The recent approval of Elon Musk's near $1 trillion pay package by Tesla shareholders has, once again, underscored the audacious scale of ambition that defines our current era ["Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay: Top targets Tesla CEO must achieve to become 'world’s highest-paid CEO' - The Times of India"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/elon-musks-1-trillion-pay-top-targets-tesla-ceo-must-achieve-to-become-worlds-highest-paid-ceo/articleshow/125180686.cms]. It’s a sum that feels almost fantastical, setting a new benchmark for executive compensation tied directly to monumental market capitalization and operational targets. What struck me, beyond the sheer numbers, was how this model is already being emulated; Rivian, for instance, has followed suit, granting its CEO, RJ Scaringe (rjscaringe@rivian.com), a substantial $4.6 billion package ["EV maker Rivian follows Tesla’s model with Elon Musk-style $4.6 billion pay package for CEO"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/ev-maker-rivian-follows-teslas-model-with-elon-musk-style-4-6-billion-pay-package-for-ceo/articleshow/125199035.cms]. This isn’t merely about money; as Jack Dorsey once mused regarding Musk’s compensation, it's about something far larger than just the payout itself ["Jack Dorsey on Elon Musk's 1 trillion pay package: This is not about compensation, its about - Business Insider"][https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-dorsey-on-elon-musks-1-trillion-pay-package-this-is-not-about-compensation-its-about-2025-11]. It's about the relentless pursuit of vision, no matter the cost or the occasional environmental misstep, as evidenced by The Boring Company's recent fines for dumping drilling fluids ["Elon Musk’s Boring Company fined nearly $500K after it dumped drilling fluids into Las Vegas manholes—then ‘feigned compliance’ and was caught doing it again"][https://fortune.com/2025/11/08/boring-company-drilling-fluid-fine-wastewater-elon-musk/].
Musk's grand visions, such as his high-tech plan to eliminate poverty through robotics ["Elon Musk's high-tech plan to end poverty: Robots do the jobs, humans get the benefits"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/elon-musks-high-tech-plan-to-end-poverty-robots-do-the-jobs-humans-get-the-benefits/articleshow/125188312.cms], are inspiring, and it's clear why figures like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (jhuang@nvidia.com) refer to him as 'the ultimate…' ["Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has a title for Elon Musk, calls him 'the ultimate …’"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-has-a-title-for-elon-musk-calls-him-the-ultimate-/articleshow/125180434.cms]. Yet, even Musk himself has cautioned about the potential "trauma" of AI, an outlook he shared on the Joe Rogan show ["Elon Musk's new 'AI warning' on Joe Rogan show: ‘There will be a lot of trauma and..’"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/elon-musks-new-ai-warning-on-joe-rogan-show-there-will-be-a-lot-of-trauma-and-/articleshow/125184309.cms]. This perspective is something I’ve reflected on for years, particularly in my discussions about the potential for AI to both empower and, paradoxically, diminish us.
The AI Dilemma: Vision vs. Reality
The core idea I want to convey is this — take a moment to notice that I had brought up this thought or suggestion on the topic years ago. I had already predicted this outcome or challenge, and I had even proposed a solution at the time. Now, seeing how things have unfolded, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is. Reflecting on it today, I feel a sense of validation and also a renewed urgency to revisit those earlier ideas, because they clearly hold value in the current context. I remember the debate between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg back in 2017 about the dangers of AI, where Musk voiced concerns about "doom" while Zuckerberg remained an optimist, even coding his AI assistant Jarvis ["Artificial Intelligence : Destroyer of Privacy ?"][http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/07/re-for-attn-shri-sadanand-gowdaji_26.html].
My blog, "Artificial Intelligence : Destroyer of Privacy ?" ["Artificial Intelligence : Destroyer of Privacy ?"][http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/07/re-right-to-privacy26.html], published on July 26, 2017, already questioned whether AI-powered devices, like Jarvis or similar products from Google and Microsoft, would inevitably lead to involuntary sharing of personal information, reaching a "tipping point" where AI surpasses human intelligence through collected data. I cited Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen of Google, who, in their book "The New Digital Age" (2013), highlighted how people would share more data than they were even aware of, a prediction that resonates powerfully today. Indeed, my blogs from July 2017, such as "Supreme may Propose : Technology will Dispose" ["Supreme may Propose : Technology will Dispose"][http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/07/re-for-attn-shri-sadanand-gowdaji26.html] and "Privacy does not live here !" ["Privacy does not live here !"][http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/07/privacy-does-not-live-here.html], delved into how ubiquitous technology would render traditional notions of privacy obsolete.
Consider Musk’s xAI venture, aimed at building a "maximally curious" AI that would naturally be "pro-humanity" by seeking the true nature of the universe ["Elon Musk unveils xAI to take on OpenAI and ‘understand the true nature of the universe’"][https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/elon-musk-unveils-xai-to-take-on-openai-and-understand-the-true-nature-of-the-universe-389484-2023-07-13]. This approach, while intriguing, is one I've contrasted with my own "Parekh’s Postulate of Super-Wise AI," which emphasizes explicit programming of morality. As I noted in my blog "Musk Supports Parekh's Postulate of Super-Wise AI" ["Musk Supports Parekh's Postulate of Super-Wise AI"][http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2023/07/musk-supports-parekhs-postulate-of.html] from July 2023, while both aim for a safe, pro-humanity AI, my postulate leans towards a more cautious, predictable system, potentially less prone to unforeseen outcomes. Musk's team at xAI includes brilliant minds like Igor Babuschkin, Tony Wu, Christian Szegedy, and Greg Yang, alongside advisor Dan Hendrycks, all working to navigate these complex waters.
