AUSTIN (TEXAS): Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc and SpaceX, says US President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill, which includes federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations, should be canned because it would add to the country’s deficit.
“It might be better if the bill doesn’t pass,” said Musk, who spoke from Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas at a Wall Street Journal conference.
Musk said the government should “be a referee but not a player on the field” and should “get out of the way and not impede progress.”
Though Tesla would benefit from some provisions in the bill, Musk said that he’s in favour of dropping all federal subsidies, but stressed that subsidies should also be dropped for the oil and gas industry.
Musk, who also founded The Boring Company, instead called for development of double-decker highways and tunnels to fight traffic.
He also said Tesla had a “good relationship” with China, noting that the country’s leaders came of age during a time when the now world’s second-largest economy “was pushed around,” making them slow to appreciate the extent of China’s power today.
“That’s an important mindset change,” he said.
In the wide ranging interview, which also touched upon Musk’s views on executive titles and his vision for Neuralink, his company that develops brain-machine interfaces to connect humans with computers, Musk called low population growth “one of the biggest risks to civilisation.”
When asked if that risk was why he had so many children – he has six sons, including a toddler – Musk smiled.
“Trying to set a good example,” he said.
And he called the role of chief executive officer a “made-up title,” even though he works seven days a week and splits most of his time between Tesla and SpaceX, depending on which company needs his attention.Musk said Tesla’s forthcoming Cybertruck, which should reach volume production in 2023, could be the company’s “best product ever” but warned it has a lot of new technology and is very hard to make. — Bloomberg
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
