Musk abandoned his own 'solar electric economy' to burn gas for an AI chatbot no one uses

Key Points:

• Elon Musk, once a vocal advocate for terrestrial solar power as the key to clean energy, is now heavily relying on fossil fuels to power xAI’s methane gas turbines, which run AI chatbot Grok that has seen a 60% drop in downloads.
• xAI operates 62 unpermitted gas turbines generating over 6 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, contradicting Musk’s past mission to eliminate fossil fuels, while also leasing excess compute capacity to Anthropic, a company he previously criticized harshly.
• Despite significant investments in Tesla Megapacks for energy storage, Musk’s data centers have not substantially incorporated Tesla solar panels, highlighting a shift away from his earlier solar electric economy vision.
• SpaceX’s upcoming $2 trillion IPO is linked to a new energy thesis promoting space-based solar power via satellite constellations, a move seen as a strategic business decision to justify valuation and increase launch demand rather than a necessary energy solution.
• Critics argue Musk’s pivot to space solar power and fossil fuel-powered AI infrastructure reflects financial engineering priorities over environmental commitments, diverging sharply from his 2017 clean energy advocacy.