The Making of Musk: Understood

Episode 2: Technocracy, Inc.

CBC | Released: October 14, 2025

Overview

This episode explores the enigmatic legacy of Elon Musk by delving deeply into his family’s Canadian and South African roots, focusing particularly on his grandfather, Joshua Haldeman. Through a richly reported narrative, it examines how Haldeman’s radical politics, involvement with the utopian-yet-authoritarian movement Technocracy Incorporated, and eventual emigration to apartheid-era South Africa sowed early seeds for the anti-democratic, technocratic impulses woven through Musk’s life—and Silicon Valley at large. The episode draws sharp parallels between historical and modern “techno-authoritarianism,” blending biography, archival narration, and present-day interviews to pose the central question: is the vision for a society ruled by engineers, not politicians, inherited family lore or a broader dogma infecting today’s digital elites?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joshua Haldeman: A Family History of Restlessness and Control

• [01:00-03:11] Investigative journalist Jeff Leo uncovers Musk’s grandfather as a vivid public figure in Saskatchewan—far from a mere historical footnote.
  • “He showed up in the local newspaper more than 500 times… Shouting matches, public speeches—he was such a character.” (Narrator, 01:50)
• [02:20-03:43] Haldeman’s roles: chiropractor, farmer, politician, adventurer, and amateur pilot.
• [03:43-04:56] His quest for “control” emerges as a response to the chaos and economic collapse of the 1930s Dust Bowl.

2. Crisis and Radical Politics in 1930s Canada

• [04:56-06:22] Contextualizes economic desperation and popularity of fringe movements:
  • The rise of fascism, communism, and politically “non-conformist” groups, notably Technocracy Incorporated.
• [06:22-08:05] Technocracy Inc.:
  • Advocated replacing politicians with scientists/engineers (“morons” vs. “experts”).
  • Sought to abolish money and national borders, aiming for a scientifically-managed “Technate.”

3. Parallels to Elon Musk’s Worldview

• [08:05-09:10]
  • “Do you want the DMV to do it?” (Elon Musk, 08:27) — Musk’s dismissive view of government echoes technocratic skepticism of democracy.
• [09:10-12:10] Haldeman rises to lead Technocracy Inc. in Canada, labeled “seditious” at the outbreak of WWII; he is eventually arrested for defying the government but avoids prison.
• [13:33-14:38] His subsequent search for a society aligned with his ideals leads through spiritualism and a South African prophecy:
  • “South Africa will become the leader of white civilization in the world.” (Anglican Minister, 14:12)
  • The Haldemans emigrate to Pretoria, embracing apartheid’s “order and hierarchy.”

4. Family Lore, Myth, and Modern Musk

• [16:12-17:13] Musk’s grandmother, Winifred (“grandma Winn”), perpetuates robust family stories—feeding Elon’s self-image and appetite for risk.
• [17:04-17:49] Clear parallels: both Haldeman and Musk adore aviation, lead every group they join, are combative and openly political.
  • “Both men… were not afraid to get in a dust up.” (Narrator, 17:28)
  • Musk, on advertisers: “If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Is that clear?” (Elon Musk, 17:37)

5. Silicon Valley: Technocracy Reborn

• [18:49-22:57] Musk’s arrival in Silicon Valley — pathway to power and adoption of “bossism” (Afrikaans ‘baskap’):
  • “You were the big boss in charge. The big man.” (Will Shoki, 22:57)
  • Early startups like Zip2 reveal Musk’s desire for control and confrontation with (often older, experienced) staff.
  • “He’d tell them they were full of shit and that he knew better.” (Derek Proudian, 21:15)
• [24:14-24:44] Musk’s management and anti-union stance mirror the hostility to workplace democracy and participatory politics.
  • “His fierce crackdown on any kind of union organizing… shows this hostility to democracy and to participation.” (Will Shoki, 24:44)

6. The PayPal Mafia and the South African Connection

• [25:29-35:01]
  • The PayPal Mafioso: Musk, Peter Thiel, David Sacks, Roelof Botha—all with ties to South or southern Africa.
  • Thiel’s history includes pro-apartheid stances at Stanford.
  • These shared backgrounds “just felt almost natural… Silicon Valley would be the next frontier in living out this upbringing.” (Will Shoki, 35:50)
• [35:10-36:17] Apartheid SA viewed as a “capitalist frontier,” which intersects perfectly with the libertarian, anti-regulation drive shaping Valley culture.

