Democracy Is Dead: Elon Musk Becomes World's First Trillionaire

Ben Norton explains.

The Tech Billionaire Plan to Destroy Democracy | Gil Duran | TMR

Jun 20, 2026 | Gil Duran, publisher of the Nerd Reich newsletter, joins to discuss John O’Farrell a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz who recently quit the VC firm over their prioritizing of AI hype over the common good. You can preorder Gil’s book “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley’s Fascism and the War on Democracy” here.

People like Peter Thiel may WANT to live forever, but even though I am no doctor, I can assure him that he will not. Just look at how much and how quickly Peter Thiel has aged in just a few years! Peter Thiel and people like him are living in a land of make-believe. They are totally and utterly delusional. — © Mark Alexander

The Great Billionaire Theft of America: Musk, the Ellisons, and a Bipartisan Posse with Gil Duran

Jun 15, 2026 | Journalist and author Gil Duran joins Wajahat Ali to examine how billionaire influence has transformed American politics, media, and public life.

From Elon Musk and Larry Ellison to powerful tech investors and corporate donors, a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals now wield extraordinary influence over elections, public policy, information systems, and the economy.

Waj and Gil explore how both major political parties have increasingly relied on wealthy donors, why corporate power continues to expand regardless of election outcomes, and whether America is drifting toward a new era of oligarchic rule.

Has democracy been outspent by billionaires—or can ordinary citizens still reclaim power from the elite?

This Is Oligarchy: Elon Musk Becomes World's First TRILLIONAIRE with SpaceX IPO

Jun 13, 2026 | Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire, with the IPO of his company SpaceX. He is a symbol of how the United States has become an oligarchy, where elections are bought by rich elites and large corporations, and extreme wealth is concentrated in a few hands. Ben Norton explains.

This is just the start! Now we have one trillionaire. How long will it be before we have many? That we have trillionaires at all is the result of Reaganomics and Thatcherism. That political duo were the start of this INSANITY. And the WEAK political leaders the West has had to tolerate ever since have allowed this nonsense to take shape. That we had multi-billionaires hundreds of times over was bad enough, but now, with the start of the trillionaire class developing, things are about to take a turn for the worse. Bleak times lie ahead for us little people! Goodbye democracy; hello servitude! — © Mark Alexander

Elon Musk Will Be a Trillionaire ‘Fleetingly’ | Robert Watts

Jun 13, 2026 | “This is a valuation largely built on AI, and there are other more interesting businesses already making stronger advances.”

Elon Musk has been made a trillionaire, who is four times as rich anyone else on earth, by a valuation of SpaceX’s AI potential that is “north of a hundred times the annual revenue of the business,” says compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List Robert Watts.

How Elon Musk Became the Face of Broken American Capitalism

Jun 14, 2026 | Investigative journalist and founder of The Lever Dave Sirota joins Wajahat Ali to examine how Elon Musk's rise reflects deeper problems in American capitalism and the political establishment.

Waj and Dave discuss the role of government subsidies, regulatory policy, corporate lobbying, campaign financing, and media influence in helping create today's tech oligarchs. They explore how billionaire power intersects with politics, why accountability has become increasingly difficult, and what Musk's empire reveals about the relationship between wealth and public policy in the United States.

The conversation also looks beyond Musk himself to the broader system that rewards concentration of wealth, privatizes gains, socializes risk, and gives extraordinary influence to a small group of powerful individuals.

The central question: Is Elon Musk an exception—or the inevitable product of a political and economic system designed to benefit billionaires?

Donald Trump Has Let Elon Musk Vandalize America | Steve Schmidt

Jun 12, 2026 | Elon Musk is officially the world's first trillionaire and the most dangerous man in the world. Steve Schmidt breaks down why SpaceX must be nationalized, Elon brought to justice, and Trump along with him. Support The Warning and become a member today!


Steve Schmidt, in this video, delivers a BRILLIANT synopsis. Elon Musk is indeed a Nazi. He is a very dangerous mana. — © Mark Alexaander

Elon Musk Becomes World’s First Trillionaire

THE TELEGRAPH: Tech boss’s net worth rises above $1tn mark as shares in SpaceX surge 20pc in initial trading

Elon Musk has become the first trillionaire in history after his SpaceX business floated on the stock market in New York.

The world’s richest man’s net worth soared above the $1tn mark (£860bn) as shares in his rocket business surged by 20pc in initial trading after the company went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Mr Musk has a stake of around 43pc in the rocket venture, which was valued at $2.1tn (£1.8tn) as markets opened, on top of his shares in Tesla and his other start-ups.

SpaceX’s shares jumped to $162 in early trading, flying past its initial listing price of $135.

It means Mr Musk’s stakes in SpaceX and Tesla have crystallised into a $1tn paper fortune, although he is prevented from selling shares in SpaceX for at least one year under the terms of the float. » | Matthew Field | Senior Technology Reporter | Friday, June 12, 2026

Here’s What It’s Like Having $100 Billion vs. $1 Billion | Robert Reich

Mar 29, 2022 • Americans worth over $100 billion:

Elon Musk: $270B
Jeff Bezos: $190B
Bill Gates: $135B
Warren Buffett: $130B
Larry Page: $119B
Sergey Brin: $115B
Larry Ellison: $113B

World's First Trillionaire Is Alive Today

THE INDEPENDENT: It’s pretty tough to understand exactly how ludicrously large a figure one trillion dollars is. ‘One with twelve zeroes’ doesn’t do it justice, but instead imagine this: even if you were profligate enough to spend a million dollars a day it would still take you 2,739 years to burn through a trillion dollars. It's that much money.

The owner of such a sum would be wealth enough to give out $140 to everyone on the planet, or – if the whim took them - buy the entirety of central London at today’s real estate prices, as The Times [£] has recently reported. » | James Vincent | Tuesday, May 06, 2014