Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO, isn’t privy to all of the company’s classified work with the US government: report
Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s security clearance doesn’t grant him complete access to the company’s classified work with the US government.
Musk isn’t allowed to enter SpaceX facilities where classified information is being deliberated upon, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The billionaire also isn’t privy to the classified cargo SpaceX launches into space as part of the company’s contracts with US national security agencies, per the outlet.
In October, Musk said at a campaign event for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania that he has “top-secret clearance” for his work at SpaceX.
Musk obtained his top-secret clearance in 2022, following a review process that took years, the Journal reported. SpaceX’s lawyers had advised the company not to seek a higher security clearance for Musk because he would have to disclose details about his drug use and interactions with foreign nationals.
In 2018, Musk appeared to smoke a joint during an interview with Joe Rogan. Musk later said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he had “no idea how to smoke pot.”
When the Journal reported on Musk’s drug use in January, he said that “not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol” in his system when NASA requested that he undergo three years of random drug testing.
After that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at NASA’s request, to do 3 years of random drug testing.
Not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol. @WSJ is not fit to line a parrot cage for bird 💩
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2024
As part of his business dealings, Musk has met with various foreign leaders over the years.
In April, Musk visited China, where he met with Premier Li Qiang, the country’s second-highest-ranking politician. The two discussed the rollout of Tesla’s self-driving technology in China.
In October, the Journal reported that Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. In a statement, SpaceX said the Journal’s story was “incredibly misleading” and based on “completely unsubstantiated claims.”
Musk and Trump’s relationship grows closer
Musk’s clearance status might no longer be a problem for him given his close relationship with President-elect Trump.
Musk endorsed Trump and spent at least $270 million to help him get elected. In the past weeks, he has reportedly joined Trump on calls with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In November, Trump announced that Musk would co-lead an advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk and Ramaswamy have talked about significantly reducing the size of the federal workforce and shutting down entire government agencies like the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Delete CFPB. There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2024
Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, and it was valued at about $350 billion during the latest round of staff share purchases. Musk is worth an estimated $455 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the richest person in the world by a roughly $200 billion margin.
Representatives for Musk at SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from B-17. The Defense Department also did not respond to a request for comment.
Correction: December 16, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of money Elon Musk spent on Donald Trump’s campaign. He spent at least $270 million, not $119 billion.
