Max Chafkin

Chafkin argued Thiel's worldview holds that people like him and Musk should run the world with technology prioritized over democracy.

“That he him himself and people like him, including Elon Musk, should run the world and that technology should be the imperative”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 55:00

Chafkin argued Thiel deliberately cultivates both a superhero and a supervillain image.

“And I would argue that he has cultivated both of those brands. Like, being a supervillain is his brand”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 40:53

Chafkin argued Musk's willingness to be weird is central to his appeal and that he is an exceptional marketer.

“People talk about Elon Musk, the technologist, but he's an amazing marketer”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 17:55

Chafkin predicted that JD Vance is the most likely 2028 Republican nominee and that Musk would back him heavily.

“if J.D. Vance is the Republican nominee in 2028, which I think is the most likely scenario, that Elon Musk will be a major backer of J.D. Vance”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 24:37

Chafkin argued that if Republicans hold Texas and Congress, it will be thanks to Musk's spending.

“If somehow Ken Paxton manages to win the seat in Texas and Republicans hold off the Democrats, it will be thanks to Elon Musk, I think”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 11:01

Chafkin argued Thiel's pro-acceleration stance aligns with his portfolio, but that AI companies calling for a pause may also benefit financially.

“Like some of these AI companies, I think, also stand to benefit financially from some of the warnings that they are issuing”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 50:10

Chafkin argued Thiel's critique of government is thin and shaped by the privileges of wealth, such as private jet travel.

“one of the feelings I've had in kind of, like, consuming every piece of Teal writing and content is that his critique of of government has always felt a little bit thin to me”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 42:42

Chafkin argued Thiel's campaign against Gawker chilled journalism and changed how wealthy people relate to the media.

“it had a real chilling effect on journalism and the profession of journalism. And it changed how many, many wealthy people relate to the media”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 37:09

Chafkin argued Trump's removal of EV subsidies helped Tesla by driving rival non-Chinese automakers out of EVs.

“But that's kind of worked for Tesla in a way because it's caused every other automaker to. outside of China to like give up on EVs”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 28:19

Chafkin argued the flying Roadster demo was really a pitch for Tesla's stock rather than a real product.

“It's a pitch for the stock. It's like it's like a meme of vacation of this guy”

The Builders: After The Builders: On Musk and Thiel (Oct 23, 2026) · Listen from 12:23