The Making of Elon Musk | E1: Escape from Pretoria

EPISODE · Oct 7, 2025 · 38 MIN

The Making of Elon Musk | E1: Escape from Pretoria

from Understood: Deepfake Porn Empire

Where did Elon Musk’s epic ambitions begin? In search of clues we return to his sheltered youth in apartheid South Africa, a world engineered for white supremacy. Along the way, we connect the dots between a bizarre White House ambush of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa to teenage Elon’s ego-powered quests in video games. Finally, was his “draft dodge” from military service a moral act or an opportunist’s exit?Guests in this episode include:Rudolph Pienaar, childhood friend of Elon MuskWill Shoki, South African journalist and writerTopics in this episode include:Donald Trump’s Oval Office ambush of President Cyril Ramaphosa with conspiracy theories about an anti-white Afrikaaner farmer genocide, or “white genocide” in South AfricaElon Musk's South African childhood, including his time at Pretoria Boys High School and his approach to fantasy role playing video gamesApartheid and structural white privilege/supremacy The South African Border War, conscription and draft-dodging

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The Making of Elon Musk | E1: Escape from Pretoria

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