Live May 18, 2026 | Yaron Brook Show
(Season 12, Episode 87)
Musk vs OpenAI; Trump Fund; Trump Rules; China/Taiwan; Iran; Economy; Wealth Tax | Yaron Brook Show

Musk vs OpenAI, Trump vs Reality, and the Threat from China

The battle over AI is becoming a battle over civilization itself.

On this episode of Yaron Brook’s show, Yaron dives into the escalating conflict between Elon Musk and OpenAI, the growing authoritarian impulses surrounding Trump-era politics, China’s ambitions toward Taiwan, Iran’s ongoing threat, and the economic consequences of wealth taxes and government corruption.

Is America drifting toward cronyism and political tribalism instead of capitalism and freedom? Why are so many business leaders suddenly turning against innovation and risk-taking? And what happens when voters begin to normalize corruption as “just politics”?

Yaron connects the dots between AI fearmongering, economic stagnation, political power grabs, and the moral collapse behind today’s headlines.

Watch now and join the debate.

Watch the full episode here: https://youtube.com/live/nBpMo6VVGh8

⏱️ Main Topics
01:20 — Musk vs OpenAI
17:50 — Trump Fund
33:30 — Trump Rules
48:40 — China/Taiwan
1:00:30 — Iran
1:07:45 — Economy
1:13:15 — Wealth Tax

💬 Live Audience Questions
1:24:28 — Anger at work: how do you control it without becoming passive?
1:27:04 — Why are top AI leaders suddenly so negative about AI?
1:28:07 — Can “men of the mind” still save civilization?
1:30:11 — Yaron’s favorite restaurant in Chicago?
1:30:57 — Should Thomas Massie survive his primary challenge?
1:31:26 — Why are so few willing to confront Trump openly?
1:32:09 — Must companies grow endlessly to survive government pressure?
1:33:16 — Could Trump’s corruption finally expose government corruption broadly?
1:34:32 — Why is political violence judged so selectively?
See pinned comment for more questions

#ElonMusk #OpenAI #Trump #China #Taiwan #Iran #Economy #WealthTax #ArtificialIntelligence #chinausrelations #Objectivism #Capitalism #BigTech #CultureWar #ForeignPolicy

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Yaron is the executive chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute and a world class speaker. He is the coauthor of the national best-seller Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government, Equal is Unfair: America's Misguided Fight Against Income Inequality and In Pursuit of Wealth: The Moral Case for Finance. He speaks around the world on a variety of topics including the morality of capitalism, Ayn Rand and her philosophy, finance and economics, and the value of inequality.