Playing It Safe Won’t Build the Future

In political battle, most CEOs stay on the sidelines.

It makes sense to a degree—they’re not political creatures. They have a corporate mission and a responsibility to shareholders. They focus on their work and stay in their lane.

But it also doesn’t make sense given how intrusive the government is, and can be, in their operations. Their success requires a free market—a set of conditions that is inescapably political.

This is why to the extent that they get involved, most do so quietly. Tim Cook reportedly called Donald Trump the other day asking for help against the EU fining Apple billions of dollars. Private phone call. Discreet.

If Cook feels like Trump is his best chance to stand up against regulatory nonsense, why doesn’t he publicly say so? Because he’s scared. He’s hedging his bets. And it’s a reasonable move to do so because if Harris wins, he has to work in that environment to protect his business (and his own wealth) against the machine.

This is why it’s all the more surprising and refreshing to see Elon Musk speaking out so strenuously. He’s got a lot on the line. He could hedge his bets. He could play the game and straddle the line, hoping to be friendly to whichever candidate wins.

But he didn’t. He took a position, is backing that position with resources, and is personally and frequently speaking out about the things that concern him and the companies he’s building.

That is a risky move; as he told Tucker Carlson, “If [Trump] loses, I’m f***ed. How long do you think my prison sentence is going to be? Will I see my children? I don’t know.”

This was said rather jokingly, but he said it because it has a kernel of truth. The Biden-Harris administration has already been targeting him—recognizing other EV companies but not Tesla; handing out funds to ineffective broadband companies but not Starlink; keeping radio silent during all of his civilization-advancing successes like saving astronauts and catching freaking rockets out of the air. He’s sensitive to being targeted under Harris because he’s already in the crosshairs.

Love or hate Trump—and love or hate Elon—what we should all admire is when someone stands for something they believe in. We need more backbones and intestinal fortitude—not less. 

We need more speech, more communication, more ideas, more debate.

You already know we’ve got tons of books, videos, and curricula that teach kids the truth about the world—and how to work toward a prosperous and free future in it—but did you know that we have a monthly magazine that teaches them about the things happening right now? 

We wanted to give kids a resource that tackles things in real-time by taking current issues and exploring them through a Tuttle Twins lens. It’s one of our most important projects, and one of the most reasonably priced options for families who want to keep up with what’s happening in the world without getting bogged down by all the narratives and spin. 

If you want to get November’s issue, you’ll need to sign up now because registration closes Sunday night!

We want to help more people have the courage to speak, to act, and to be real changemakers and defenders of the principles and ideas that lead to human prosperity and flourishing.

In a world full of sideline observers, be the person who engages in the battle.

Stand up in a sit down world. 

Refuse to be silenced by fear; the future belongs to those who dare to fight for it.

— Connor