Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
SpaceX’s successful IPO turned CEO Elon Musk (briefly) into the world’s first trillionaire—and the most powerful person deciding the planet’s role in space. What does our new era of space capitalism mean for the role of states? And specifically in Musk’s case, does one man have too much power? How can governments regulate a person they rely on for innovation and, in some cases, access to satellites and the internet?
Historian Quinn Slobodian, co-author of the new book Muskism, argues that Musk has grand designs to control discourse on Earth—powered by technology in space. Slobodian joined FP Live to discuss how countries and companies can navigate Musk’s dominance.
Watch the interview at ForeignPolicy.com: foreignpolicy.com/live/quinn-slobodian-spacex-elon-musk-geopolitics
Read FP’s new print magazine here: foreignpolicy.com/projects/the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it
0:00 Intro
2:52 What is “Muskism”?
4:03 Musk’s ideology
5:55 Public-private dependency
8:06 “We’re in Musk’s world”
11:17 The dangers of Muskism
17:07 Tesla
19:00 SpaceX
21:23 The geopolitics of Musk’s companies
26:00 Global competition
29:10 National security implications
33:35 Is regulation possible?
37:57 The bubble
On the go? Listen to FP Live as a podcast at link.chtbl.com/foreignpolicylivepodcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
FP Live is Foreign Policy's forum for live journalism that brings leading foreign-policy experts and thinkers together to analyze the world's biggest events. Visit foreignpolicy.com/live for the full conversation and more live journalism from Foreign Policy.
Subscribe to Foreign Policy's Youtube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1x_EgZtYkAzVavuONBrLZQ?sub_confirmation=1
Visit foreignpolicy.com to read the latest global news and analysis from FP.
Follow Foreign Policy:
X - twitter.com/ForeignPolicy
Instagram - instagram.com/foreignpolicymag
Facebook - facebook.com/foreign.policy.magazine
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/foreign-policy-magazine
TikTok - tiktok.com/@foreignpolicymagazine
SpaceX’s successful IPO turned CEO Elon Musk (briefly) into the world’s first trillionaire—and the most powerful person deciding the planet’s role in space. What does our new era of space capitalism mean for the role of states? And specifically in Musk’s case, does one man have too much power? How can governments regulate a person they rely on for innovation and, in some cases, access to satellites and the internet?
Historian Quinn Slobodian, co-author of the new book Muskism, argues that Musk has grand designs to control discourse on Earth—powered by technology in space. Slobodian joined FP Live to discuss how countries and companies can navigate Musk’s dominance.
Watch the interview at ForeignPolicy.com: foreignpolicy.com/live/quinn-slobodian-spacex-elon-musk-geopolitics
Read FP’s new print magazine here: foreignpolicy.com/projects/the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it
0:00 Intro
2:52 What is “Muskism”?
4:03 Musk’s ideology
5:55 Public-private dependency
8:06 “We’re in Musk’s world”
11:17 The dangers of Muskism
17:07 Tesla
19:00 SpaceX
21:23 The geopolitics of Musk’s companies
26:00 Global competition
29:10 National security implications
33:35 Is regulation possible?
37:57 The bubble
On the go? Listen to FP Live as a podcast at link.chtbl.com/foreignpolicylivepodcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
FP Live is Foreign Policy's forum for live journalism that brings leading foreign-policy experts and thinkers together to analyze the world's biggest events. Visit foreignpolicy.com/live for the full conversation and more live journalism from Foreign Policy.
Subscribe to Foreign Policy's Youtube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1x_EgZtYkAzVavuONBrLZQ?sub_confirmation=1
Visit foreignpolicy.com to read the latest global news and analysis from FP.
Follow Foreign Policy:
X - twitter.com/ForeignPolicy
Instagram - instagram.com/foreignpolicymag
Facebook - facebook.com/foreign.policy.magazine
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/foreign-policy-magazine
TikTok - tiktok.com/@foreignpolicymagazine
