Elon Musk shares views on X, Starlink, investment and work trends with Nikhil Kamath

New Delhi: Elon Musk joined entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath for a wide-ranging discussion on the latest episode of People by WTF, touching on topics from X (formerly Twitter) and social media trends to AI, automation, investment, and the evolution of work. The nearly two-hour conversation moved seamlessly between technical insights, economic commentary, and Musk’s characteristic humour.

The discussion highlighted shifts in online behaviour, with Musk predicting a move towards audiovisual interactions. “I do think most interaction is going to be video in the future… real-time video with AI… real-time video comprehension, real-time video generation,” he said. He added that text would continue to hold value, noting, “Text tends to be higher value generally. It’s more densely compressed information.”

Reflecting on social media more broadly, Musk said he does not focus on platform mechanics. “I mostly just want to have something where there’s, kind of a global town square where people can say what they want to say with words, pictures, video, where there’s a secure messaging system.”

On X’s growth, he said, “We have like about 600 million monthly users. It can get up to 800 million or a billion if there’s some major event in the world.” He added that he hopes to create a platform that brings together people in all languages, automatically translated, to capture a “collective consciousness.”

On acquiring Twitter, Musk said, “I felt like Twitter had gone in a direction that had more of a negative influence on the world.” He described his efforts to restore balance on the platform, adding, “There haven’t been any left-wing voices that have been suspended or banned or de-amplified or anything like that.”

Musk also touched on the convergence of his companies, citing SpaceX, Tesla, and XAI. “I think that there’s increasingly a convergence… if the future is solar-powered AI satellites. But all the companies are doing great things, very proud of the teams that do great work. So we’re making great progress with Tesla on autonomous driving.”

On Starlink in India, he said the service is primarily suited for rural areas, noting, “It’s not physically possible for Starlink to serve densely populated cities… maybe 1% or 2%… but it can be much more effective in rural areas.”

The conversation also explored investment principles, with Musk emphasising long-term decision-making based on first principles. “If it’s long-term for a company, do you like the products or services of that company? It seems like they make great products and they’re likely to make great products in the future… A company is just a group of people assembled to create products and services. If they’re likely to continue to improve, then you should buy the stock, and don’t worry too much about the daily fluctuations.”

On work and the future of jobs, Musk predicted major changes driven by AI and automation. “I think in the future it won’t be the case that you have to be in a city for a job. My prediction is that in the future, working will be optional. Like a hobby.”

He added, “If you’re trying to make a startup succeed or you’re trying to make a company do very difficult things then you definitely need to put in serious hours.”

Musk also identified potential future leaders in AI and robotics, citing Google and NVIDIA, and highlighted the increasing value of live events: “The scarce commodity will be live events. Because that will have more scarcity than anything digital.”

On money and the economy, he suggested automation could fundamentally reshape how resources are allocated. “I think long term, I think money disappears as a concept. In a future where anyone can have anything… you no longer need money as a database for labour allocation. Energy is the true currency.”

Musk reiterated his support for free trade while criticising tariffs. “I think generally free trade is more efficient. Tariffs tend to create distortions in markets… The President has made it clear he loves tariffs… I’ve tried to dissuade him from this point of view, but unsuccessfully.” He linked AI and robotics to the U.S. fiscal outlook, warning that automation may be key to addressing the national debt.

The conversation ranged into politics and public service, with Musk noting, “Not everything needs politics. Once you get to a certain scale, politics finds you. It’s quite unpleasant… Politics is a blood sport. You enter politics, they’re going to go for the jugular.”

On government efficiency efforts, he said, “There’s been quite a few efficiencies, some of them are very basic efficiencies… DOJ is still happening.”

On immigration and Indian talent, Musk praised the contribution of skilled Indians in the U.S. while cautioning against misuse of visa programmes, “We need to stop the gaming of the system… but I’m certainly not in the school of thought that we should shut down the H1B program.”

He also offered advice to young entrepreneurs: “I think anyone who wants to make more than they take has my respect… Expect to grind super hard… there’s some meaningful chance of failure.”

Personal reflections included his affinity for the letter X, philanthropy, parenting, and friendships. “It’s a good question, honestly, sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with me… SpaceX like FedEx for space… We got a kid, he’s called X2,” he said.

On philanthropy, Musk said, “I don’t put my name on it. I don’t want my name on anything… The biggest challenge I find with my foundation is trying to give money away in a way that is truly beneficial to people.”

Musk spoke about his connection to India through his partner and children, and on friendships, he said, “A friend is someone who’s going to support you in difficult times… We have come to the conclusion that we should not talk about AI or the simulation at parties… It’s kind of a buzzkill at times.”

Watch the full episode: