The Global Story: What Elon Musk did next
5/10/202628 min
It’s been a year since billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk left his informal position in President Trump’s White House in May 2025. But behind the scenes, Musk has been busy.
Musk has spent the last few weeks in a California courtroom, where he is suing his former business partner, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. In January, Musk applied for permission with the US government to launch a million satellites into orbit, some of which he says will serve as solar AI data centres. And he is preparing to take his company SpaceX public, with an estimated valuation of over $1 trillion.
Though his political presence has waned, is it possible that Elon Musk is more powerful than ever? We speak to the BBC’s North America technology correspondent Lily Jamali about what the world’s richest man has been up to since leaving the White House.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Asma Khalid· Host0:03
Hey there, I'm Asma Khalid.
Tristan Redman· Host0:05
And I'm Tristan Redman, and we're here with a bonus episode for you from The Global Story podcast.
Asma Khalid· Host0:10
The world order is shifting. Old alliances are fraying, and new ones are emerging. Some of this turbulence can be traced to decisions made in the United States, but the US isn't just a cause of the upheaval. Its politics are also a symptom of it.
Tristan Redman· Host0:27
Every day, we focus on one story, looking at how America and the world shape each other.
Asma Khalid· Host0:32
So we hope you enjoy this episode. And to find more of our show, just search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:41
So I'm gonna ask if it's possible to have Elon get up first and talk about DOGE because it seems to be of great interest to everyone.
Asma Khalid· Host0:50
That's President Trump speaking at the very first Cabinet meeting of his second term back in February of 2025.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:56
So Elon, if you could get up and, uh, explain where you are, how you're doing, and how much we're cutting. And it's an honor to have you. You've been a tremendously successful guy. He's- I remember this meeting quite well because I was actually there in the room as a journalist.
Asma Khalid· Host1:11
These were the days when I used to cover the White House for NPR.
Donald Trump· Soundbite1:14
Thank you, Elon.
Elon Musk· Soundbite1:15
Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, well, I, I, I actually just call myself the public tech support here because- [laughs] ... uh, this, this is actually- [laughs] [laughs] As crazy as it sounds, that, that, that is almost a literal description of