Elon Musk Has Modified His Mission Assertion

Is Tesla a automobile firm or a robotics firm? Are we going to Mars or the Moon? Are people a part of extending the “mild of consciousness” to different planets? It may be onerous to maintain up should you’ve adopted Elon Musk’s shifting mission statements over the previous decade, and even the previous yr, or simply the previous month.

“We’ve up to date the Tesla mission to superb abundance. And that is meant to ship a message of optimism in regards to the future,” Musk stated last month throughout a name with Tesla traders. “I believe we’re probably headed to an thrilling, superb period of abundance. And I believe with the arrival, or with the continued development of AI and robotics, I believe we truly are headed to a way forward for common excessive earnings, not common primary earnings however common excessive earnings. I imply, there’s going to be a variety of change alongside the best way, however that’s what I see because the probably end result.”

The change to “superb abundance” is definitely a really new change in comparison with the final mission assertion, launched in Sept. 2025. Tesla Master Plan Part 4 known as it “sustainable abundance,” a nod to Musk’s purported purpose of serving to the atmosphere.

Evaluate these newest iterations with Tesla’s previous mission assertion, and also you would possibly really feel prefer it’s a totally completely different firm. By extension, it’d seem to be Elon Musk was a totally completely different particular person. At the least on paper and in the best way he presents himself to the world.

Right here’s how Tesla was speaking about itself in 2019: “Tesla’s mission is to speed up the world’s transition to sustainable power.” The remainder of the mission assertion from that period refers to local weather change reaching “alarming ranges” and cites statistics about emissions. Tesla was going to result in a greater atmosphere and construct a greater world.

Even the best way that Tesla was speaking about the way it treats workers feels alien to anybody who is aware of Musk’s broader mission right now:

Alongside the best way, we’re constructing a tradition that’s secure, truthful and thrilling for all of our workers. It’s extremely necessary to Tesla that everybody appears to be like ahead to coming to work day by day. We’re proud to have constructed an organization stuffed with workers of all backgrounds who possess the power and drive to speed up our imaginative and prescient ahead.

A tradition that’s secure and truthful? Sounds fairly woke, should you ask us. And nothing is extra harmful than the woke thoughts virus, no less than in accordance with Musk.

Musk and humanity

The Tesla mission assertion is only one of many who appear to be shifting radically. Musk appeared on the podcast Cheeky Pint final week, the place he mentioned his plans for his AI chatbot, solar energy, and area journey. The dialogue round humanity is maybe the most important eye-opener for folk who suppose they perceive the billionaire’s targets. As a result of for all his speak about loving humanity, he transparently loathes individuals, as evidenced by his resolution to take a chainsaw to issues like USAID last year. And he appears to be dipping his toe within the water to acknowledge people aren’t needed for the long run he’s envisioning.

On the podcast, Musk was requested about journey to different planets and the way xAI’s Grok matches into that. Particularly, there appeared to be some confusion about whether or not people could be a part of the equation if synthetic intelligence had been to surpass human intelligence.

“I imply, the necessary factor is that consciousness… which I believe arguably most consciousness, or most intelligence actually, consciousness is extra of a debatable factor. The overwhelming majority of intelligence sooner or later will likely be AI,” Musk stated.

“Mainly, people will likely be a really tiny share of all intelligence sooner or later if present tendencies proceed,” Musk defined. He then stammered by means of a sentence you’d be forgiven for lacking, as a result of it’s borderline unintelligible: “So long as, I believe, there’s intelligence, ideally, additionally, which incorporates human intelligence and consciousness, propagated into the long run, that’s a very good factor.”

That phrase “ideally” appears to be the large purple flag for anybody fearful about Musk’s plan for humanity. People will likely be there, ideally. However that’s not a assure. The host pressed him on the targets of SpaceX and whether or not AI was a hedge in opposition to humanity dying off, or whether or not it mattered in any respect.

“I imply, I’m very pro-human. So I need to be sure we take sure actions that make sure that people are alongside for the experience, we’re no less than there,” stated Musk. “However let me simply say the overall quantity of intelligence, I believe perhaps in 5 – 6 years, AI will exceed the sum of all human intelligence. After which if that continues, sooner or later, human intelligence will likely be lower than 1% of all intelligence.”

