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 EnshittificationImpeccably researched and splendidly written, Muskism introduces us to a world full of promise and fear – Branko Milanovic, author of The Great Global TransformationA whirlwind tour through the plans and inspirations of the world’s most self-important man – Malcolm Harris, author of Palo AltoThis 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 InsecurityThe 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 MaxProvocative, always challenging, sometimes staggering - an extraordinary portrait of our age – Rory StewartAs 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 *

Quinn Slobodian (Author)

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 (Author)

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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