Tesla’s stock is falling, SpaceX is struggling to meet expectations and competition in AI and satellite internet is now part of daily life. Amid this chaos, billionaire Elon Musk remains more visible than ever – yet just as isolated. But is this isolation a sign of withdrawal, or part of a long-game strategy?
Until recently, Tesla’s valuation often mirrored Musk’s charisma in the public eye. But after peaking at $488 in December 2024, Tesla stock plummeted to $220 by March 2025 – a loss of nearly 50%. At the same time, Chinese EV competitors have rapidly gained market share, putting Tesla’s dominance at risk.
SpaceX, meanwhile, faced a series of Starship test failures in Q1 2025. As a vital partner in NASA’s Artemis program, the delays present technical and geopolitical setbacks. China and India are also accelerating their space agendas, threatening SpaceX’s claim to technological superiority.
But Musk’s challenges are not only technical – they are systemic. His relationship with the U.S. political establishment, especially after Trump’s return, has become increasingly tense. While their alliance occasionally appears amicable in the media, the Washington elite keeps its distance. Musk’s provocative posts on X (formerly Twitter) continue to alienate advertisers and worry policymakers.
This leads us to a deeper question: Is Musk being pushed out of the system or walking away on his own terms? Perhaps what appears as chaos is a calculated plan. Rather than reforming existing institutions, Musk is constructing his own ecosystem: Starlink, Neuralink, Tesla and X. Together, they represent not just a business portfolio, but an alternative order.
Man writes history
It’s worth recalling how, throughout American history, business leaders have often shaped politics. In the early 20th century, Henry Ford didn’t just revolutionize industry – he used The Dearborn Independent to spread anti-Semitic narratives and influence public discourse. In the Cold War era, Howard Hughes secured billion-dollar defense contracts while working covertly with the CIA. Ross Perot disrupted the 1992 presidential election as an independent candidate, winning nearly 19% of the vote and rattling the two-party system. Donald Trump became the first businessman to move directly from the boardroom to Oval Office. Jeff Bezos reshaped media narratives through The Washington Post and consolidated digital infrastructure via Pentagon contracts.
Yet, none of them tried to reshape technology, public consciousness and political order simultaneously, the way Musk has. He seeks not just influence, but authority. His vision is not confined to sectors – it’s civilizational. And now, there’s a fresh twist. According to reports by The Guardian and Reuters, Musk’s SpaceX, together with software firm Palantir and defense-tech startup Anduril, is emerging as a key contender in Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative.
What’s particularly bold is that SpaceX reportedly offered a subscription-based model for the system, allowing the government to access, rather than own, the technology. Sources suggest this approach could bypass traditional Pentagon procurement and speed up deployment, blurring the lines between private innovation and public defense infrastructure. In other words, Musk isn’t just imagining the future; he’s quietly shaping the next battlefield.
Historian Niall Ferguson’s insight feels strikingly relevant: “Empires are built not only on power, but on stories. And when the story fails, so does the empire.” Musk’s narrative may not simply be about market disruption – it may be the final, desperate rewrite of a fading American dream. Perhaps his story is the last grand attempt to reframe a failing empire’s sense of itself.
The current state of the U.S. economy deepens Musk’s dilemma. Trump’s protectionist trade revival has driven inflation expectations to 3.6%, while annual growth forecasts have slipped below 1%. These shifts are curbing tech investment and reshaping consumer behavior, tightening the pressure on Musk’s entire industrial ecosystem.
Economically, Musk stands at the crossroads of two powerful theories. Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of “creative destruction” tells us that capitalism thrives on cycles of innovation that destroy old systems. But those at the heart of these cycles – like Musk – can become too revolutionary for the very systems they seek to transform. Meanwhile, in Keynesian terms, increased state intervention can shrink the private sector’s room to maneuver. Musk is now caught between these twin forces.
At this point, Musk can no longer be described as a mere “visionary CEO.” He has become a digital super-actor, determined to construct his own reality from the margins of the establishment. Despite reputational damage, he has not abandoned his ambition to build a new system. In fact, the boldest move of his career may still lie ahead.
If it succeeds, he will be remembered not just as a tech entrepreneur but as the founder of the first digital empire. And if it fails? Then Elon Musk may go down as the Prometheus of our time, who gave fire to the people, only to be condemned to solitude.