Is Elon Musk a visionary or villain?

Elon Musk is a household name across the globe, known for his various business ventures and technological advancements. As the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX, the angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., and more, Musk has the power to change our world forever and alter the course of humankind.
In simple words, Elon Musk has the power to help humanity reach new heights, but also does have the power to destroy it.

Planning life on Mars
Born in 1971, at just 51 years old, Musk has already begun developing a rocket to take humans to Mars (a planet that has only been speculated about or explored by machines for well over 50 years). He has also outlined technologies like specialized pods for humans that would make daily life on Mars a real possibility. This is an incredible achievement for humankind and could potentially lead to the colonization of Mars.
Traffic jams
Before we can all have homes on Mars, we need to deal with problems on planet Earth, including traffic jams. In 2016, Musk tweeted about his frustration with traffic and founded The Boring Company on the same day.
Since then, the company has completed multiple projects for fast-speed tunnels to solve notorious traffic jams in America.
Driving to and from work causes stress to everyone and Elon Musk is no exception to the stress caused from being stuck in a jam. In 2016, he tweeted:

Most of us took this with a pinch of salt, but Elon Musk founded The Boring Company on the very same day he tweeted this.
Since 2016, The Boring Company has undertaken and even completed multiple projects for fast-speed tunnels to solve notorious traffic jams in America. For instance, the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop tunnel is now used by the public to get to their venues on time. The project cost over $40 million to complete.
Wi-Fi
In addition to solving traffic problems, Musk is also working on wireless internet coverage across all areas of the planet through his company Space’s product ‘Starlink.’ This is an outer orbit satellite system that already has over 3200 satellites in orbit. Starlink is even being made available even on moving boats and global access is expected this year.
Starlink has the potential to bridge the digital divide and provide access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities in remote areas of the world.
Brain chips
Musk is also delving into the field of neuroscience through his company Neuralink. Founded in 2016, Neuralink has developed a tool that can record and simultaneously analyse the activity of thousands of neurons in the brain.
This technology has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the brain and could lead to new treatments for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and spinal cord injuries.
With great power comes great responsibility
While Musk’s advancements and projects have the potential to greatly benefit civilization, it’s important to also consider the flipside.
Since he bought Twitter, Musk has fired over 5000 employees globally.
For example, the use of fossil fuels by Tesla’s electric cars, despite being less polluting than traditional cars, still has an impact on the environment. Additionally, the potential for Musk’s proposed colonization of Mars raises ethical questions about the implications for the planet and its potential inhabitants.
At the end of the day, Neuralink is a chip installed in the brain. While beneficial on many fronts, the chip can also take our private information including secrets, passwords and possibly, even our most intimate thoughts.
Something to also consider is that when hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs and income sources during the Covid-19 pandemic, Elon Musk quietly became the richest man on the planet, with Tesla’s stock price increasing by 700%.
It really makes one wonder if Elon Musk is protecting people or just trying to make profit.
To be determined…
Elon Musk is a complex figure who has the power to change our world in both positive and negative ways. As we continue to see the advancements and projects he is involved in, it’s important to consider not only the potential benefits, but also the potential consequences.
What should be paid attention to is how much leeway Elon is given and what kind of fair checks can be implemented on his work. It’s clear that Musk’s ventures have the potential to change our world for the better, but it’s also important to ensure that these advancements are made sustainably and ethically.