If Books Could Kill – "Elon Musk Part 2" Episode Summary
Date: December 18, 2025
Hosts: Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri
Podcast Theme: Debunking popular airport bestsellers—especially those that “ruined our minds.”
Overview
This episode is the second in a two-part dissection of Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk biography, focusing on the period from 2018 onwards. Michael and Peter unravel the tumultuous arc of Musk’s public and private life: from his disastrous PR moments, legal wrangling, and self-inflicted social media wounds, to his catastrophic Twitter takeover and ultimate political radicalization. The hosts critique Isaacson’s framing, notably its lack of interest in Musk’s right-wing drift and its failures as a “great man” narrative.
Key Discussion Points
1. The 2018 Turning Point: The Thai Cave Saga and "Pedo Guy"
[00:32–06:44]
- Isaacson frames 2018 as when media adoration sours for Musk.
- Musk’s unsolicited attempt to “rescue” trapped Thai soccer players with a submarine—which experts say was unworkable—gets labeled as a “delusional savior complex.”
- “No, dude, this is a delusional savior complex, right?” (Host, [02:27])
- Critique from cave diver Vernon Unsworth (“stick his submarine where it hurts”) prompts Musk’s notorious “pedo guy” insult and wild, evidence-free accusations.
- Musk is sued for defamation; he escapes consequences thanks to a more capable legal team, not the merits of his case.
- “One of the world historical bag fumbles. This guy’s choice of a lawyer.” (Co-host, [06:35])
2. SEC Showdown & the "Funding Secured" Fiasco
[06:44–09:11]
- Musk tweets about taking Tesla private at $420—no secured funding.
- Faces SEC penalties, temporarily refuses a deal, then relents after a stock crash and threat of a lifetime company ban.
- “It is wild how much, like, just openly illegal shit he’s done.” (Co-host, [07:30])
- The Era of No Consequences: Musk internalizes the lesson that he can act with impunity.
3. Public Unraveling: Weird Interviews, Rogan, Cybertruck
[09:11–14:16]
- NYT interview shows Musk exhausted, erratic; public starts doubting his stability.
- PR advisers push him to do more media—leads to infamous weed-smoking on Joe Rogan’s show.
- Rift with brother Kimbal and executive departures.
- Cybertruck reveal becomes a meme-worthy failure, undermining the “cost of genius” narrative.
- “You see that stupid truck and you’re like, actually, yeah, yeah, yeah.” (Host, [12:40])
4. Great Man, Great Blind Spots: Isaacson’s Narrative Failures
[15:14–17:07]
- Isaacson admits 2018–2023 were radicalizing years but compresses all Musk’s political transformation into a single chapter ("Politics").
- Ignores Musk’s anti-union activity, the apartheid roots of his politics, and how “resentment-based” escalation becomes his defining trait.
5. The Pandemic Era & Political Radicalization
[17:07–24:49]
- Downplays or omits Musk’s COVID denial and anti-vaccine rhetoric.
- Misses the massive political story: the radicalization of Silicon Valley elites, with Musk at the center.
- Covers Musk’s "woke mind virus" obsession and how personal grievances (his trans daughter’s transition and estrangement) fuel his right-wing turn.
- Isaacson is naively “credulous” of Musk’s supposed acceptance of his daughter, ignores actual public statements, and never reaches out to those affected for comment.
6. Musk’s Rightward Lurch: From Wokeness to Republican Kingmaking
[24:49–33:42]
- Musk’s estrangement from Democrats and public embrace of the Republican Party after sexual assault allegations emerge.
- Downplays key events: Musk’s influential circle (David Sacks, Peter Thiel) and their shared history of right-wing activism.
- Exposes Isaacson’s “blind spot”—he accepts these figures’ self-styling as “not rigidly partisan.”
7. Starlink Crisis: Isaacson’s Reporting Flaws
[32:00–35:39]
- Major reporting error: Isaacson claims Musk “turned off” Starlink to sabotage a Ukrainian attack; actual story is Musk declined to extend coverage.
- Isaacson corrects after publication, but this exposes his reliance on Musk as a sole source and weak fact-checking.
8. Twitter Takeover: Emotional Playground
[35:58–45:20]
- Musk buys Twitter out of a need to "own the playground" where he’s been bullied; hosts think this gives him too much credit.
- “He’s just like: ‘I’m gonna buy this. I’m gonna make you like me.’” (Co-host, [38:24])
- Quick realization he can’t wriggle out of the $44B deal.
- Waives due diligence, launches platform changes based on “emotional pain.”
9. Sinking the Platform: Management Chaos & "Hardcore" Layoffs
[45:20–47:25]
- Musk’s war on "psychological safety"—wants "hardcore discomfort" and slashes Twitter’s workforce from 8,000 to 2,000.
- Hasty decision-making leads to technical and content disasters: mass outages, unmoderated harmful materials (animal torture, child abuse) slip through.
- Twitter becomes “a click-driven shithole.”
- “That’s the price you pay for ripping out the infrastructure and backfilling it.” (Host, [46:31])
10. Blue Check Debacle & Unleashing Chaos
[47:25–49:23]
- Twitter verification becomes paid; site overrun with impersonators (“Eli Lilly: Insulin is now free.”)
- Musk can’t grasp basic social functions or anticipate predictable trolling.
- Platform devolves further; he’s "out of his depth in a social media space."
11. Moderation Mayhem & Musk’s Hypocrisy
[49:23–54:48]
- Musk claims “free speech absolutism,” but quickly censors and retaliates against critics.
