Elon Musk is both the wealthiest person in the world and a major contractor for the U.S. military as the head of SpaceX. When the billionaire talks about war and its potential consequences, we need to listen, whether we like it or not. But if you’ve been paying attention to what Musk has been saying about the positive aspects of war in recent months, you’re probably hearing things that make you nervous.
“Throughout history, any civilization that experiences extended periods of prosperity with no serious threat of invasion has low birth rates after a few generations,” Musk wrote on X Monday. “One can debate the cause, but not the correlation. The Romans lamented this constantly.”
It’s no secret that Musk is obsessed with the Roman Empire. But he seems to really be fixated on the supposed causes of its fall, using those claims to rationalize his own right-wing worldview in 2025. Musk believes the world is in danger of collapsing because people aren’t having enough kids. Well, to be more precise, he’s worried wealthy people from Western countries aren’t having enough kids.
Musk also seems to suggest that peace is bad for a country’s growth with his tweet on Monday. He was more explicit about his idea that war might be good a couple of months ago. Musk gave an interview to Bloomberg News back in May, appearing remotely via video link for the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. “When you have an extended period of prosperity with no existential war, there’s no cleansing function for unnecessary laws and regulations,” Musk said.
“When you have an extended period of prosperity with no existential war, there’s no cleansing function for unnecessary laws and regulations.”
Not exactly something you want to hear from one of the most powerful men in the country who also happens to be a defense contractor.
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— Matt Novak (@paleofuture.bsky.social) May 20, 2025 at 2:14 PM
The interview was one of the most unhinged that Musk gave during his time as the head of DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. The billionaire called the woman who was interviewing him an NPC or non-playable character, and threatened anyone who was coming after him with prison time. Things have changed, obviously, as Musk had a falling out with President Trump and is no longer officially part of the U.S. federal government. He theoretically can’t go knock on the door at DOJ and tell Pam Bondi to start arresting people anymore. But that doesn’t mean he lost all his influence, as the billionaire still holds tremendous power as a defense contractor. And that’s what makes his outlook on war so frightening.
If Musk thinks that war can be good or have a “cleansing function,” it certainly incentivizes people like him to push for more violence around the world. And the SpaceX CEO’s motives are typically pretty transparent. The Washington Post conducted an analysis that concluded Musk’s companies have gotten at least $38 billion in contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits from the U.S. government over the past two decades. When the U.S. military and intelligence agencies launch more satellites, Musk’s companies benefit. And his personal wealth owes a lot to government handouts.
Not a single dollar was stripped from Musk’s companies during his great ransacking of the federal government with DOGE, according to the news outlet NOTUS. But Tesla did lose out on an electric vehicle tax credit with the “Big Beautiful Bill,” the issue that seemed to really divide Musk and Trump. Musk insisted he didn’t care about the tax credit, but Trump repeatedly said it was the reason Musk was upset with him.
Musk and Trump have an uneasy relationship, especially after the Tesla CEO accused Trump of being in the Epstein files. But Musk still can influence policy, as was demonstrated when Trump threatened to cut off funding to his companies, but reporting from the Wall Street Journal noted SpaceX was just too vital to discard. And as long as Musk is considered crucial to the functioning of the U.S. military, we should probably pay attention to the things he says about war. Especially when he’s making claims that it’s good for any given society.
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