Let's Celebrate Immoral Excesses on May 1. Do You Agree, Elon?

This may come as a surprise: How come an electrohead like me suddenly takes a stance against the EV revolution guru, the almighty, and, from time to time, the filthiest rich person on the planet? I'm glad you asked; I'll get to that in a minute. But first, let me share with you my antipathy toward the May 1 propaganda.

A special day to remind you that you're not free

When I was a kid, the country I currently live in was a communist one. All the things Western heard about, ranging from lack of freedom and political and intellectual figures persecution to the lack of almost every stuff for a decent living and the "right" to work in harsh conditions, were mostly true.

We were like zombie ants in an enclosed environment whose purpose was to serve an elite in the name of a delusional greater good. Frankly, it wasn't much different from the colonial period in America some centuries ago. Still, at least we weren't treated like slaves - at least not those following the rules and blindly obeying propaganda.

One of the pillars of this propaganda was the May 1 festivities, which presumably celebrated working people who were building a better future, a so-called "Golden Age." That day, we had to march and express our happiness and gratitude towards our leaders. Otherwise, you were a traitor to the cause of the working people.

Luckily, an unnecessary bloody revolution put an end to an almost half-a-century communist regime when I was around 12 years old. Western simply invaded us with all the good and bad stuff. Things mostly changed for the better, but somehow, May 1 remained a celebration day. Only now we have the freedom to celebrate it however we like.

Frankly, it's just a vacation day. There's nothing special about it except reminding us that we are almost all workers. Which means that we're earning a living thanks to an employer who can basically dispose of us at any time. It doesn't really matter why you can become unemployed overnight; when it happens, your life suddenly becomes harsh.

I bet those 10% of the workforce dismissed by Tesla know what I'm talking about. Millions of other car industry workers fear the same thing all over the globe. Because, well, the economy is based on competition, and it leads to natural selection: some companies will thrive while others won't. In the same way, some workers will get salary raises while others will lose their jobs.

But why is Elon Musk more guilty than others?

Ten years ago, he was the "Iron Man" any kid dreamed of becoming. He changed the car industry, the space industry, and society's way of thinking. Many of us would have voted for Elon if we had to vote for an Earth president. That's because we only wanted to see what was convenient for us.

In the meantime, his inspirational image began to crack. Today, I think he's more than a workaholic, and his empathy level sinks when it gets in the way of his financial ambitions. He mistakes freedom of speech for the immoral right to lie and manipulate others. His monumental plans are carved in an alternative reality and tend to collide with actual reality.

Like many others before him (or living at the same time as him), Elon Musk fell into the trap of power. I quote the Oracle in the Matrix Reloaded: "What do all men with power want? More power." It was the case with Caesar, Alexander the Great, Genghis Han, Napoleon, Hitler, or Stalin. And it is the case with Putin, Kim Jong-un, or Trump.

I'm afraid we witness Elon becoming a villain like those in James Bond movies. I can't otherwise explain why he's stubbornly pursuing his plan to get that more than 50 billion "paycheck" when any other normal person on this planet considers it as being excessive. He probably deserves it, but only if we take things out of context.

The context is that the world has most likely entered a pre-war era, and accelerating climate change puts more pressure on the global economy. Tesla is no longer a start-up, so its development rate should pass from enthusiastic to conservatory. It became just another behemoth company playing by the rules.

The most important rule is to cut costs when the products don't sell as expected. Cutting jobs is an unfortunate but understandable decision for the company's shareholders. But firing thousands of people and, at the same time, claiming billions of dollars as a prize – well, that's plain greed and blackness.

The new world order shouldn't be Matrix

This kind of greed "patented" by Elon Musk is acceptable in a video game but not in the real world, with real people and real families. On "May Day" or "Labor Day," we presumably celebrate people who work, not some damn Optimus Tesla bots with no feelings and no human needs.

Don't get me wrong - I vote for innovation and technology, but only if they improve ALL people's lives. If MOST people are hurt because of the technology, and a FEW people benefit too much from it, then this is simply wrong. It's like Ukraine being unjustly invaded by Russia or subsidizing with billions of dollars the polluting oil industry instead of taking Big Oil to account for the harm it does to all of us.

I'm against conspiracy theories, which are used for propaganda and manipulation. But I can't accept being perceived only as a battery like in The Matrix or an expandable part from a futile machinery. You and I are living conscious beings in the first place. Therefore, Elon Musk's logic is deeply flawed and against all reasonable human rights.

I bet that even AI programs would conclude the same despite being designed to be far more efficient and capable than a human brain. After all, on May 1 or Labor Day, we actually celebrate the technological evolution made possible by the hard work of people all over the world.

We're not just eight billion pairs of hands; we're also eight billion brains. Of course, at the same time, we're eight billion stomachs, which strains the planet's resources. However, thanks to our brains, we should avoid the collapse through innovation; this is how we should adapt and evolve.

Invest in people, for the people

I'm sure Elon would invest those 50 billion into AI development or Mars colonization instead of wasting it on super-expensive Bugattis, luxury yachts, or other excessive "investments." But does it justify the cost of thousands of jobs?

Interestingly, the car industry lobby raises the same question, claiming that transitioning from ICEs to electromobility leads to millions of layoffs. The coal industry complains about renewables and cattle farmers fight against vegetarianism. Every transition is actually a technological revolution, leading to people losing their jobs.

However, there's a fundamental difference. Switching from internal combustion engines to battery electric vehicles slashes emissions greatly in the short and medium term. It's something that ICEs could probably achieve only in decades - but I doubt that burning fossil fuels could ever be "green."

The same goes for renewables replacing coal and natural gas or sustainable farming replacing intensive farming - we all benefit very quickly from this transition in terms of better health and a thriving environment. It's simply a new step in our evolution as a species. Or it should be.

Yes, at some point, Elon Musk seemed to impact the transition to a better future positively. But, unfortunately, lately, I've been disappointed. Maybe it's because he's getting old, and he's not shy about recognizing he has a disorder and even that he's using some drugs. I bet that being Elon is more difficult than I imagined.

But, hey, we all know Spiderman's uncle's quote, "With great power comes great responsibility," don't we? Well, how about being more responsible with the people who work for you and trust you instead of pushing the limits of the company's value and monetary demands? It's just a May 1 piece of thought.