Grimes And Kanye West Are Helping Elon Musk With His Most Ridiculous Project Yet
Elon Musk has been behind many bizarre projects, from a cologne that smells like burnt hair to a Tesla-themed tequila. But the billionaire may be working on is strangest project yet – building a tiny town for his employees. But as if the concept wasn’t already odd enough, the people he’s consulting are raising eyebrows, as he’s reportedly in talks with Kanye West and Grimes, whom she shares two children with.
Below, we look at everything we know about Elon’s latest project, why he’s consulting Ye and Grimes, and if the odds are in his favor.
Elon Musk Is Building A Town In Texas For His Employees Only
In March, it was reported that the Tesla founder had purchased 3,500 acres of land located a little outside of Austin, Texas. He apparently wants to use the land to build “a sort of Texas utopia along the Colorado River, where his employees could live and work,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
Elon apparently plans to incorporate his employee-only town into Bastrop County, which is near locations where new SpaceX and The Boring Company facilities are intended to be built. In doing so, Elon may be able to expedite his plans to build his company’s new buildings.
There are few details known about Elon’s plan for the Texas town, including when it’ll be ready for employees and how many it can host. However, it’s been reported that Elon was consulting third parties to help develop his ideas, specifically Kanye West and Grimes. He apparently had several meetings with both of them in 2022 to discuss his plans. Elon was specifically interested in speaking with Kanye as well as the rapper’s architectural designer to discuss concepts for the town.
While construction is yet to start, Elon has reportedly applied for government permits and asked people involved to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep the project top secret.
Elon Has A Lot Of History With Both Kanye West & Grimes
With access to an abundance of resources, including some of the world’s smartest people, it’s raising eyebrows that Elon consulted Kanye and Grimes on the project. It’s also causing people to question how serious and successful this supposed tiny town will be. But Elon has a long history with Ye and Grimes that may explain why he wants them to be involved in the project.
For one, many people and companies have distanced themselves from Ye in the wake of his controversial behavior over the last couple of years, which includes antisemitic and anti-Black remarks.
But Kanye and Elon have been friends for years, with the Twitter CEO once even endorsing the rapper’s presidential campaign. They apparently first met in 2011 when Elon gave Kanye a tour of his SpaceX facility.
In 2020, Elon had only praise for Kanye in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People List.” "Kanye’s belief in himself and his incredible tenacity — he performed his first single with his jaw wired shut — got him to where he is today. And he fought for his place in the cultural pantheon with a purpose," the billionaire said.
"He’s not afraid of being judged or ridiculed in the process," Elon continued. "Kanye’s been playing the long game all along, and we’re only just beginning to see why."
It’s not clear if Elon has met with Kanye in 2023 to discuss the tiny town, and the Tesla founder has taken some steps to publicly distance himself from Kanye, including banning him from Twitter. So, it’s unclear how involved in the project Kanye remains at the moment.
Elon has a lot of history with Grimes, too, but of a different nature. They began dating in 2018 after connecting on Twitter, and she gave birth to their a son in 2020. In January 2022, it was revealed they welcomed a daughter via surrogate.
The couple’s relationship has been very on-and-off, and they’ve rejected labels in the past. Though they announced in September 2021 they were separating, the pair appear to remain very close, both as co-parents and otherwise.
Elon’s Weird Projects Have Been Successful, But He’s Hemorrhaging Money
Elon’s tiny town isn’t his first ambitiously strange project, and if history repeats itself, it may actually be a success. For example, even the burnt hair perfume he launched in October 2022 was a success, albeit bizarrely. The cologne sold out and made $2 million in profits.
Even more, Elon is one of the richest people in the world, meaning he can likely afford to fund his newest project himself. However, he’s reportedly been having financial struggles ever since buying Twitter in November for $44 billion. Elon has admitted the social platform is losing millions a day, and he was even bumped from his spot as the richest person in the world recently.
If Elon keeps hemorrhaging tons of money in his effort to save Twitter as well as keep his other businesses profitable, it could mean for a tight budget for his tiny town. And if he’s taking advice from the wrong people – ahem, Kanye West – it could spell even more trouble for Elon’s latest project.
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