Elon Musk Reacts to Article About His ‘Decline and Fall’
May 22, 2025
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Elon Musk has lashed out at The Atlantic’s leadership after the magazine published a piece outlining his “decline and fall”.
The tech CEO, who has stepped away from his public-facing role in President Donald Trump’s administration in recent weeks, branded The Atlantic as a “zombie publication” that was “fading into obscurity.”
Newsweek has contacted Elon Musk through the X press office via email as well as The Atlantic via its press office.
Why It Matters
Elon Musk has been the defining figure of the second Trump administration, leading the charge on several of the president’s policies so far, such as the dismantling of USAID and suspension of federal employees. However, amid mounting public opposition and a disastrous judicial election in Wisconsin, Musk has reprioritized his time away from government work, saying that he has “done enough” in politics.
What To Know
On Wednesday, The Atlantic published an article titled “The Decline and Fall of Elon Musk,” which detailed a series of clashes between Musk and other members of Trump’s inner circle that led to him getting frozen out of cabinet.
Musk clashed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over management of the IRS, Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the abolition of USAID, and the president himself over his intervention in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election in April, according to the report.
Elon Musk in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images
The article says the arguments culminated in an Oval Office meeting in which Musk was “ambushed” by other cabinet members. This coincided with the height of anti-Tesla protests across the Western world.
Musk derided the report on social media, writing on his platform X that The Atlantic was “the past, the legacy media fading into obscurity.”
He also branded the outlet as “a zombie publication kept on life support by Laurene,” in reference to Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs’ widow as well as founder and president of Emerson Collective, which owns The Atlantic.
“Steve would be very disappointed,” added Musk.
What People Are Saying
Speaking at a video conference in Qatar, when asked about his political donations and campaigning, Elon Musk said: “I’m going to do a lot less in the future. I think I’ve done enough.”
“If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”
Musk responded to the account named FischerKing, who wrote: “It was possible 30 years ago to create a narrative with headlines like this. It doesn’t work now. Elon is going to be fine, isn’t in any sort of decline. But the journalists at places like the Atlantic don’t get that this doesn’t work any longer. They’re stuck in a time warp.”
“They are the past, the legacy media fading into obscurity,” replied Musk.
What Happens Next
Musk has said that he will focusing more on his tech companies, most notably SpaceX and Tesla, and will participate less in politics in the future.
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