Muskism

A searing analysis of Elon Musk… Impressive and unrelenting, this grapples with a destructive ideology that seems poised to consume everything * Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review) *
A searching look into Elon Musk’s quest to rule the universe… Muskism is a doctrine of wealth for the few and political and economic domination: SpaceX in space, X and Grok online, Starlink on every phone… Dystopian isn’t a strong enough word for the technocratic future the authors prophesy in this bleak but urgent book * Kirkus *
Slobodian is an academic historian and public intellectual. I look to him for accessible but probing takes on Cold War neoliberals, the failings of globalism, and–you guessed it, a certain world-cratering slimeball in Silicon Valley. Ben Tarnoff is a leading tech writer, known for his clarion call to deprivatize the internet. So these two feel like the perfect guides to help a layman understand the Musk phenomenon * Literary Hub, “Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026” *
Muskism cuts straight to the core of the man and the moment – Cory Doctorow, author of Enshittification
Impeccably researched and splendidly written, Muskism introduces us to a world full of promise and fear – Branko Milanovic, author of The Great Global Transformation
A whirlwind tour through the plans and inspirations of the world’s most self-important man – Malcolm Harris, author of Palo Alto
This book is brilliant in all the ways Elon Musk is not: unflinchingly honest, actually humorous, and deeply humane. Unlike their subject, these authors punch up, not down, and they do so with erudition and precision. A wholly original and insightful analysis that deserves to be read by the billions of people impacted by Musk’s pathological quest for power and wealth – Astra Taylor, author of The Age of Insecurity
The bad news is that Elon Musk is the most powerful and influential man alive—the world-soul astride a Cybertruck. The good news is that Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian have written this sharp, stimulating guide not just to the man and his ideology but to the paradigm and ‘operating system’ he represents. Forget the hagiographies and conspiracy theories, this is the only book you need to understand Musk and the world he’s seeking to usher in – Max Read, editor of Read Max
Provocative, always challenging, sometimes staggering - an extraordinary portrait of our age – Rory Stewart
As Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff argue in this fascinating and chilling book, [Musk] is selling “technosecurity” - safety through energy sulf-sufficiency, surveillance, robotics and AI - to a frightened world. His business model is to bind so tightly with the state that he makes himself indispensable… As Slobodian and Tarnoff point out, “Trying to unplug from Musk, you realise that he owns the socket – Emma Duncan * The Times *
Like Fordism, [Muskism] is a modernising project. Unlike Fordism, it does not aim to distribute its rewards widely… Rather than self-reliance, we are offered merely greater reliance on the Techno-king of Tesla himself. This might seem like an obvious point to make, but it develops into one of the book’s strongest insights, as Slobodian and Tarnoff follow the thread of dependence across Musk’s empire… even those who are bored by Musk and his dominance of the 24-hour news cycle will find Muskism compelling. It’s a well-researched account of how we have arrived at a point where so many resources are concentrated in the hands of just one man, and how this fact alone will inevitably shape the future, long after he’s gone – Christopher Webb * The Guardian *
For understanding where we are and how we got here, Muskism is an essential read – Ian Hughes * The Irish Times *
A lively and well-edited narrative – Jonathan Prynn * The Standard *
Compelling… a well-researched account of how we have arrived at a point where so many resources are concentrated in the hands of just one man, and how this fact alone will inevitably shape the future, long after he’s gone – Christopher Webb * The Guardian *
Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed provides a survey of the beliefs espoused by the world’s richest man, and erstwhile Trump ally, guiding readers through Musk’s bizarre and sometimes terrifying ideas – Frieda Klotz * The Irish Independent *
Anyone tempted to buy into the hoopla surrounding the flotation of SpaceX may first want to read this polemical teardown of Elon Musk’s business practices by a Canadian historian and a tech writer. Muskism, as the authors oversimplify it, revolves around the exercise of oligarchic power and the backdoor privatisation of the state * Financial Times *
A revealing portrait of the world’s richest man * Economist *
Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed begins with a simple proposition. We live in a bewildering moment defined by a bewildering man: Elon Musk. Not that the book’s authors, Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, believe there’s much to be gained by peering into Musk’s soul… . The authors pluck out some themes, beginning with his childhood in apartheid South Africa… . [and] skillfully guide us through the subsequent decades, as Musk made his fortune and learned some lessons that would become foundational to Muskism – Jennifer Szalai * The New York Times Book Review *
Muskism is not a biography, although Musk’s life story informs the thesis. It is an explanation of the future we are entering – Alex Hochuli * Jacobin *
Persuasive and vital – Mark O’Connell * The New York Review of Books *
Slobodian and Tarnoff’s ‘guide for the perplexed’ capably and cleverly attempts to recognize the world that produced Elon Musk as well as how he became an icon and later, a political firebrand. Pithy and informative from beginning to end * Booklist *
In their new book Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, historian Quinn Slobodian and tech writer Ben Tarnoff dig into the mindset of Silicon Valley’s most gauche tycoon and touch on science fiction more tangentially, but their firmer grasp of just what flavor of capitalism Musk and his cohort represent sheds a brighter light on the topic – Laura Miller * Slate *
[Muskism is] packed with insights about why we find ourselves in such a perilous situation in which a handful of unelected individuals exert unprecedented domestic and global power – Misha Glenny * Financial Times *
An illuminating book that examines where Mr Musk came from and the episodes that shaped his worldview. In many ways it is the inverse of Walter Isaacson’s authorised biography of 2023. Despite the lack of direct access to Mr Musk, the authors provide a portrait of his psyche that is arguably more revealing… . the resulting book is, you might say, a Musk-read * The Economist *
Slobodian and Tarnoff’s fascinating book … . sheds important light on how one man is trying to remake the world in his own image – while the rest of us haven’t even been consulted – Noel Castree * The Conversation *
Clarifying and unsettling – Aaron Timms * The New Republic *

Quinn Slobodian is Professor of International History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. His books include Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy and, most recently, Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right.

Ben Tarnoff is a writer and technologist based in Massachusetts and is the author of Internet for the People and the co-author of Voices from the Valley: Tech Workers Talk About What They Do - And How They Do It. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, and has also written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, and the New Republic, among other publications.

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