7. Techno-Authoritarianism: The New Oligarchy

• [37:42-40:52]
  • Marc Andreessen’s “Techno-Optimist Manifesto” is dissected as a modern accelerationist, almost proto-fascist document:
    • “Technology must be a violent assault on the forces of the unknown to force them to bow before man.” (Marc Andreessen, 40:28)
    • The manifesto swaps “poetry” for “technology” from the original Futurist text, echoing the 1930s glorification of technologically-enabled autocracy.
• [39:53-42:58] The episode argues that this new class’s “will to power and impatience with democracy” is increasingly open, direct, and hostile to dissent or skepticism—often captured in billionaire Twitter (now X) posts and real political actions.

8. Musk, Tech, and Political Power

• [42:58-43:11] From the Oval Office, Musk decries bureaucracy and pitches Dogecoin as democracy’s “savior”—while, ironically, offering technocratic, oligarchic solutions.
• [43:11-44:47] Technocracy Inc. imagined centralized rule by engineers; today’s elite bemoan bureaucracy, seeking power with minimal state oversight—a vision closer to oligarchy than the old sci-fi utopias.

9. Silicon Valley’s Shift: From Garage Optimism to Grievance Politics

• [46:00-46:25]
  • “There is a sort of permanent sense of being the underdog despite being the most powerful people in the world.” (Adrian LaFrance, 46:00)
  • The cheerful tinkerer myth is replaced by grievance, paranoia, and executive power-grabs, culminating in Musk and a cohort of “self-anointed technocrats” gathered at the Trump inauguration.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Control, it’s a word that comes up again and again with Haldeman.”
  (Jacob Silverman, 03:43)

• “The government is just like the DMV that got big… If a commercial company operated the way the federal government does, it would immediately go bankrupt.”
  (Elon Musk, 08:27)

• “One of the fundamental problems… was that it was run by politicians who they saw as morons… So the solution was a government by experts, a government by scientists.”
  (Narrator, 07:13)

• “He would come into meetings with executives with 20+ years experience and tell them they were full of shit and he knew better.”
  (Derek Proudian, 21:15)

• “Bossism… the unquestioned authority. An attitude [Musk] carried with him into every company.”
  (Will Shoki, 22:57)

• “He’s said he thinks he shares some of [his grandfather’s] spirit of adventure and love of risk.”
  (Narrator, 16:42)

• “Technology must be a violent assault on the forces of the unknown so they bow before man.”
  (Marc Andreessen, quoted by Adrian LaFrance, 40:28)

• “What meaning does democracy actually have if the people cannot vote and have their will be decided by their elected representatives? …then we don’t live in a democracy, we live in a bureaucracy.”
  (Elon Musk, 42:58)

• “Despite being the most powerful people in the world, there is a sort of permanent sense of being the underdog.”
  (Adrian LaFrance, 46:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:00-03:11] Introduction to Joshua Haldeman and uncovering his history.
• [06:22-08:05] Explanation of Technocracy Incorporated.
• [09:10-12:10] Canadian government cracks down on Technocracy.
• [13:33-14:38] Haldeman’s “prophecy” and move to South Africa.
• [18:49-22:57] Musk’s rise in Silicon Valley, “bossism,” and PayPal years.
• [25:29-35:01] PayPal Mafia, their African roots, and their political influence.
• [37:42-40:52] Andreessen’s “Techno-Optimist Manifesto” and its reactionary echoes.
• [42:58-44:47] Musk on democracy, from the Oval Office.
• [46:00-46:25] The “underdog” self-image of Silicon Valley power brokers.

Conclusion

Episode 2 of The Making of Musk: Understood reveals how Musk’s story is not merely one of personal ambition and genius but is entwined with a family tradition of seeking to control chaos—often through radical ideologies that distrust democracy. By tracing Technocracy Inc.'s failed utopian visions to today’s “bossism" of the Silicon elite, the podcast raises urgent questions: Is Silicon Valley’s “maker” culture just the old technocratic impulse in a new, pinstriped form? And what happens when unelected billionaires, with inherited myths of control, begin to rule not only companies but the future itself?

Next Episode Teaser:
The family fractures underlying Musk’s empire come to the fore, as the myth of control unravels at home.