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How a love of sci-fi drives Elon Musk and an idea of 'extreme capitalism'

Elon Musk has been in headlines for trying to buy Twitter, but one Harvard historian says his brand of capitalism goes back to his teen years and a particular reading of science fiction stories.
Elon Musk draws a lot of inspiration from sci-fi, says historian Jill Lepore.

Elon Musk's headline-grabbing offer for Twitter is the latest in a series of high-stakes moves for the world's richest person. Musk has made a name for himself as a bombastic CEO who commands attention from a legion of fans while also courting controversy.

But he's more than a celebrity — he's arguably the author and avatar of a new political economy. That is how Harvard University historian Jill Lepore explains his significance in a new podcast series, The Evening.

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