The host requested if a small variety of people would nonetheless be answerable for the AI. Musk then appeared to confess that humanity wouldn’t actually be answerable for this model of the long run.

“In the long term, I believe it’s tough to think about that if people have, say, 1% of the… mixed intelligence of synthetic intelligence that people will likely be accountable for AI,” stated Musk. “I believe what we will do is guarantee that AI has values that trigger intelligence to be propagated into the universe. So the explanation for xAI’s mission is perceive the universe. In order that’s truly crucial.”

Musk then proposed that an AI wish to maintain people round simply out of curiosity.

“I believe, truly, additionally as a corollary, you have got humanity additionally persevering with to broaden. As a result of should you’re curious, you’re making an attempt to grasp the universe, one factor you’re making an attempt to grasp is the place will humanity go?” Musk stated. “And so I believe understanding the universe truly means you’ll care about propagating humanity into the long run. And in order that’s why I believe our mission assertion is profoundly necessary. To the diploma that Grok adheres to that mission assertion, I believe the long run will likely be excellent.”

This doesn’t make any sense, clearly. If some type of robotic intelligence needed to grasp the universe, there’s no cause it might want people to do it. It’s a bit like believing {that a} explicit species of bug could be treasured and sustained into the long run by a race of superior beings just because they needed to grasp the universe. It is perhaps a pleasant thought, however it’s not needed, particularly if the AI noticed itself as wildly superior.

The host requested the query utilizing chimpanzees for example. Even when people care about chimps, they’re not making an attempt to broaden the footprint of chimps into area. Musk countered that people have made protecting zones for chimps.

“Though we may, people may exterminate all chimpanzees, we’ve not, we’ve chosen not to take action,” stated Musk.

Which will resonate with some of us, however it’s not very encouraging when you think about what Musk is constructing together with his AI chatbot Grok. That is the AI that has spreading far-right conspiracy theories about white farmers being killed in South Africa whereas advocating for a brand new Holocaust. Musk spends virtually day by day speaking about how oppressed white persons are on X, and who can neglect the 2 Nazi-style salutes he gave at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration?

That is the man who’s going to construct a sophisticated AI that can cherish humanity and need to see it thrive into the long run? One can clearly think about Grok’s biases as a result of we see them at work every day. That is the bot that claims Elon Musk is smarter than Einstein and more fit than LeBron James.

Do you need to stay within the wildlife refuge run by Grok?

Hyping the inventory for Tesla

Because the wealthiest particular person within the historical past of the world ($850 billion, in accordance with Forbes), Musk appears to be constructing one thing not for humanity however for himself. Each pivot we see serves his wants and the wants of the Tesla inventory worth.

When his electrical automobile gross sales began to plateau, Musk insisted that Tesla wasn’t a automobile firm; it was a expertise firm. He argued that his software program, like “Full Self-Driving,” made it far more necessary than a agency that was cranking out electrical autos. And his robotic Optimus was folded into that blend as the nice promise of the long run, immediately making Tesla not only a automobile firm, not only a tech firm, however a robotics firm.

Musk stated on his investor name last month that he had a “long-term purpose” of manufacturing 1 million Optimus robots per yr, discontinuing his Tesla Mannequin S and X automobile manufacturing, and as an alternative constructing robots with a view to make that occur. The decision was peppered with caveats, even when it got here to his long-promised Full Self-Driving tech, together with phrases like “pending regulatory approval.” Musk has been hyping totally autonomous driving as simply across the nook for therefore lengthy that it even has its personal Wikipedia page. And he needs traders to suppose the one factor holding him again is that rattling Huge Authorities that’s all the time so meddlesome.

What’s SpaceX’s true mission?

Within the close to future, it gained’t simply be the Tesla inventory worth that wants juicing. Musk has merged his AI firm xAI (which additionally owns the social media platform X) with SpaceX within the lead-up to turning it right into a publicly traded firm. Merging the 2 firms doesn’t make much sense, until you possibly can provide you with some unusual excuse. And within the case of SpaceX, Musk landed on “AI in area.”

Musk stated throughout the Cheeky Pint podcast that he expects it is going to quickly be cheaper to construct synthetic intelligence and orbital knowledge facilities in area.

