his constant string of con...

Jul 08, 202532 min

Trump Suggests an Elon Deportation, Tesla Shakes up Management

The predictable second round of Elon Musk’s feud with Donald Trump began over the weekend as the Tesla CEO took aim at the GOP’s massive tax-and-spend bill. Specifically irking Musk (along with efforts to gut incentives to buy his cars) is the amount of money the bill would add to the $37 trillion national debt ($3.3 trillion over a decade, according to a new estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office). Trump initially kept his replies to the richest man on Earth muted, but as the...

Jul 01, 202532 min

An Underwhelming Robotaxi Rollout, X Strong-arms Advertisers

Over the weekend, while the world was transfixed by war in the Middle East, the Tesla Robotaxi quietly appeared on the streets of Austin, Texas. It didn’t stay quiet for long, though. As a handful of Tesla influencers filmed themselves driven through the streets of the red state’s famously blue capital, their smartphone videos caught plenty of traffic violations. In this week’s episode David Papadopoulos is joined by Max Chafkin as well as Bloomberg electric vehicles reporter Kara Carlson to bre...

Jun 24, 202533 min

Can ‘MAMUWT’ Be to Musk What ‘TACO’ Is to Trump?

On this week’s episode of Elon, Inc. , host David and Max chat about the latest Musk-Trump drama. A detente had just emerged when we last recorded, and now it feels like it’s just a matter of time before Musk (and little X) are back in the Oval Office sparring with reporters (and playing on the floor). Will the apologies help Musk secure eased restrictions for self-driving cars and access to Star Wars 2.0 (Trump’s “golden dome” project)? And will Max and David be able to introduce MAMUWT (Musk A...

Jun 17, 202527 min

After the Meltdown, Elon Looks to Robotaxis

On this week’s episode, host David gathers Max Chafkin and Dana Hull to go through the latest developments in the aftermath of the Elon Musk-Donald Trump explosion last week. After two (!) emergency episodes in as many days last week, things seem to have calmed down between the South Africa native and the US president—but there are still signs of friction. Will Trump ever be able to forgive the insults Musk hurled at him on social media (as in, Trump should be impeached a third time)? Can he aff...

Jun 10, 202529 min

Another Emergency: What IS Going on With Elon and Trump?

It didn't take long after our emergency episode yesterday for the beef between Elon and Trump to escalate. The X and Truth Social posts went flying, everyone from Steve Bannon to Kanye West weighed in, and Trump even threatened to sell the Tesla he bought a few months ago. David Papadopoulos and Max Chafkin couldn't wait to dive into the latest news of the feud, and tell us what we should be watching out for next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jun 06, 202515 min

Emergency Episode: Elon and Trump Are Breaking Up in Public. What Happens Next?

Minutes after Trump accused Elon of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and Elon claimed "Without me, Trump would have lost the election," we are joined by Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Josh Green for a special emergency podcast to talk about whether this breakup will last. Could Elon and Trump reconcile over a less big, less beautiful tax bill? Could Elon flip parties again and join the Democrats? We game out the possibilities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jun 05, 202514 min

Is Elon’s Political Capital Spent?

Elon Musk’s highly publicized and arguably brand destructive tenure as President Donald Trump’s would-be hatchet man has supposedly drawn to a close. His foray into politics has resulted in tens of thousands of federal workers losing their jobs, the attempted shuttering or gutting of federal agencies ( with grim consequences for the world’s poorest ) and a growing pile of lawsuits challenging as illegal much of what he did. Add to that his failed bankrolling of a Wisconsin judicial candidate and...

Jun 03, 202536 min

In Case you Missed It - Everybody's Business: Trump + Crypto

Here's an excerpt from Max Chafkin's new podcast Everybody's Business, co-hosted with Stacey Vanek Smith. From now on, if you want to hear the whole episode and all past and future episodes, head to your podcast app of choice and search for Everybody's Business . A handy collection of links can be found here . For now, enjoy this conversation with stacy-marie ishmael about President Trump's novel crypto strategy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

May 30, 202514 min

Is Elon Really Quitting Politics... for Banking?

When Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain interviewed Elon Musk last week, it caused quite a stir. This was especially the case when Musk proclaimed, “in terms of political spending, I’m gonna do a lot less in the future.” (Most news reports missed a sly qualification that made this seem more like an ultimatum . But more on that below). Coverage of the supposed end of Musk’s role as Republican Party’s Sugar Daddy added fuel to the ongoing “what will Elon do now?” frenzy. Over the weekend, a substantial out...

May 27, 202530 min

In Case you Missed It - Everybody’s Business: Wrestling With Taxes, Robots and Gold

Check out the feed of our sister podcast Everybody's Business in any podcast app of your choice. After several week's of cross publishing, in the future you're going to have to head to that feed to enjoy the show. But for now... --- All the economy is a stage this week, as the “big beautiful” tax bill passed the House in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and millions of college graduates got their diplomas and set off into the the job market, competing with an ever growing army of robot workers...

May 24, 202535 min

Elon on the Spot, Grok Has a Week

Elon Musk was interviewed Tuesday by Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. The wide-ranging conversation spanned the multibillionaire’s work on behalf of President Donald Trump and at his “Department of Government Efficiency,” protests against Tesla and a careful assertion that he might wind down his political contributions. The chat turned tense at times, with Musk becoming visibly upset while discussing demonstrators who vandalized Tesla showrooms and how “DOGE” has va...

May 20, 202533 min

Elon Musk Live from the Qatar Economic Forum

Elon Musk was just interviewed by Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain at the Qatar Economic Forum. It was a sometimes tense exchange that covered everything from DOGE savings, via Tesla protestors, to Elon’s plans to wind down his political contributions. Today’s episode of Elon, Inc. will break down the interview and analyze highlights but for now, you can listen to the whole 40 minutes here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 20, 202540 min

In Case you Missed It - Everybody’s Business: Trump Ruins Christmas

Where’s the inflation? With this week’s Consumer Price Index coming in softer than predicted (inflation at its lowest level since 2021, according to government data), a lot of people are wondering why tariffs haven’t pushed prices up. In the debut episode of Everybody’s Business from Bloomberg Businessweek , hosts Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin tackle President Donald Trump’s trade war, inflation and when the rubber will (if ever) hit the road. Consumer spending columnist Amanda Mull takes S...

May 16, 202534 min

An Insider’s View on What Ails Tesla

In this week’s episode of Elon, Inc. , host Max Chafkin and Bloomberg Elon Musk reporter Dana Hull sit down with Matthew LaBrot, a former Tesla sales manager who made headlines last week following his departure from the company. LaBrot was the man behind the “ Tesla Employees Against Elon ” website, which consisted of an open letter from an initially anonymous LaBrot criticizing the company’s multibillionaire CEO. He suggested Tesla would be better off continuing its mission without the South Af...

May 13, 202536 min
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