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Elon Musk (Full Interview) | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) | Real Time with Bill Maher | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Elon Musk (Full Interview) | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
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my first guest is the man who made
electric cars a thing
and is currently working on perfecting
reusable Rockets space travel connecting
the human brain directly to computers
connecting cities with electromagnetic
bullet trains the Starling satellite
system that's so important to the war in
on traffic he also tweets a lot Elon Musk
wow [Music]
what did I get the full order of things
that you do in a day there when I was
reading there I left out the tunnel
thing at the end um do you work on all
these a lot of jobs do you do all these
things every day do you work on all of
them in a single day no no but I do have
I do have a long work day
um yeah so
I'm so thrilled you're here because you
know we do a show where we talk about
what changes happen in the world and but
we just talk there's a very few people
who actually make change happen you are
um you know
I just want to say I just want to say I
love this audience [Applause]
well you're a likable guy I mean thanks
I mean they attack you a lot they do yeah
yeah [Laughter]
[Laughter]
and you seem to laugh it off which I
think is fantastic I love it that you
have a sense of humor because a guy as
important as you who makes changes could
use your powers for evil and not good
the fact that absolutely you could
of course I would yeah never use them
for equal deaths no I know but but the
way I know that is because you have a
sense of humor uh yeah you really do
yeah you like laughing you like to be
funny I kill me right [Applause]
[Applause]
as opposed to somebody like Zuckerberg
yeah um
yeah I I actually love comedy and and uh
actually you know like um many years ago
actually was in the audience here and
watched your show oh really been a long
time admirer of your show oh well thank you
you I
let me get back to you being ingenious
okay but that has always been my view is
that as I was a history major and when
you study history what you realize is
that you know there's the great man
Theory and they talk about Kings and
princes and queens and presidents it's
really the people in Tech who change the
world they're the people who deal the
cards at whether it's fire or
electricity for good or bad or the
cotton gin or the iPhone or the atom
bomb those are the cards and the rest of
us just play it would you agree with
that assessment
I think I think technology is the thing
that causes these big step changes in in
Civilization so obviously you've got
things like say the Gutenberg Press
um before which uh right it was very
difficult to get books they were very
rare even if you had a thirst for
knowledge you really couldn't do
anything about it
um because there were very few books to
read so
uh and the the internet is something
beyond beyond the bug price I think but
you know it's it's a
like when I first saw the internet uh
coming into being in a way that that the
general public could use it it felt like
the what the the humanity as a whole was uh
uh
developing a nervous system so
previously uh the way the information
would travel would be by osmosis one
person to another or one person calling another
another
um but uh
you did the access to information was
very limited now with the Internet it's
like having a nervous system it's like
any part of of humanity has access to
almost all the information of humanity
hmm like you could be in the in the
middle of the Amazon jungle uh whether
it's a starling terminal and have access
to more information uh than the
president did in 1980. right well
anything on your phone everything is
yeah okay so so you are one of these
dealers these people who deal the cards
so I think a lot of people thought when
you bought Twitter that this is kind of
an outlier like how does this what
doesn't fit with these other things
you're doing I never thought that
because I think you're dealing with big
civilizational issues and problems and I
was right on your page I think Twitter
is one of them I mean you have talked
about this at woke mind virus yes and
really apocalyptic terms yeah I don't
you should explain why you don't think
it's hyperbole to say things like it's
pushing civilization towards suicide
first of all what is the walk mine virus
and if we don't deal with this nothing
else can get done tell me why you think that
that
yeah so um
um
I think we need to be very cautious
about anything that is anti-meritocratic
and anything that is uh
that that results in the suppression of
a free speech
so you know those are two other aspects
of the work mind virus that I think are
very dangerous uh is that it's often
anti-mureaucratic you can't you can't
question things uh even the questioning
is bad so uh you know you know another
way to
almost Anonymous would we cancel culture
and obviously people try to cancel you
many times many times yeah I mean every
week yeah
from left and right I've had it from
both sides yeah and it's interesting
people you and I are both like in that
little group of people maybe it's a
bigger group now yeah who who are called
conservative who haven't really changed
I don't see you think of you as a
conservative definitely
yeah like I I at least think of myself
as a moderate uh you know uh so I mean
uh at least that like I've spent a
massive amount of My Life Energy
building sustainable energy uh you know
electric vehicles and and batteries and
solar and stuff uh to help save the
environment that's that's not that's not a
it's not exactly far right now you drew
that diagram you drew that diagram once
where you're here I I related to that
and like the world has changed right I
feel the same way I feel like very often
wokeness is it's not building on
liberalism it's the opposite of
liberalism I can mention yes exactly
many examples where it's the op
including Free Speech free speech is
actually is extremely important and it's
bizarre that we've come to this point where
where
um like free speech used to be a left or
liberal value and and yet we see uh from
you know in quotes left uh a desire to
