What Elon Musk Wants

以下是内容的中文翻译： 在这一集“埃兹拉·克莱恩秀”中，埃兹拉·克莱恩采访了资深科技记者卡拉·斯威舍，深入剖析了埃隆·马斯克在唐纳德·特朗普的第二个任期内，于联邦政府中不断演变的角色和影响力。克莱恩首先点明，马斯克似乎已经从奥巴马时代专注于气候变化和太空探索的自由派，转变为深陷右翼阴谋论并致力于瓦解联邦机构的人物。 斯威舍将马斯克描绘成特朗普雇佣的“单人破坏球”，用于破坏和重塑政府。她概述了马斯克惯用的手段：围绕自身制造戏剧性事件；夸大问题；将前任政府描绘成“邪恶势力”；以及锁定信息和资金的关键“咽喉要道”。 根据斯威舍的说法，马斯克的策略包括无视传统规则和法律，利用法律体系的滞后性来实现快速变革。这包括解雇可能受到法律保护的公务员，并获得对敏感系统（如财政部的支付系统）的访问权限。 克莱恩和斯威舍讨论了马斯克行为背后的动机。斯威舍认为，这并非关乎金钱，而是关乎权力和决策能力。她暗示，马斯克渴望“名垂青史”，并将自己视为一场伟大征程中的“英雄”。 随后，对话转向理解马斯克的激进化。斯威舍将其归因于多种因素，包括他对COVID-19限制的反应、与他的跨性别女儿相关的问题、可能使用氯胺酮，以及拜登政府未邀请他参加电动汽车峰会而感受到的冷落。他对Twitter等社交媒体平台的拥抱，并在这些平台上与右翼亚文化和迷因互动，也发挥了关键作用。斯威舍认为，正是他那种狂躁、近乎上瘾的性格，推动了他不断使用社交媒体空间。 对话也探讨了马斯克收购Twitter的文化影响。斯威舍认为，马斯克的大规模裁员和重组，被硅谷其他CEO视为对“过度赋权”和“自由派”员工队伍的控制权的重新主张。这是一种对权力和权威的重新肯定。 这次对话还探讨了影响马斯克的右翼意识形态，包括世界正在女性化的观点，以及需要重拾诸如侵略性和冒险精神等“男性美德”。马斯克已经转向了一场“文明之战”，支持德国和英国的极右翼政治运动。 斯威舍认为，马斯克的最终目标仍然是确保人类能够成为星际物种。他现在认为，进步的社会理想，例如多元、公平和包容（DEI），会腐蚀社会，使其无法为成为星际物种做好准备，因此需要控制政府。 克莱恩提出了一个问题：是否可以认为马斯克正在做传统政治改革者不会做的事情，即冒着风险创建非僵化的联邦官僚机构。斯威舍坚决反对，强调马斯克为了追求激进的变革，愿意牺牲他人。她用马斯克在修建高速公路时考虑人类蚁丘的比喻，突显了他对自身行为后果的漠不关心。 最后，克莱恩询问科技界是否存在抗衡力量。斯威舍指出，里德·霍夫曼和马克·库班代表了不同的观点。她认为，硅谷的许多人并不真正支持特朗普，而只是支付“蔬菜费”（VEG，暗示为了政治关系做出的妥协），以保护他们的业务。她总结说，财务因素很可能会驱动他们的忠诚，如果特朗普的政策损害市场，他们将迅速改变他们的支持。

In this episode of "The Ezra Klein Show," Ezra Klein interviews Cara Swisher, a veteran tech reporter, to dissect Elon Musk's evolving role and influence in the federal government during Donald Trump's second term. Klein sets the stage by highlighting Musk's apparent transition from an Obama-era liberal focused on climate change and space exploration to a figure deeply entrenched in right-wing conspiracies and the dismantling of federal institutions. Swisher paints a stark picture of Musk as a "one-man wrecking ball" employed by Trump to disrupt and reshape the government. She outlines Musk's established playbook: drama, centered around himself; overstating problems; casting previous administrations as "evil;" and identifying key "choke points" of information and money. Musk's strategy, according to Swisher, involves disregarding conventional rules and laws, exploiting the slow pace of the legal system to achieve rapid changes. This includes firing civil servants with potential legal protections and gaining access to sensitive systems like the Treasury Department's payment system. Klein and Swisher discuss the motivations behind Musk's actions. Swisher believes it is not about money but about power and the ability to make decisions. She suggests that Musk seeks to be "legendary" and sees himself as a "hero" on a grand journey. The conversation then turns to understanding Musk's radicalization. Swisher attributes it to various factors, including his reaction to COVID-19 restrictions, issues around his trans daughter, possible ketamine use, and a perceived snub from the Biden administration when he was not invited to an EV summit. His embrace of social media platforms like Twitter, where he engaged with right-wing subcultures and memes, also played a crucial role. Swisher believes it is his manic, almost addictive, personality that propels his constant use of the social media space. The cultural impact of Musk's acquisition of Twitter is examined. Swisher argues that Musk's massive layoffs and restructuring were seen by other Silicon Valley CEOs as a reassertion of control over an "overly empowered" and "liberal" employee base. It was a reassertion of power and authority. The conversation explores the right-wing ideology that influences Musk, including ideas of the world being feminized, and the need to reclaim "masculine virtues" such as aggression and risk-taking. Musk has shifted to a "civilizational battle," supporting far-right political movements in Germany and the UK. Swisher believes Musk's ultimate goal is still to ensure humanity can become an interplanetary species. He now believes progressive social ideals such as DEI corrode society to the point of being unable to be ready to become interplanetary and needs to take control of the government. Klein raises the question of whether there is a case to be made that Musk is doing what traditional political reformers will not do, namely taking risk to create a non-sclerotic federal bureaucracy. Swisher firmly disagrees, highlighting Musk's willingness to sacrifice people in his quest for radical change. She uses the analogy of Musk considering humanity's anthills when building highways, highlighting his lack of concern for the consequences of his actions. Finally, Klein asks about a counterforce within the tech community. Swisher points to figures like Reid Hoffman and Mark Cuban as representing alternative perspectives. She argues that many in Silicon Valley are not deeply supportive of Trump but are simply paying a "VEG" to protect their businesses. She concludes that financial considerations will likely drive their allegiances, and if Trump's policies harm the market, they will quickly shift their support.