Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, and Neuralink, among others, made a guest appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” this week. The conversation was an eclectic mix of tech talk, humor, and social issues, reflecting the multifaceted interests of both the host and the guest.
As Maher kicked off the show, he introduced Musk as the man who made electric cars mainstream, is perfecting reusable rocket space travel, connecting the human brain directly to computers, and working on projects like the Starlink satellite system and Hyperloop.
Maher, known for his sharp wit and direct questioning, asked Musk about his daily work routine, which Musk confirmed to be intense. Musk pointed out that while he doesn’t work on all these projects every day, his workdays are long and packed.
In typical Maher style, the conversation soon shifted from work to the change Musk is making in the world. “There’s a very few people who actually make change happen. You are one of those people,” Maher stated, to which Musk responded humbly, expressing his love for the show and the audience.
The conversation also touched upon Musk’s sense of humor and how it makes him more relatable and human. “They attack you a lot. They do. And you seem to laugh it off, which I think is fantastic. Yeah. I love it that you have a sense of humor because a guy as important as you who makes changes Yeah. Could use your powers for evil and not good,” Maher noted.
Musk responded light-heartedly, “Absolutely. I would. Of course I would. Yeah. I never used them for evil.”
During the conversation, Musk admitted to being a longtime admirer of Maher’s show and revealed that he was once an audience member. He also compared his love for comedy to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whom Maher humorously questioned if he was a “real boy”.
The conversation further delved into the role of technology in societal changes, a topic both Musk and Maher are passionate about. Musk agreed with Maher’s assessment that those in tech “deal the cards” that change the world, citing examples like the Gutenberg press and the internet.
Highlighting the impact of the internet, Musk elaborated, “It felt like what the humanity as a whole was developing a nervous system… Now with the internet, it’s having a nervous system. It’s like any part of humanity has access to almost all the information of humanity. You could be in the middle of the Amazon jungle with the say Starlink terminal and have access to more information than the president did in 1980.”
While the conversation was profound and thought-provoking, it wasn’t without Musk’s typical humor. When Maher labeled Musk as one of the “dealers” who change the world, Musk quipped, “I deal some memes too.”
This unique mix of humor, tech, and social commentary made for a riveting episode, reinforcing both Musk’s status as a leading change-maker and Maher’s reputation as a provocative host who isn’t afraid to ask tough questions.
