In the world of tech legends, Elon Musk has always stood apart, but according to a new bombshell book, Hubris Maximus by Washington Post reporter Faiz Siddiqui, Musk once claimed it wasn’t by accident.
Over lunch in the 1990s with venture capitalist Derek Proudian, Musk, then a young founder pitching his first startup, Zip2 — said he wasn’t just another entrepreneur with a dream. He was the reincarnation of Alexander the Great.
When Proudian tried to steer the conversation back to business strategy, Musk doubled down.
“No — you don’t understand,” Musk insisted.
“I’m the reincarnation of the spirit of Alexander the Great.
I’ve got the samurai spirit. I’d rather commit seppuku than fail.”
At the time, Proudian thought the young Musk was just being dramatic. Musk was, after all, a scrappy entrepreneur with barely two nickels to rub together. But today, with Musk’s influence stretching across Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX, and beyond — Proudian says he’s worried.
“I’m really concerned because I know how smart this guy is,
how much money he has, and how ruthless he is,” he told The Daily Beast.
A Pattern of Power, Arrogance — and Isolation
Hubris Maximus traces Musk’s rise from scrappy Silicon Valley dreamer to global power broker, painting a portrait of a man allergic to limits — and often, empathy.
Former Tesla investor Ross Gerber, once one of Musk’s loudest cheerleaders, now sees a darker side:
“He just has a complete disdain for any authority, period,” Gerber said.
Meanwhile, former Tesla engineer Nathan Murthy pointed to Musk’s responses to the George Floyd protests and the COVID-19 pandemic as pivotal moments revealing Musk’s true character:
“We saw with definitive proof his true colors.
I don’t know if he doesn’t want to empathize or feels he’s too busy to.”
At Twitter, Musk’s eccentric leadership style became infamous. One senior executive reportedly waited outside Musk’s office for 90 minutes — only to find Musk glued to a YouTube video. After a few silent minutes, Musk simply shook his hand, said “thank you,” and went back to watching.
Sparring With Trump and Thumbing His Nose at Authority
The book also reveals new details about Musk’s relationship with Donald Trump. During a 2020 meeting on electric vehicles, Trump allegedly bragged he could have made Musk “drop to his knees and beg” for support.
Reality? Musk didn’t budge — sticking to his plans to expand outside the U.S. as well.
When Siddiqui reached out for comment while writing the book, Musk responded in typical fashion — not with a statement, but a jab:
“Give my regards to your puppetmaster,” Musk said, referring to Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.
From self-proclaimed reincarnation of a conqueror to real-world tech king, the Musk portrayed in Hubris Maximus isn’t just confident — he believes he’s untouchable.
Musk, true to form, has not formally responded to the book’s claims.
