If you’ve spent any time on Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter), you’re familiar with what can only be described as his ego wall—a carefully curated collection of praise, endorsements, and self-aggrandizing statements. One recent addition comes from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who proclaimed:
“Elon is our Einstein.”
Dimon went on to praise Musk’s leadership of SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink, adding that he wants to “be helpful” to Musk and his companies.
But let’s be clear: Musk is no Einstein. If anything, he’s more like Thomas Edison—a master marketer, an aggressive competitor, and a businessman who thrives on taking credit for other people’s work.
The Genuine Brilliance of Nikola Tesla
While Musk’s company bears his name, Nikola Tesla was a true visionary whose contributions to science and technology remain unparalleled. Unlike Musk or Edison, Tesla was a genuine inventor and scientist, developing groundbreaking innovations that shaped the modern world.
Alternating Current (AC): Tesla’s most significant achievement was the development of AC electricity, which allows power to be transmitted over long distances efficiently. This remains the foundation of modern electrical grids.
Induction Motor & Wireless Transmission: Tesla designed the induction motor and pioneered wireless energy transmission, concepts still being explored today.
Radio & Remote Control: Although Marconi is often credited with inventing the radio, Tesla’s patents predate his, and the Supreme Court later recognized Tesla’s work in radio transmission.
Tesla’s Visionary Thinking: Unlike Edison, who focused on marketable products, Tesla pursued ideas that were ahead of their time—such as wireless global energy, robotics, and even theories resembling modern AI.
Tesla was not just a scientist, but a dreamer, an innovator, and a true genius. His ideas were so radical that he often struggled to secure funding, unlike Edison, who mastered the business of invention. Ironically, Musk, who thrives on branding and marketing, is far closer to Edison than the man his company is named after.
Musk is Not a Scientific Genius
Albert Einstein revolutionized human understanding of physics with his theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, and the photoelectric effect. His work fundamentally changed our understanding of time, space, and energy and laid the foundation for technologies like GPS, nuclear energy, and semiconductors.
Musk, in contrast, is not a scientist, physicist, or engineer in the traditional sense. While he has played an important role in funding and promoting technological advancements, he has not personally invented or discovered anything revolutionary.
Tesla was not founded by Musk. He bought into the company early and later forced out its original founders.
SpaceX did not invent reusable rockets. NASA and other agencies had been working on similar concepts before Musk entered the industry.
Neuralink is not the first brain-computer interface. Research institutions have been developing this technology for decades.
Musk’s predictions about AI, self-driving cars, and Hyperloop have consistently failed to materialize.
Rather than being an Einstein-like scientific revolutionary, Musk is a brilliant marketer, a corporate strategist, and a master of self-promotion. In this way, he bears a striking resemblance to Thomas Edison.
Musk and Edison: Masters of Self-Promotion, Not Science
Much like Musk, Edison was not the lone genius he claimed to be. He was a ruthless businessman who took credit for the work of others, used aggressive legal tactics to maintain dominance, and engaged in deceptive PR campaigns to undermine his rivals.
1. Taking Credit for Others’ Work
Edison did not invent the lightbulb. Electric lighting had been in development for decades before he refined and commercialized it.
Musk did not invent the electric car. Tesla’s core technology existed long before he got involved.
2. Smearing the Competition: Edison’s Propaganda War Against Tesla
Edison launched a fear campaign against Nikola Tesla and AC power, falsely claiming that Alternating Current (AC) was too dangerous for public use. He publicly electrocuted animals—including dogs and horses—to scare the public into thinking AC was lethal. Though often attributed to Edison himself, the infamous 1903 electrocution of Topsy the elephant was actually carried out by the Edison Manufacturing Company, rather than Edison personally. However, it still reinforced his long-running efforts to paint AC as dangerous.
Edison secretly funded the first electric chair to ensure it used AC, hoping to permanently associate Tesla’s technology with death.
He coined the term “Westinghoused” as a way to describe being electrocuted, further pushing the narrative that Tesla and Westinghouse’s AC power was dangerous.
Despite Edison’s efforts, Tesla’s AC power ultimately won out, proving far more efficient for large-scale energy transmission.
Musk uses X/Twitter to attack competitors, spread misinformation, and manipulate public perception of rival companies like Apple, OpenAI, and traditional automakers.
3. Controlling the Narrative
Edison staged gruesome public electrocutions of animals to make AC power seem dangerous and convince people to stick with his weaker DC system.
Musk uses social media and media appearances to frame himself as a misunderstood genius, ensuring he dominates public discourse about technology.
4. Overpromising and Underdelivering
Edison promised “a perfect phonograph” and “a safe electrical system”—but early versions were unreliable.
Musk promised full self-driving cars by 2018, the Hyperloop revolutionizing transportation, and a Mars colony in our lifetime—none have materialized.
Musk is No Einstein—But He’s Definitely an Edison
Jamie Dimon’s claim that Musk is our Einstein is wildly inaccurate. Musk is not a scientist, not a physicist, and certainly not a revolutionary thinker like Einstein and Tesla. Instead, he is a corporate manipulator, a self-promoter, and a master of branding—just like Thomas Edison.
Like Edison, Musk thrives on public perception, controls the narrative, and aggressively eliminates competitors. And while both have contributed to technological advancements through business and funding, neither is the kind of groundbreaking genius that history remembers for fundamentally reshaping human knowledge.
So next time someone calls Musk “our Einstein,” remind them: He’s not our Einstein—he’s our Edison. And history will eventually separate real innovation from mere marketing.
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