actually censor
um and uh
that seems crazy I mean I think we
should be extremely concerned about
anything that uh
undermines the First Amendment there's a
reason for the First Amendment
um the first amendment is because people
came from countries where they could not
speak freely
and and where and we're saying certain
things would get you thrown into prison
and they were like well we don't want
that here
and by the way in many parts of the world
world
including possible that people might
think are relatively similar to the
United States the the speech laws are
draconian England is quite different I
won't name any countries but
why are we protecting them they have no first
first
it's very easy to prove libel in England
whereas here it's almost England um
um
I wouldn't want to say the wrong thing
or uh yes you could be sued easier there
I mean there are a lot in in France I
think if you deny the Holocaust
which I think is abhorrent but I also
think it should be part of free speech
right you can be thrown into jail okay
so this my I I really can't emphasize
this enough we must uh uh we must
protect free speech and Free Speech only
matters it's only relevant when it's
someone you don't like saying something
in your life because obviously every
speech that you like is uh yes that's easy
easy
um so it it's uh and it's the thing
about censorship is that sure for those
who would Advocate it um just remember
at some point that will be turned on you [Applause]
[Applause] so
so
this uh woke mind virus how did it start
was it bats was it a yeah escape from a
lab I mean what is your assessment of
what because it's fairly recent why how
did it start and why
I was I was trying to figure out where
where it's coming from I think it's
actually been a long time Brewing
um in that it's uh
I think it's been going on for a while um
um
it it and um
um
the amount of indoctrination that that's
happening in schools and universities is
I think far beyond what parents realize
um and I only I sort of came to realize
this somewhat late um
the the experience that we had uh in
high school and college is not the
experience that that kids today are having
having
um and and hasn't been for I don't know
10 years maybe 20 years so
so
uh my parents themselves also a big part
of the problem
they well I I suppose in some cases that
parents but but I think like the parents
are just generally not aware of what
their their kids are being told or what
they're not being taught
um they're letting the kids think that
they're equal I mean yeah let me let me
let me give you an example that a
Fairmont told me which uh you know his
daughters uh go to college and and sorry
go to high school in the Bay Area
um and um
and he he was asking them like well so
who are the
you know who are the first few
presidents of the United States uh that
they could name Washington but and I
said what do you know about him well he
was a slave owner what else right
exactly nothing
right like uh okay that's maybe you
should know more than that you know yeah
yeah that and that that is the world
mind virus exactly yeah so
exactly it's it's like you know the uh
you know slavery is obviously a horrific
institution but we should still know
more about George Washington than that
and by the way one that was practiced
all over the world forever since the
beginning of time by every race
including people of color I'm sorry to
tell you that it's huge in the Bible
absolutely so the Bible loves it
really yes they're quite strict about
like you know don't take someone else's
slave and that kind of thing right but
no one ever says just don't do it they
don't they don't they don't at no point
does it say slavery is bad in the Bible
no they do not condemn it at all they
just have so so it's um but Twitter is
not doing bad right I mean I saw today
that Tucker Carlson yeah recently fired
you were just on his show and he lost
his job so I hope this isn't enough yeah
yeah but uh luckily uh the angel of
death exactly I'm not the Typhoid Mary
his rant yesterday or today on Twitter
yesterday or something more than every
cable news monologue or something like
that is that right well Twitter has a
tremendous audience so there's 250
million people that spend an average of
half an hour a day on Twitter so it's
about 120 to 130 million user hours per
day and it's been increasing so
um the we didn't do anything to be clear
we did nothing special whatsoever I
learned about it afterwards that he had
posted something on Twitter um so it's
just the Twitter has a lot of people's
attention uh so and it tends to be the
people that are uh that read read a lot
or or interested in current events
um and um
generally are pretty influential so but
most of the people who tweet are the
same people right I mean the people who
actually tweet it's mostly just reading
it yeah I feel like that's I've read
this many times it's a very very small
percentage of the people on Twitter and
it seems like yeah see here's why I
don't tweet anymore because you may be
the mayor of tweak town now yeah
I'm getting a cap with that and I'm glad
and I like it that the mayor likes my
jokes but the reason I don't do it
anymore is because the mob of Mean Girls
is still there and that has not changed
I know like it's too easy to get canceled
canceled
and I don't even know what pisses them
off they're so nuts these kids I feel
like I'm walking on a roof with a
blindfold I could fall off anytime yeah
that was the most innocuous thing but
it's like you know I said George
Washington was a great president oh how
dare you yeah yeah exactly had some
flows but but how do you fix this
instrumental in this Mr Mayor creation
of the United States so yeah
um well you have to say like what does
canceled mean you know uh I mean it's
yes people attacking on Twitter that's
one thing but frankly that's just going
to increase engagement
so I would just ignore it well that's
easy for you because they can't take
your job away
or any of your main 10 jobs but they
could take mine and they did Once by the
way yeah so still Affair you know I was
like literally canceled yeah I mean like
the Show is canceled
so you but okay so you were in Congress
uh at Congress the other day talking
with Chuck Schumer about AI I'm very
interested in this because you've been
