Godwin’s Engine: Muskism and the Automation of Consent

Quinn Slobodian

19.05.2026 16:15–17:15
Stage 1
Englisch
(Kurz-) Vortrag
Politik & Gesellschaft
#Platforms #Vibe Shift #Demokratie #Polarisation
Elon Musk’s empire spans mines to orbit, but still can’t solve the problem of consent. Drawing on his book with Ben Tarnoff, this talk argues that Musk is building a “Godwin’s Engine” using X and Grok to fuel a "cyborg conservatism" where outsiders become bugs and viruses, and discourse is pushed - by design - toward MechaHitler.

Elon Musk’s vertically integrated production model stretches from lithium-ion batteries to low-earth satellites, yet it remains plagued by an old problem: consent. In their co-authored book, Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian argue that Musk seeks to secure legitimacy - and ultimately automate consent - through his social media platform and its Grok chatbot. Where Godwin’s Law predicted a drift toward Hitler comparisons, Musk has built a Godwin’s Engine designed to tend toward MechaHitler. What we call cyborg conservatism floods the zone with content that normalizes hierarchy, social exclusion, and the treatment of outsiders as bugs and viruses to be contained.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Dieser Programmpunkt wird durch die Stiftung Mercator unterstützt. / This programme session is supported by Stiftung Mercator.

Quinn Slobodian will be signing his book “Muskism" at the Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann Book table on May 19 from 17:30 - 18:00.

Speaker