‘Phoney Stark’ – The Big Qs for Elon Musk. The World’s New ‘Neutrals’. And LinkedIn – It’s Where the Cool Kids Are – Plus More! #176
Grüezi! I’m Adrian Monck – welcome to this newsletter. It’s free!
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1️⃣ ‘Phoney Stark’ – Who is Elon Musk?
A new profile has searching questions for our tech overlord.
Ronan Farrow’s profile of Elon Musk is the week’s top read. Just a glimpse:
Musk said that he was looking at his laptop and could see ‘the entire war unfolding’ through a map of Starlink activity. ‘This was, like, three minutes before he said, “Well, I had this great conversation with Putin,”’ the senior defence official told me. ‘And we were, like, “Oh, dear, this is not good.”’
Anonymous Pentagon gossip passed on to a big-name journalist is a sure sign of two things: Washington’s concern and its impotence.
But the profile is less about Musk’s quirks than about the issues arising from his ascent. Here are some:
Space monopoly – Musk’s SpaceX is the only company that can launch astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station.
Command of military technology – the privately held Starlink satellite network has become a communications lifeline for Ukraine’s army. Japan’s military is testing it. Musk controls who uses it.
Conflict of interest – Musk has big commercial interests in China, which is a lucrative market for SpaceX and Tesla. China is also the chief strategic rival and competitor to the US.
Security risk. Musk’s drug use has seen him investigated for a possible security clearance breach. That questionable relationship appears ongoing. Previous deals have also raised security risk concerns.
Farrow’s profile reveals the world’s richest man to have unrivalled private power over matters of US national security, with conflicted loyalties and questionable personal behaviour.
⏭ How Musk created his public image.
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2️⃣ The New Neutrals
The Gulf is the new Switzerland, but you can only ski indoors.
The FT has a long, cool look at Saudi Arabia and the UAE who increasingly – and probably frustratingly – find themselves lumped together.
As US oil imports decline China, India, and other Asian nations are becoming their biggest customers.
Ties are expanding beyond energy into tech, infrastructure, and more. And that has consequences
Both states:
See themselves as ideally positioned between Asia and the West.
Have sealed strategic partnerships with China and are looking for closer ties with India, Indonesia and Asia’s emerging powers.
Are diversifying diplomacy and no longer willing to just go along with US interests and demands.
Flexing their new diplomatic clout – e.g. leveraging oil and influence to bring together global south states for a Ukraine conference.
Sense opportunities from the strategic rivalry between the US and China.
That said – as the Swiss know only too well – neutrality can sometimes seem like balancing on the tip of a needle. And as comfortable.
⏭ In defence of neutrals.
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3️⃣ LinkedIn – Where the Cool Kids Are!
Yes, that’s you.
Bloomberg has a paeon to LinkedIn this week, calling it ‘almost cool.’
What makes it less troll-filled and toxic?
“LinkedIn’s business model relies on selling subscriptions to salespeople and recruiters looking to find partners or job candidates.
“This gives it a tendency toward stability, because it doesn’t need to rely so heavily on the constant attention that helps ad-supported networks make money.”
Optimisation for constant attention will doubtless be seen as one of the most socially pernicious and self-defeating aspects of technology.
⏭ Harassed scientists are leaving Twitter/X and heading here.
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4️⃣ ‘Do You Expect Me To Talk?’
‘No Mr Bond, I expect you to connect with me on LinkedIn.’
Britain’s Times has a story on espionage – right here on LinkedIn.
The secret sauce of secret agents? Not vodka martinis or modified Aston Martins.
Spamming.
The spammer here was a Chinese man – ‘Robin’ on LinkedIn.
“Say MSS [China’s Ministry of State Security] has a million potential targets. LinkedIn might reduce it to 50,000. Spray out messages to 5,000 and see who bites, you might have 500.
“With minimal effort you’ve gone down to a manageable number...”
How did ‘Robin’ lure people in?
“[He] had a stock, introductory script in which he described his work, usually in security or recruitment, before offering cash for a report, an invitation to an all-expense paid trip to a conference, or other lucrative business opportunities.”
Apparently, he was a bit sloppy:
“Robin came across as unprofessional and pushy, offering me cash and asking for sensitive information...”
Nothing kills faster than KPIs:
“[‘Robin’] has got a list of metrics to hit and is going to hit those numbers without caring too much about the details.”
⏭ The wider intelligence community loves LinkedIn.
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5️⃣ A Concrete Solution to Energy Storage
Making supercapacitors from cement.
⏭ You can read more about it here.
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6️⃣ Want to Get More Zen?
Go tidy your room!
⏭ If you’re doing chores for someone else, make sure you’re getting paid.
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7️⃣ Oppenheimer ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A late, late review by yours truly.
Finally got to see Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Three points:
Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss steals the show. He’s Iago to Oppenheimer’s Othello.
Nolan’s story-telling style is flashy and will date fast.
The name checks for famous scientists are funny. “Hey Feynman!”
⏭ Moviegoers only rate Inception #7 in Christopher Nolan’s best films.
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If you enjoy this newsletter – please recommend it!
Best,
Adrian