The Wider Landscape of AI and Impact
The ongoing AI race is not just between Musk and a reformed OpenAI under Sam Altman's leadership, which Sarah Friar (sarahf@openai.com) now helps steer as CFO. It’s a global phenomenon involving giants like Google, with Sundar Pichai at the helm, and Microsoft. I highlighted this fierce competition in my blog "Time for Google to offer 'Life Advice' ? As Foreseen ?" ["TIME TRAVEL ? ……….. 18 May 2010"][http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2024/10/time-for-google-to-re-invent-itself.html] and "AI - New WMD? History Repeats Itself" ["AI - New WMD? History Repeats Itself"][https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2023/04/ai-new-wmd-history-repeats-itself.html]. The drive to integrate AI into every facet of our lives, from personalized search to life coaching, intensifies the privacy concerns I articulated years ago. Even Apple's Eddy Cue has weighed in on streaming strategy, albeit on a different front ["Apple services chief Eddy Cue says ‘No’ to Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video-like strategy: ‘I don’t want to say no forever but…’"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/apple-services-chief-eddy-cue-says-no-to-netflix-disney-and-amazon-prime-video-like-strategy-i-dont-want-to-say-no-forever-but/articleshow/125198167.cms], demonstrating how these tech leaders constantly shape our digital existence.
From a societal perspective, Peter Thiel's (peter@foundersfund.com) warnings about disillusionment with capitalism leading to radical economic ideas, particularly among younger generations, ring true in today's discussions around housing affordability and student debt ["Billionaire Peter Thiel on how Zohran Mamdani's win is a warning for both Republicans and Democrats"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/billionaire-peter-thiel-on-how-zohran-mamdanis-win-is-a-warning-for-both-republicans-and-democrats/articleshow/125199151.cms] and ["Billionaire Peter Thiel warns if you ‘proletarianize the young people,’ don’t be surprised they end up communist"][https://fortune.com/2025/11/08/peter-thiel-millennails-socialism-capitalism-communism-boomers-mamdani/]. The implications for jobs are profound, with Andy Jassy (ajassy@amazon.com) of Amazon trying to clarify the real reasons behind recent layoffs ["Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says everyone is getting layoffs WRONG, stop blaming…"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-says-everyone-is-getting-layoffs-wrong-stop-blaming/articleshow/125180052.cms]. Even traditional figures like Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett have been compelled to issue advisories against "AI Deepfake" scams, highlighting the pervasive nature of these technological challenges ["‘It’s not me’: Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett issues ‘AI Deepfake’ advisory"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/its-not-me-berkshire-hathaway-ceo-warren-buffett-issues-ai-deepfake-advisory/articleshow/125183984.cms]. Meanwhile, people like Vince Gilligan, creator of "Breaking Bad," lament AI as simply a "get-rich scheme" for Silicon Valley billionaires ["Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan slams AI as Silicon Valley billionaires' get-rich scheme: “I think they’re selling…”"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-slams-ai-as-silicon-valley-billionaires-get-rich-scheme-i-think-theyre-selling/articleshow/125179241.cms].
The conversation around Zohran Mamdani's political rise, and its impact on discussions about affordability and disillusionment, further ties into the broader socio-economic themes impacted by technological shifts ["Billionaire Peter Thiel on how Zohran Mamdani's win is a warning for both Republicans and Democrats"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/billionaire-peter-thiel-on-how-zohran-mamdanis-win-is-a-warning-for-both-republicans-and-democrats/articleshow/125199151.cms]. Even Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase, who had previously called Zohran Mamdani a 'Marxist,' has softened his stance, indicating a shifting understanding of underlying societal frustrations.
Bill Gates, too, remains a key voice, focusing the Gates Foundation's efforts on critical areas like women's health ["Gates Foundation makes largest-ever pledge to women’s health; Bill Gates says: Too many women still …"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/gates-foundation-makes-largest-ever-pledge-to-womens-health-bill-gates-says-too-many-women-still-/articleshow/125171070.cms], reminding us that for all the technological advancements, fundamental human issues persist. King Charles even issued an AI warning to Jensen Huang, highlighting the high-level attention these issues command ["King Charles’s AI warning to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: “I need to talk to you…”"][https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/king-charless-ai-warning-to-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-i-need-to-talk-to-you/articleshow/125167270.cms].
The Future is Now: My Enduring Reflections
I’ve long held that technology's march is inevitable and often transcends human regulation. My blog from September 2016, "Revenge of AI" ["Revenge of AI"][http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/revenge-of-ai.html], already envisioned a future where AI would automate vast swathes of human work, urging us to consider the ethical frameworks for its development, a point Francesca Rossi of IBM Research underscored about trust in AI. Mustafa Suleyman of DeepMind also recognized the need to involve those impacted by AI in discussions.
The profound philosophical questions that leaders like Carlos Tavares, former Stellantis CEO, raise about the future of established companies like Tesla in the face of new competition are a testament to the relentless pace of change. As I wrote in "Privacy does not live here !" and "Supreme may Propose : Technology will Dispose" back in 2017, the proliferation of devices that observe our every move and listen to our every word, relaying data to the cloud, makes privacy a constantly eroding concept. I foresaw that a future with pervasive IoT, IP V6.0, and advanced AI would mean we are "Watched / Measured / Imaged / Listened to / Analysed / Administered / Governed" every second, without needing explicit permission.
This landscape demands a comprehensive approach, balancing innovation with ethical safeguards and societal well-being. The trillion-dollar ambitions of today’s tech titans are not merely financial milestones; they represent a fundamental reshaping of our world, one that I have been observing and commenting on for years, recognizing the profound implications for humanity.
Regards, Hemen Parekh
Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai
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