SpaceX and Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk‘s imaginative and prescient for Mars as a political venture was reportedly thwarted in 2024 because of considerations about AI and political interference, in keeping with a dialog revealed by Peter Thiel.
What Occurred: Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal PYPL, disclosed a dialog he had with Elon Musk in 2024 in an interview with The New York Instances on Thursday.
Elon Musk reportedly instructed Thiel “There’s nowhere to go” after the PayPal co-founder stated he wished to go away the U.S. if Donald Trump doesn’t change into the President.
“It was about two hours after we had dinner and I used to be house that I considered: “Wow, Elon, you don’t imagine in going to Mars anymore,” Thiel stated.
Thiel claimed that Demis Hassabis CEO of Google‘s GOOGL GOOG DeepMind, warned Musk that his AI may comply with people to Mars. This revelation reportedly led to Musk’s silence and a shift in his perspective on the Mars venture.
Based on Thiel, it took Musk till 2024 to totally course of the implications of this dialog. He started to view Mars not simply as a scientific endeavor, however as a political venture that might be influenced by exterior components like AI and authorities insurance policies.
“2024 is the 12 months the place Elon stopped believing in Mars — not as a foolish science tech venture, however as a political venture,” acknowledged Thiel.
“And in 2024 Elon got here to imagine that should you went to Mars, the socialist U.S. authorities, the woke A.I. would comply with you to Mars.”
SpaceX didn’t instantly reply to Benzinga’s request for remark.
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Why It Issues: Regardless of Theil’s claims, reviews in Could indicated that Musk’s SpaceX was intensifying efforts to arrange its experimental Starship rocket for a possible Mars mission in 2026.
Furthermore, Musk has lengthy been an advocate for Mars colonization, citing it as humanity’s “life insurance coverage” coverage. In a separate interview in Could 2025, Musk warned that Earth solely has 10% of its life left earlier than it’s “incinerated” by the solar, making Mars colonization important for humanity’s survival.
Regardless of his considerations about AI, Musk has additionally invested in a number of AI startups, together with DeepMind, following a warning from Hassabis in regards to the risks of superior AI to human civilization. This obvious contradiction in Musk’s actions and beliefs raises questions on the way forward for his Mars ambitions.
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Disclaimer: This content material was partially produced with the assistance of AI instruments and was reviewed and printed by Benzinga editors.
