Is Elon Musk a Con Man?

Sam Harris speaks with Alex Gibney about his new documentary, Musk. They discuss Sam’s former friendship with Musk, the line between visionary and con man, the myth of Tesla’s founding, the staged self-driving video, Musk’s lurch to the right, DOGE and the dismantling of USAID, his feud and reconciliation with Trump, Starlink and the war in Ukraine, the case for future investigations, and other topics. Alex Gibney is an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and the founder and president of Jigsaw Productions. His films include Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, and The Crime of the Century. His work examines abuses of power across politics, business, and religion, alongside portraits of major cultural figures. His honors include multiple Emmy and Peabody awards, the inaugural Christopher Hitchens Prize, and the 2024 News & Documentary Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. Website: https://www.jigsawprods.com X: @alexgibneyfilm SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes of the podcast at https://samharris.org/subscribe/ OR become a channel member to access episodes on YouTube. For those who can't afford the full subscription price, we offer partial scholarships https://www.samharris.org/subscribe/scholarship Stay updated on new episodes, essays, and events — subscribe to Sam Harris’s free newsletter: https://samharris.org/newsletter-signup/ CHAPTERS 00:00 The Musk Myth 00:25 Introducing Alex Gibney 01:33 Making the Musk Documentary 02:57 Did Musk Change? 05:28 Sam’s Friendship With Musk 07:17 Musk Rejects the Film 09:49 Fear of Speaking Out 12:00 Genius or Con Artist? 16:43 Tesla’s Founding Story 19:45 The Battery Swap Controversy 21:55 Self-Driving: Optimism or Fraud? 23:47 Musk and USAID