“My prediction is that will probably be by far the most cost effective place to place AI will likely be area in 36 months or much less, perhaps 30… 36 months? Lower than 36 months,” stated Musk.

The timeline reminds one of many guarantees for flying vehicles, which all the time appear to be two years out. When Musk says 36 months, the equal of three years, it’s lengthy sufficient that he’s banking on the general public’s quick reminiscence for hype. And by very performatively saying perhaps it’s truly 30 months, he’s signalling that he’s acquired some sort of calendar the place he’s being exact.

Ought to X be “inclusive”?

You see the identical sort of radical shifts occur lately at X. Evaluate the best way that Musk talked about Twitter when he was making an attempt to purchase it in 2022 to the best way he operates it right now, and anybody would discover it onerous to reconcile.

“I believe it’s crucial for there to be an inclusive enviornment at no cost speech,” Musk said during an interview shortly after he introduced his intention to purchase it. “Twitter has turn out to be sort of the de facto city sq., so it’s simply actually necessary that folks have the, each the truth and the notion that they can communicate freely throughout the bounds of the regulation.”

“My sturdy intuitive sense is that having a public platform that’s maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extraordinarily necessary to the way forward for civilization,” Musk stated.

Evidently, Musk has tried to censor anybody he doesn’t like on the platform whereas spreading far-right extremist hate. The phrase “inclusive” most likely hasn’t left Musk’s mouth within the 4 years since he uttered it about Twitter.

In the meantime, he appears to have misplaced curiosity in operating a social media firm as he turns his consideration to AI and taking SpaceX public.

Mars or the Moon or flying vehicles?

The shift in focus may give individuals whiplash. And there was confusion when Musk immediately made an abrupt change within the targets of SpaceX, writing final week that the corporate had “shifted focus towards constructing a self-growing metropolis on the Moon.”

“The mission of SpaceX stays the identical: prolong consciousness and life as we all know it to the celebrities,” Musk wrote. “That stated, SpaceX may also attempt to construct a Mars metropolis and start doing so in about 5 to 7 years, however the overriding precedence is securing the way forward for civilization, and the Moon is quicker.”

Once more, we see his longer timelines, which can as effectively be guarantees about 100 years into the long run.

The Tesla CEO retains saying that the long run goes to be so superb, you gained’t even must work. He insists that robots will likely be doing every part and people will get to simply sit round and entertain ourselves with no matter we like, whereas nonetheless amassing cash by some means. This additionally is not sensible, however the billionaire has gone as far as to say that cash won’t exist sooner or later and also you shouldn’t trouble saving for retirement.

Musk appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast in Oct. 2025 and teased that he’d be demonstrating a flying automobile by the top of the yr. The billionaire didn’t do this, after all, and there’s no one actually asking why. You don’t even want a full three years for individuals to neglect the guarantees you made. You are able to do the identical factor in three months, supplied you wave sufficient shiny objects round.

What’s the actual purpose?

Musk has many various methods of presenting himself to traders and the broader world. And he’s clearly out to build up as a lot cash as doable, regardless of claiming he doesn’t do something for cash. We stay in an period of males pushed by petty grievances.

Musk wasn’t invited to the White Home for an electrical automobile occasion throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, one thing that many commentators suppose drove his push to embrace President Donald Trump within the 2024 election. Musk is obsessive about getting ousted from OpenAI, the corporate he helped discovered with others like CEO Sam Altman. These rivalries might seem to be small potatoes within the grand scheme of issues, however private animus towards perceived enemies often is the one huge factor driving Musk past cash. As a result of after you’re a trillionaire, what extra is there to attain?

What if Musk’s dismantling of USAID and destruction of federal businesses beneath DOGE was only a solution to get again on the Democrats who not worshiped him as a god? What if the merger of X, xAI, and SpaceX into one huge franken-company IPO is only a method of beating Sam Altman and OpenAI to the end line?

In early 2025, Musk led an unsolicited bid for OpenAI in a transfer broadly seen as an effort to frustrate the AI firm’s transition right into a for-profit automobile. Billionaires like Musk can hoard all the cash on the planet, however they’re nonetheless pushed by a few of the pettiest motivations you possibly can think about. And that’s most likely why his mission statements maintain altering. It’s not within the service of some increased goal. When it comes proper right down to it, it’s all about simply two issues: cash and hate.