on this for years I've always thought
you were right about this I think you're
right about almost everything I mean
let's have more babies and raise them on
Mars I don't get that but okay well uh I
just think we should be cautious about
civilizational decline with with and we
have plummeting growth rates
um most places yeah right and also
plummeting resources no no resources
look I'm not suggesting complacency but
we do want to move to a sustainable
energy economy as quickly as possible
but but we're not in any danger of uh
resource collapse but lots of people
don't have enough food or water
we will run out of water they're running
they're running out of sand
Earth is 70 Water by surface area
um but you can't drink that
desalination is absurdly Chief why don't
we do it then we do it is you have a lot
of free time it is done this there is a
lot of desalination done okay but
there's plenty of water this is not an
issue I want to be clear all right so
but let's talk about AI because like you
were you were on this tip 10 years ago
when nobody else was that and I always
thought he's right why because I've seen
too many movies everything that happens
in movies that happens in real life and
yeah you know if you make things that
are way smarter than you why wouldn't
they become your overlords so what did
you say to Chuck Schumer and what are we
doing about this I know you want to
pause in AI because in the just in the
last six months with chat GPT which came
from a company you started yes
yes [Laughter]
[Laughter]
um well I mean A friend of mine has a
sort of modification of Occam's razor
you know you know instead of the
simplest thing being the most likely
that like the most ironic outcome is
most likely right right yes so
um with respect to AI
um I just think we should be uh we
should have some sort of regulatory
oversight so uh you know for anything
that is a danger to the public uh if
it's sort of uh aircraft uh cars uh Food
and Drug and whatnot we've got some
regulatory oversight like a referee
essentially and making sure that uh
companies don't cut Corners so um
um
I think that since if one agrees that uh
AI is a potential risk to the public
then there should be some regulatory
body that oversees uh what companies are
doing so they don't cut corners and
don't do something
lay out a scenario for me in the next
two five ten years if nothing is done
because we're very good at doing nothing
especially when it comes in the way of
profit and this is a big profit engine
now for companies they're going to want
to just compete with each other I mean
there are people like Ray Kurzweil who
doesn't think it's a problem at all uh
actually Ray kurzweil's prediction for
artificial super intelligence uh is
2029. he's not far wrong right but he
doesn't think it's a problem whereas
people like you and Bill Gates and
Stephen Hawking thought think it's a problem
problem
um yeah it depends if some people want
to live forever or for a much longer
period of time and they see AI as the
only way to or
digital super intelligence is as the
only thing that can figure out how to
get them to live forever I think
Kurzweil is in that category so he would
prefer to have ai
artificial general intelligence than
than not uh because it can figure out longevity
longevity
so are you are you optimistic I read in
your Rolling Stone article back in the
day that you said you can never be happy
unless you're in love
well you can be half happy I suppose
I mean this I mean there's two things I
think if to be to be full to be to be
most happy if you're happy in love and
and you love your work then then you'll
be I think fully happy if you lack
either of those two if you have one of
those two things be half happy you know
roughly I feel like the theme in a lot
of your works that connect all these
different things is connecting
like you want to connect things you know
you want to connect on the hyperloop and
you want to connect this to Mars and
even to connect four
people in that game what uh Connect Four
you know [Laughter]
it's hard for you because when you
bought Twitter you're kind of doing what
you did when you took over when you
started Tesla you lived at the factory
right I feel like that's your that's
your your your pattern you get into this
thing and then you got to live at the
factory to make it work if you've been
back in you moved to Texas then you went
back up to San Francisco because of
Twitter I just I was living in the in
the library of Twitter for a while
um yes but it's I think things are
reasonably stabilized right now it was
uh just on the fast track to bankruptcy
after that position so I had to take a
drastic action there wasn't any choice
I'm just saying it's hard for a woman
yeah to like when the guy lives at the factory
factory yes
that could be that could be a stumbling
block but yes but
um overall with you know my my concern
with Twitter was to that it is somewhat
of the digital Town Square and um it's
it's important that there be both the
reality uh and perception of of trust uh
for a wide range of viewpoints
um and
uh there was a lot of censorship going on
on
um and we've we sort of uncovered a lot
of that with uh the Twitter files
including a lot of of government-driven
censorship which
it's it's I mean it seems that that's
got to be a constitutional violation of
what was going on there but
um so so and I can since I'm like I have
a Twitter user I could detect that like
something's not right here um and so
that's that's really why uh I did that
position it wasn't because I thought
this was an easy way to make money or
something like that it was a man this is
being mayor Twitter town tweetown or
whatever is is is definitely like
there's a lot of arrows pointed at you
like flying at you of course but you
know but you seem to handle that okay I
hope you do because yeah
look I mean Geniuses are going to be a
little quirky sometimes but your heart
is always in the right place you were
trying to fix this world and look I
could talk to you forever we can't today
I'd love to get high with you I know a
great place
I can't tell you how much I appreciate
you I know you have a lot of choices and
places you can go thank you Elon Musk
ladies and gentlemen all right I'll see
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