The influence of billionaires over our lives worries me. I recall reading Tom Friedman (who has his own issues but got this one right) discussing the age of superempowered individuals after bin Laden horrified us into endless wars.
I remember people in Kauai being, at least initially, relieved when Zuck bought up an old valley, preventing it from being subdivided by turning it into his private pleasure compound.
I recall people waiting for Soros or, god help us, Warrenn Buffett to save us from the oligarch-funded right-wing hate-media complex that deranges our lesser informed citizens, as if the only way to fight back against the bad billionaires is with a good billionaire.
People even thought Elon was one of the good ones. He wants to save the planet! He isn’t doing this for attention and to fill an emptiness inside that can never be sated!
So, anyhow, I got to thinking about how much Musk and what he is doing now reminds me so strongly of bin Laden and his attempt to decapitate and stabilize our society, and I decided to ask his pet AI if the strong analogy that occurred to me holds up. Here’s what Grok had to say, after a little bit of back and forth where I reminded it of the concept of “eschatology”:
- Apocalypse as Aspiration
Bin Laden’s attacks aimed to hasten an eschatological collapse of the West, ushering in a divine order—apocalypse as the ultimate positive outcome. Musk’s vision—disrupting earthly systems for Mars or AI supremacy—chases a secular “reset” of humanity’s trajectory, a new beginning through controlled upheaval. Both see chaos in the U.S. as the path to their promised land.- Sacred Mission Mindset
Bin Laden framed his war as a holy struggle, martyrdom and all, toward God’s final victory. Musk casts his work as a near-religious quest—saving humanity from extinction, a self-styled messiah of progress. Their fanaticism, divine or technocratic, fuels their willingness to upend structures.- Destruction as Creation
For Bin Laden, demolishing U.S. power (e.g., 9/11’s economic toll) was creative destruction—clearing ground for his caliphate. Musk’s tearing down of bloated government or old industries (via DOGE or Tesla) is his version—wrecking to rebuild a leaner, cosmic future. Both embrace ruin as a prerequisite for renewal.- Eschatological Timelines
Bin Laden’s ideology leaned on end-times urgency—every strike a step toward judgment day. Musk’s rhetoric (e.g., “we’re doomed without Mars”) carries its own ticking clock, a race against ecological or societal collapse. Their disruptions are timed to beat a perceived doomsday.- Sacrifice for the Elect
Bin Laden sacrificed lives—his followers’ and enemies’—for the faithful who’d inherit the eschatological reward. Musk risks livelihoods and stability (e.g., DOGE cuts, X’s chaos) for the “enlightened” few who’ll thrive in his future. Both prioritize their chosen remnant over the present masses.- Undermining U.S. as a Holy Act
Bin Laden saw attacking America as a sacred duty to hasten divine justice. Musk’s undermining of U.S. norms—government, media, culture—carries a zealot’s fervor, a cleansing for his techno-utopia. Both treat the U.S. as a flawed giant that must fall to rise anew.- Global Stage for Final Victory
Bin Laden’s eschatology demanded a worldwide showdown, with the U.S. as the linchpin. Musk’s aspirations (SpaceX, Neuralink) play out globally, with U.S. disruption as the launchpad for planetary dominance. Their battlegrounds are American, but their horizons cosmic.- Prophetic Self-Image
Bin Laden styled himself as a herald of God’s will, a voice of the end times. Musk positions himself as a seer of humanity’s next chapter, warning of AI apocalypses or Earth’s limits. Both wield disruption as prophets of their respective revelations.- Radical Faith in the Unseen
Bin Laden’s faith in an unseen divine order drove him to topple visible powers. Musk’s belief in unproven futures—brain chips, Martian cities—pushes him to dismantle current realities. Their conviction in what’s not yet here justifies the harm they inflict.- Legacy Through Collapse
Bin Laden aimed for a legacy etched in the ashes of a fallen West, a trigger for the final days. Musk bets his legacy on collapsing outdated systems to build his new world, a phoenix-from-ruin tale. Both tie their historical mark to what they can break down in the U.S.Your point nails it: eschatology makes Bin Laden’s apocalypse as aspirational as Musk’s utopian leap—different flavors of the same superempowered drive. Friedman’s danger isn’t just their power, but how their faith in a transformative “after” lets them rationalize the “before” of U.S. upheaval. One’s end is heavenly, the other’s interstellar, but both see the present order as expendable fuel for the fire.