- Noteworthy moment: staffer resigns after Musk tweets baseless conspiracy about Paul Pelosi attack, delivers:
- “It’s really such obvious partisan misinformation, and it makes me worry about you and what kind of friends you’re getting information from... only... the 10th percentile of the adult population [would] be gullible enough to fall for this.” (Data Scientist’s resignation, [51:25])
- Musk personally intervenes in moderation: bans and re-instates figures (Alex Jones, Trump) based on capricious Twitter polls.
12. Twitter Files, Content Moderation, and International Pandering
[61:40–65:39]
- Musk gives Matt Taibbi access to Twitter moderation; little real evidence of “liberal bias.”
- Isaacson uncritically parrots right-wing claims about political donations and “suppression”—ignoring much larger compliance with right-wing government requests under Musk.
- Major policy reversals; Musk’s moderation as arbitrary as predecessors, just with a different bias.
13. The Myth of the Private Sector Savior
[70:07–84:55]
- DOGE Era: Musk joins government as “Department of Government Efficiency” chief, quickly causes humanitarian disaster by slashing foreign aid and manufacturing "Social Security fraud" panic.
- Musk and right-wing media hype nonexistent “fraud” by grossly misunderstanding data (e.g., “20 million people over 120” in Social Security database), failing to prove any actual theft or abuse.
- Rogan: “So to be clear: 20 million people that were receiving funds?”
Musk: “Most of them were not receiving funds. Some of them were...”
(Rogan tries to pin him down; Musk dodges, [78:54])
- Rogan: “So to be clear: 20 million people that were receiving funds?”
- The actual government error rate is below 1%; Musk’s claims are empty posturing.
14. The Downfall of the “Great Man”
[84:55–90:53]
- Isaacson sticks to a “great man” script, missing the story of Musk’s unraveling and right-wing radicalization—even as, by 2024–25, Musk is funding Trump, speaking at rallies, and joining government with disastrous results.
- The episode closes with Michael and Peter reflecting on how money and power warped Musk and enabled his worst traits—and how the myth of the benevolent entrepreneur persists despite all evidence to the contrary.
- Final gut punch: Musk’s infamous failed joke on Joe Rogan, summarized by Peter as a masterclass in “pity laughter” and self-delusion ([87:22] and after).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
Pedo Guy Lawsuit
“Yeah, so basically this guy lives in Thailand, therefore he’s a pedophile, and then just, like a bunch of lying.”
— Co-host ([05:32])
The Illusion of Consequences
“It is wild how much, like, just openly illegal shit he’s done.”
— Co-host ([07:30])
Cybertruck Flop
“The cybertruck was just like a failure on every level, like, aesthetically, culturally, financially.”
— Co-host ([12:20])
Dissecting the Isaacson Blind Spot
“Isaacson is not familiar enough with right wing ideology to recognize that Elon’s acceptance of Vivian is disingenuous.”
— Host ([24:49])
The Data Scientist’s Call-out
“It’s really such obvious partisan misinformation, and it makes me worry about you and what kind of friends you’re getting information from... The color drained from Musk’s already pale face... ‘Fuck you,’ Musk growled.”
— Data Scientist/Host ([51:25])
Twitter and Free Speech
“He’s being hypocritical in the way that every other right winger is. ... He knows enough to know that Elon is absorbing some right wing shit, but that’s really...”
— Host ([61:15])
Exposing the “Social Security Fraud” Grift
“He says 20 million people who couldn’t be alive are in the database. Doge says they found 20 million over 112. 3 million over 120...”
— Host ([81:02])
Musk’s Joke on Rogan
“It’s like as if poop is—eating poop is a job. Like, that’s not really what the joke is.”
— Co-host ([89:04])
“The joke has been over for five seconds and Elon is now explaining it. And Rogan’s like, ‘Oh, I got—Oh, it’s over. I gotta laugh.’”
— Host ([89:04])
Timestamps for Major Events
- Thai Cave & "Pedo Guy": [01:14]–[06:44]
- Tesla $420 Fraud & SEC: [06:44]–[09:11]
- NYT & Rogan Interviews: [09:11]–[11:46]
- Cybertruck Reveal: [12:16]–[14:16]
- Political Radicalization: [15:14]–[24:49]
- Estrangement from Daughter: [23:20]–[25:27]
- Starlink & Ukraine Reporting Error: [32:00]–[35:39]
- Twitter Takeover & Meltdown: [35:58]–[49:23]
- Paul Pelosi Conspiracy: [50:30]–[52:16]
- Musk’s Free Speech Hypocrisy: [53:24]–[61:39]
- Twitter Files: [61:40]–[65:39]
- DOGE & Social Security Myth: [70:07]–[84:55]
- Rogan Interview, “300-year-olds”: [76:41]–[82:43]
- Endgame Jokes & Downfall: [84:55]–End
Conclusion
Michael and Peter ultimately eviscerate not just Musk’s character, but the willingness of writers like Isaacson—and much of the media— to buy into the myth of “genius” tech saviors. The “great man” frame prevents reckoning with Musk’s personal failures, political damage, and the real consequences of letting unaccountable billionaires shape technology, discourse, and government.
“He set out to write a great man biography, and he never actually asked, is this really a great man?”
— Co-host ([85:14])
For listeners, this episode is as sharply irreverent as ever: a blend of biting humor, clear-eyed critique, and cathartic commiseration over the damage wielded by a modern tycoon—and the storytellers who enable him.