The business of politics: An Elon Musk story

I was utterly surprised when I found that Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet, had joined the administration of another businessman turned politician, Donald Trump.

What followed is a series of questions swirling in my mind since hearing the news - why do business people venture out of their primary occupation and take up such a responsibility that requires a completely different set of knowledge, experience, and skills? Why did Musk, after earning billions through his multiple initiatives and ruling over the tech world, decide to spare his time for something that may or may not yield as much returns as making electric cars and sending people to space has done for him?

The first reason that comes to my mind is that Musk has probably decided to join politics getting influenced by Trump, who is the perfect example of the meddling of business and politics. Musk might have thought that if Trump can become a president after spending all his life selling homes to people, why can't I?

Maybe a time will come when we may have to see Musk as the president of the United States, sooner or later. Following the rise of Musk for a very long time, I am confidently making this prediction because I have found him a person who can do the impossible and dream big.

Think about SpaceX, Tesla, and recently X, formerly known as Twitter. Whatever enterprise he has built or acquired over the years was out of the grasp of most people on the planet. No one could imagine doing what Musk has done. Being good at goal-setting, Musk achieves his aims anyway. That is why I think if he wishes to become the president of the US, he may fulfill this wish too, without any roadblocks on his way.

As a special government employee under the Trump administration, Musk might probably change the business environment locally and globally. He may also try to be protectionist and keep the dollars inside the US territory while trying with full force to prevent its outflow. The disbanding of USAID and the dismissal of thousands of federal employees are examples of this inward-looking view of Musk's thinking and a warning of what comes next.

As a member of the Trump administration, Musk may also try to influence the policymaking process so that the decisions taken by the US government can benefit his business interests. As a businessman turned politician, Musk's priority might be devising business-friendly policies so that he can benefit from them. Under Musk's supervision, other business people in the US might get benefits like tax rebates, favourable interest rates, and more. The mélange of politics and business has a chance to eradicate the disparity between the two sectors, often rival to each other. Whatever happens, Musk will probably make business easy for politicians, and politics easy for business.

Businessmen often complain about unfavourable government policies affecting their enterprises. They also find themselves controlled by the politicians, as the latter makes the laws and enacts them, hurting business sentiment often. These are some of the reasons why at one stage of their careers, the business people try to get involved in politics to call the shots themselves and not rely on the politicians.

As an entrepreneur, Musk has an enormous amount of independence instilled in him, which has made him decide to cut all the crap and do things straight by joining politics and influencing everyone instead of the others influencing him.

As the electioneering process in the US needs a huge amount of money, the politicians have to rely on business people for donations. In return, these politicians serve the interests of their donors instead of thinking about the public interests while they are in office. Sometimes, good candidates fail to get elected due to not having enough funds. Knowing all these facts well, Musk might have decided to join the government consciously. Working as a politician will help Musk gain firsthand experience about how politics works, and this experience may come to use when he decides to run for the presidency in the future.

As a business tycoon, Musk has more than enough money to pay for his campaign, and when his political prowess is added to his resume, Musk might have an advantage over winning the election. A smart move indeed.

Businessmen joining politics is not a new phenomenon. What's new is the world's richest and probably one of the smartest men alive have joined hands with the most controversial and talked about president in the history of the US. Has Musk made a mistake or does this strategy carry enough thoughts behind it?

As a businessman, Musk has always made the right decisions. The upcoming days will show us if working for the Trump administration has been a good or bad choice for him.

From businessman Musk to President Musk- the journey will be exciting to witness.   

Muhammad A. Bashed is an Online Journalist at The Business Standard