Elon Musk says he got carried away with political involvement

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, reflected on his brief foray into politics in a new interview with *The Economist* released Thursday. In the conversation, Musk admitted that he had become “a little too involved” in the political arena, describing his engagement as having “got carried away.” He cited the heightened political activity surrounding the 2024 U.S. election cycle as a key factor in his increased participation.

During the interview, Musk outlined how his social media presence and public statements had intersected with political discourse, noting that his tweets and commentary on policy issues had drawn attention from both supporters and critics. He acknowledged that his involvement was driven by a desire to influence policy areas he considers critical, such as energy, transportation, and technology regulation, but also recognized that the intensity of his engagement may have exceeded his original intentions.

Musk concluded that, while he remains open to discussing policy matters, he intends to keep his focus on his core businesses. He emphasized that his primary commitment is to advancing Tesla’s electric vehicle program and SpaceX’s space exploration initiatives, and that any future political engagement will be measured against the demands of those enterprises.