Elon Musk’s diatribe against subsidies ignores the history of the tech industry

In the United States, we tend to listen with rapt attention to the wisdom of people who have succeeded in the private sector. If they have made billions, we think, surely they must have profound insights about the world. When the person speaking is obviously brilliant, this adds to our veneration. So when someone as staggeringly rich and intelligent as Elon Musk talks, people listen.

Alas, what came out of Musk’s mouth this week was a series of self-serving and ill-informed comments about President Biden’s spending plans. Musk advised that it would be “better, honestly, if the bill doesn’t pass,” because “our spending is so far in excess of revenue, it’s insane.” Seemingly selfless, he explained that he didn’t want any subsidies for himself or his flagship company Tesla, neither for charging stations nor for cars. “I’m literally saying: ‘Get rid of all subsidies,’ ” he said.

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