The Verge: Musk's Millions Failed to Deliver in the US Midterms
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk spent about $446 million on the US midterm elections, yet his preferred Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton lost to Democrat James Talarico. A Verge columnist mocks and criticizes the spending.
Elon Musk, the billionaire who owns the social network X and the space company SpaceX, spent about $446 million on the US midterm elections. Much of the money went through his political action committee, America PAC. Elizabeth Lopatto, a columnist at the technology outlet The Verge, writes that the investment did not pay off.
The Texas Senate race
Texas drew the most attention. America PAC spent $47 million trying to defeat Democrat James Talarico. Talarico instead beat Musk's preferred candidate, Republican Ken Paxton, with 55 percent of the vote. His campaign made Musk's influence a central theme and used the slogan "Texas is not for sale."
The columnist's view
Lopatto argues that Musk misjudged the race because he spends so much time on X and does not see how unpopular the tech industry has become in the US. She points to widespread opposition to data centers as an example. She also claims that Musk shapes the X algorithm to make himself feel good. The piece is opinion writing. It includes a tongue-in-cheek list of 17 things the money could have bought instead, such as Larry Ellison's private island, The Washington Post, 30 Sunseeker yachts and 44 thirty-second Super Bowl commercials.
Possible consequences
Lopatto writes that Musk deleted posts on X after the election. In her view, politicians who ran against his money have now come into power, including the governor and the attorney general of Texas. Texans had already asked questions about deals favorable to Musk. She therefore suggests that Governor Greg Abbott's emails with Musk, which have been redacted, could be released.
