LEADING entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter has described Elon Musk, the South African CEO of SpaceX and electric carmaker Tesla Motors as a “true disruptor” following his recent purchase of social media platform Twitter for $44 billion.
Sir Tom told the Go Radio Business Show with Hunter & Haughey it was his understanding that Mr Musk had concerns over Russia and Saudi Arabia “influencing democracy in the West", adding: “He wants to put a stop to it. I don’t think he has bought it [Twitter] for the money because it is hardly making any money.”
Lord Willie Haughey, agreeing with Sir Tom, added that China and Russia had been affecting most of the big elections in the last 10 years with their influence only set to grow. “If this [acquisition of Twitter] is to protect democracy around the world then that would be a great think for everyone.”
Sir Tom, admitting that Mr Musk “is one of my heroes”, said: “He is a true disrupter. He has taken a staid industry like the car industry and started with a blank piece of paper and said ‘No, that’s what’s gone before and this is how we are going to build cars now’.
“He has then taken on the even more difficult task of space rockets and said ‘Why do we need to scrap them every time they go up? Why can’t we land them’. And he is doing space exploration at a fraction of the cost of Nasa.
“Then he is looking at the traffic problem in LA and set up The Boring Company – a great name for company – and decides he’s going to bore tunnels. Once again he has ripped up the rule book.”
Lord Haughey, owner of City Facilities Management Holdings, warned Mr Musk might be “biting off more than he can chew”, adding: “He is a genius. When there was a problem with Tesla, he went in himself and slept in the factory – he got right into the detail. When there was a problem with SpaceX, he went straight in.
“But I think that when you add more bigger businesses that take up your time, I would be concerned. He is certainly the driving force behind his two main businesses and I just wonder how many businesses of that size and ilk … that you can be the driving force of.”
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