[smithoc]

> Remember that Musk grew up in Apartheid South Africa

And cited his opposition to apartheid as the central reason that he left the country as soon as he could, at age 17, because he didn't want to be a part of that system.

There are so many legitimate reasons to criticize Musk, but this isn't one.

[lapcat]

At this point, there's no reason to take anything Musk says at face value. He's proved to be an unreliable narrator. Here's just one small example: https://web.archive.org/web/20201006045204/https://slate.com...

You didn't mention how "opposition to apartheid" also meant avoiding mandatory military service. Interesting coincidence, I would say. Serious question: if one cared about ending Apartheid, wouldn't it be much more effective to do that from within South Africa than from across the ocean?

See also: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/12/elon-musk...

[watwut]

Considering who he is now, what he wants politically, who he supports and how he treats his employees ... is there really anything about him that makes it sound like a real reason?