In mid-September, Elon Musk held a “one-on-one” conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The setting was informal and the chat was live-streamed. Five minutes later, Netanyahu told Elon Musk that he could not become President of the United States. Musk replied in two words. “Not officially,” he said. It was meant to be a joke, a joke, but the clip soon went viral and continued to circulate in the weeks that followed. Today as Donald Trump wins the US election and is set to become the next “official” President of the US, many may be wondering – and with some logic – that Elon Musk will be the “not official” President.

After his conversation with Netanyahu, Musk tried to take his quip. At a rally he stressed that he is not a political person, even as he has intensified his support for Trump. He said, “I was born in Africa, so I can’t be president. I don’t really want to be president. I want to build rockets and cars.” And perhaps this is true. But nothing is black and white in the world, and certainly not when we are talking about the richest man in the world, which is Musk.

There’s a reason Musk shook hands with Trump. This is not just because of his rhetoric about war to save civilization or his right-wing leanings on socio-economic matters. Instead, it mostly has to do with his ambitions, which are every bit the size of a planet.

In his biography, Musk tells Walter Isaacson that he is “obsessive-compulsive by nature.” And this obsession and compulsion are deeply reflected in Musk’s desire to succeed. It is not for riches, although riches are always welcome. It is also not for the sake of power, which is also welcome but it is not the main objective. Instead, it’s probably a desire to make things right. Fix the world. Fix the environment. Fix the existential threats facing humanity. Or just fix Twitter, which cost Musk over $44 billion on it. It’s a classic Silicon Valley I-am-a-genius trait, the same one that lets technologists try their hand at everything, believing that they are invincible and that they are there to make the world a better place, no matter what its Will it or not. In the same biography, Max Levchin said, “One of Elon’s greatest skills is his ability to express his vision as a command from heaven.” Levchin would know because he has worked with Musk.

Over the past few months, the mandate from heaven for Elon Musk has been to help Donald Trump get elected as the next US President. To achieve this, Musk did what he does best: he tried his best, he gave everything he had to make this thing happen. He gave millions of dollars through his America PAC. He campaigned and networked harder than any single person, including Donald Trump, for Trump’s victory. On Twitter, aka

Now it is done.

What benefit will Musk get from Donald Trump’s victory?

Whether Trump or Musk admit it publicly or not, Elon Musk is going to have a massive impact on the Trump administration. Not only has he played a key role in helping Trump win, a role that no one can ignore or refuse to accept, but he is also very close to JD Vance, the next Vice President of the United States. Vance, a venture capitalist, made his money in Silicon Valley and is considered close to the likes of David Sachs, Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. They are all part of the same circle.

As Trump’s victory became clear, Musk tweeted and pinned: “America is a nation of builders. Soon, you will be free to build.” And that’s exactly what Musk will be hoping to do with the help of the new US administration.

As Musk and his influence through X, SpaceX, Neuralink, Tesla and other companies have grown, so has the scrutiny on his companies and the way they operate. Over the past few years, Musk has repeatedly complained that regulations are holding him back. He has lamented government interference in his work – which is not really work but always a mission. Additionally, Musk has faced issues and regulatory pressure outside the US as well. Look at Brazil where they have faced the wrath of the Supreme Court. Or look at India, where Musk is hoping to bring both Tesla cars and Starlink internet service but has yet to get regulatory approval. Also, their companies are facing renewed competition from the Chinese – especially Tesla EV cars – and in such a fight, a friendly government with friendly policy can do wonders.

It’s unclear whether Musk will formally join the U.S. government in some capacity — chances are he won’t — but he’ll certainly look for a way forward where he and his companies will be free to do those things. Whatever they want. If Neuralink, which aims to create a brain-technology interface, wants to speed up human trials, Musk would like US regulators not breathing down his neck. More importantly, Musk wants to make risky bets around his Mars plan, a mission to colonize the entire planet. He probably wants an accelerated program to launch non-crewed and crewed missions to Mars, with the U.S. government obligated to help, consistent with his missionary zeal.

Ambitions. Elon Musk has planet-sized desires. He wants the entire world to be surrounded by a network broadcast through Starlink satellites. He wants the whole world to be green and drive Tesla EVs. He wants to colonize Mars, not only for its resources but also to ensure humanity’s survival if a large asteroid – the proverbial planet-killer bullet – hits Earth. He wants humans around the world to have more children. These are big goals, even bigger than classic Silicon Valley mottoes like “organize the entire world’s information” or “free information.” Work on them requires not only missionary zeal and talent, but also help from the government. With Donald Trump in the White House, Musk will now be helped by whatever goals he is pursuing. As far as helping hands go, it doesn’t get better than a friendly American government and an American President that you helped win.