I am curious to see how this conflict resolves itself. It is a classic relationship between a wannabe olligarch and a government that's for sale. They need each other.
I argue he isn't full oligarch because while certainly very influential, the feds still have the legitimate authority to regulate his businesses into the red. His business are profitable only because of government subsidies including direct grants, purchases, various incentives and even corporate and tax laws in all the jurisdictions he operates in. Since Musk knows that, he's just using his enormous influence.
Now we'll see how much more influence owning Twitter gives him. Maybe it gives him enough to totally push the feds and pols around like Kolomoyskyi does with Zelenskyy, and unlike Russian billionaires (so-called but not really oligarchs) with Putin. As I said, it's popcorn time.
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EDIT: TBH, @feral-finster, I referred to Musk as an oligarch in my first post here today (low down ↙ cuz too few hearts) but that was for rhetorical effect (kinda like when we call a conservative bigot a fascist) but on further reflection I see it's not entirely correct in technical terms.
Things would not have been allowed to get to this point if it were not certain that Musk would not comply.
I am curious to see how this conflict resolves itself. It is a classic relationship between a wannabe olligarch and a government that's for sale. They need each other.
Not sure that Musk is a "wannabe" oligarch.
He sure seems like a bona fide oligarch from here.
I argue he isn't full oligarch because while certainly very influential, the feds still have the legitimate authority to regulate his businesses into the red. His business are profitable only because of government subsidies including direct grants, purchases, various incentives and even corporate and tax laws in all the jurisdictions he operates in. Since Musk knows that, he's just using his enormous influence.
Now we'll see how much more influence owning Twitter gives him. Maybe it gives him enough to totally push the feds and pols around like Kolomoyskyi does with Zelenskyy, and unlike Russian billionaires (so-called but not really oligarchs) with Putin. As I said, it's popcorn time.
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EDIT: TBH, @feral-finster, I referred to Musk as an oligarch in my first post here today (low down ↙ cuz too few hearts) but that was for rhetorical effect (kinda like when we call a conservative bigot a fascist) but on further reflection I see it's not entirely correct in technical terms.
I see what you are saying, but it's not as if you have to be omnipotent to be an oligarch.
No, but you do need to have the balance of power over the nominally democratic ruling elite. I think that's part of the definition of the word.