Elon and Short of It

“Here are a few things $474 million can buy: roughly 77 million Big Macs, about 12,814 Tesla Model 3s, or approximately 2,724 years of a U.S. senator’s average salary. If you’re Elon Musk, it could also buy you one deeply disappointing evening in November.” $500 Million Bought Elon Nothing. (It also basically amounts to nothing for him.)

+ “Elon Musk spent nearly $500 million supporting Republican candidates in the midterm elections, especially in his home state of Texas. After Democrats won sweeping victories in the midterm elections, gaining control of both houses of Congress and capturing other important state races, shares of SpaceX and Tesla, which are both run by Mr. Musk, fell sharply on Wednesday.” Elon lost big. But I wouldn’t worry about him. The money he spent was a rounding error. There’s a bigger story here, though. We’ve learned that money alone, especially when it comes from a largely despised source, doesn’t win elections. Thankfully, neither does gerrymandering.