There is probably no contemporary figure more baffling鈥攁nd polarizing鈥攖han Elon Musk. Alongside his outsize entrepreneurial ventures鈥擳esla and SpaceX, among them鈥攖here is his public persona: charming, puckish, combative, mercurial. He has aroused admiration and scorn in about equal measure. What are we to make of him?
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth greets Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli before the North Atlantic Council meeting of defense ministers on February 13, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana via Getty Images)