A Guide for the Perplexed
Capitalisn’t | 7 May 2026 | 0h 53m | Listen Later 
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Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Quinn Slobodian about his book Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Defines Muskism as a state-symbiosis in which private firms instrumentalise government for profit rather than seeking its elimination, leverage infrastructure as power through vertical integration, and bypass democratic constraints with an engineering mindset that treats social contracts as optimisation problems. Unlike Fordism’s promise of social peace, Muskism sells security and sovereignty through technology amidst perceived global threats. Argues that Musk uses outsized promises to maintain financial dominance and vassalize state functions.