Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s view of humanity shaped modernity. For Elon Musk, however, this is precisely where the origin of an ideological aberration in the West can be found.
May 17, 2026, 07:47May 17, 2026, 07:47
Simon Maurer / ch media
Elon Musk blames a Geneva philosopher for wokeism. In a heated argument about French thinkers, the Tesla boss called Jean-Jacques Rousseau a “diabolical asshole.”
The Tesla boss likes Switzerland, but apparently not the most famous Swiss philosopher.Image: keystone
The reason for the derailment is a heated debate about French philosophers that took place on Saturday on X and reached over 34 million people. A Frenchman working in the tech industry apologized on behalf of his home country for all the evil philosophers from France who “forged the ideological weapon that is paralyzing the West today.” What we mean is wokeism.
Rousseau is said to have corrupted American universities
In his Contribution The man claimed that philosophers such as Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida and Gilles Deleuze had systematically questioned traditional ideas of truth, authority and identity with their theories from the 1960s onwards. These ideas were later taken up at elite American universities and linked to debates about racism, gender and power.
According to the author, this is how central concepts of today’s Woke movement emerged – such as the idea that social norms are primarily an expression of power relations or that identities are socially constructed. According to the theory, the French thinkers unintentionally laid the ideological foundation for a culture that increasingly deconstructs Western values.
This argument seemed to convince billionaire Elon Musk; he interacted several times with the previously unknown Frenchman, who later repeated his criticism once again came to a head. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is “poison for the French spirit”. Musk responded with the aforementioned insult.
Musk thinks mistrust of institutions is bad
The two men are particularly bothered by Rousseau’s most famous thesis. This says that people are born “good” and only “corrupt” through the influences of society. Musk and the French tech philosopher, on the other hand, believe that humans are “born instinctual, ambivalent and capable of the best and worst.” The social institutions would not suppress any angelic nature, but would only channel the good and bad nature of man.
It is therefore wrong to maintain constant mistrust of social authorities and hierarchies. Because without social restrictions and traditional values, people would be at the mercy of their worst instincts – and possibly destroy everything. Because the newer French philosophers simply exaggerated Rousseau’s theses, the Swiss philosopher was also responsible for the worst original sin. The execution was garnished with an image edited by artificial intelligence in which two devil horns were placed on Rousseau’s head.
Rousseau is probably more popular in Switzerland than Elon Musk
In this country, the accusation of malice and the harsh rhetoric are unlikely to go down well – regardless of the criticism of certain American interpretations of Rousseau, which is also expressed by renowned philosophers. On the website The Organization of the Swiss Abroad describes Rousseau as a “brilliant thinker” whose ideas have shaped democracy, freedom and human rights to this day. In Geneva, in the middle of the Rhone, the Île Rousseau commemorates the philosopher with a large statue, and numerous exhibitions and events were dedicated to him on his 300th birthday in 2012.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau is considered one of the most important thinkers of the Enlightenment era.Image: KEYSTONE
Rousseau’s influence continues to have an impact on the Swiss education system today. The Zurich educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, whose ideas had a decisive influence on modern elementary schools, explicitly referred to Rousseau’s educational philosophy. Ideas such as child-friendly teaching or learning through experience are now part of everyday Swiss school life.
In other ways, Rousseau’s philosophy is likely to be more popular today, at least in Switzerland, than those spread from Silicon Valley. After all, the Swiss are fundamentally critical of institutions and authorities – and therefore especially of them that claim to technological power that Elon Musk embodies. (aargauerzeitung.ch)