"Canadian historian Quinn Slobodian and technology expert Ben Tarnoff have produced a remarkable book, published in the US under the telling title *Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed*. Upon picking up the German-language edition, one might initially assume it is an autobiography of Elon Musk—undeniably one of the most flamboyant figures of our time. This misleading impression is reinforced by the cover chosen by the publisher, featuring Elon Musk as "Technoking"—apparently intended as a marketing gimmick—and by the jarring translation of the original title into *Muskismus*. "Rise and Rule of a Technoking."
The introduction makes it clear, however, that the book is not an autobiography but rather a professionally researched, critical analysis of the socially, politically, and economically significant developments that Elon Musk—along with his legion of followers—has already set in motion or intends to initiate. The authors are concerned not merely with the individual Elon Musk, but primarily with dissecting a novel, post-liberal—yet by no means libertarian—worldview that the "avatar" Elon Musk has initiated and vehemently propagates. To describe this, the authors have chosen the apt term "Muskism." From the perspective of its proponents, Muskism represents a comprehensive modernization project (one that isn't afraid to wield a chainsaw!). Given Elon Musk’s increasingly bizarre and heavily right-leaning public appearances and tweets of late, a profound dissection of Muskism is urgently needed.
Reading the book reveals that Elon Musk embodies a combination of genius and an excess bordering on madness. Musk is convinced that brain-computer interfaces can be created to link humans and intelligent machines, forming a cyborg (a hybrid of a living biological organism and digital-technical components). Together with his ever-growing number of followers, he aims to transform our societies into controllable cybernetic collectives, providing the essential infrastructure—Starlink, the X platform, the AI assistant Grok—to make this happen. Musk intends to colonize Mars and establish a new world order. In short, his goal is to create a new operating model for 21st-century economy and society based on cutting-edge Silicon Valley technology; a model that promises individuals and governments self-sufficiency through advanced technology, yet paradoxically renders them utterly dependent on Silicon Valley’s techno-oligarchs. These oligarchs profit handsomely from the arrangement and can continue to expand the symbiosis with those in power—one need only think of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, titled "Foundation," the authors examine how the formative stages of Musk’s life culminated in "Muskism"—an ideology that is anything but grounded in traditional ideology. They look at factors such as his difficult youth in apartheid-era South Africa and his socialization within the Silicon Valley community, as well as his consistently disruptive entrepreneurial ventures, such as PayPal and Tesla. In doing so, the authors were guided by a shrewd insight: to understand the kind of world Musk wants to create, we must understand the world that produced Musk.
In the second part—tellingly titled "Cyborg"—Slobodian and Tarnoff expertly analyze the facets of the 21st-century operating model championed by Muskism, as well as the lives of a select white Western minority within this brave (?) new world. For Musk, the existing world is—to use the language of information technology—corrupted program code that requires radical cleansing, not least through expulsion. The new operating system, aimed at achieving "techno-sovereignty," must be shielded against the further infiltration of the so-called "woke virus"—a term frequently used in Donald Trump’s circle. Actively protecting the system entails measures such as purging social networks and the ideological "purification" of AI models. This select community must be safeguarded within a fortress equipped with superior technology against intruders—a category that presumably includes immigrants. Tellingly, Musk holds the master key to this fortress. Muskism is intended to save Western civilization, not least through expulsion and exclusion.
"If tolerance means the end of Western civilization," Musk declared to his 225 million followers in August 2025, "then we must not be tolerant."
It is well worth reading, but it is not a Sunday stroll. The societal disruptions envisioned by "Muskism" are enough to make one shudder. Whether the world actually changes in this direction depends, not least, on whether we and our politicians allow ourselves to be lulled by its siren songs. Anyone who has read the book can form an idea of what would lie in store for us should Muskism go mainstream. ROBERT FIETEN
Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff: *Muskismus. Aufstieg und Herrschaft eines Technoking* [Muskism: Rise and Rule of a Technoking]. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2026, 281 pages, 22 euros.” [1]
1. Die Gedankenwelt des Muskismus: Analyse eines kruden Weltverständnisses. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 04 May 2026: 16.
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