Amanpour and Company

WALTER ISAACSON, WELCOME.

HERE YOU ARE OFFERING YET ANOTHER GENIUS BIOGRAPHY.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT ELON MUSK THAT REALLY PIQUED YOUR IMAGINATION FOR THIS?

>> WHEN I FIRST STARTED, HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON ABLE TO GET AMERICAN ASTRONAUTS INTO ORBIT AT THE SPACE SHUTTLE AND HE WAS DOING MORE THAN ANYBODY TO BRING US INTO THE ERA OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES, CREATE BATTERIES, SOLAR ROOTS.

I THOUGHT HE WAS DOING THESE EPIC MISSIONS.

AFTER A YEAR OR SO OF REPORTING HE DECIDES TO QUIETLY START BUYING TWITTER.

IT BECAME MUCH MORE OF A ROLLER COASTER RIDE AND REVEALED BOTH THE DRIVES IN HIS HEAD AND THE DEMONS THAT ARE SOMETIMES DARK AND SOMETIMES HE CAN CHANNEL INTO DRIVES.

>> WHAT DID YOU GO IN THINKING ABOUT HIM AND WHAT DID YOU EMERGE WITH?

>> I THOUGHT AT FIRST THAT HE WAS A TECHNOLOGIST WHO HAD A REALLY GOOD FEEL FOR MANUFACTURING, HOW TO MAKE FACTORIES.

ALSO THAT HE WAS A RISK TAKER.

IN THIS COUNTRY AND IN ALL OF THE WEST, WE USED TO BE MORE RISK TAKER.

YOU KNOW EVERYBODY WHO CAME TO THE UNITED STATES ACROSS THE MAYFLOWER OR RIVER GRAND.

WE HAVE MORE LAWYERS AND REGULATORS THEN WE HAVE INNOVATORS.

I THOUGHT OKAY, HE IS PUSHING THINGS FORWARD.

I ALSO GOT TO SEE THAT CAN BE DARK AT TIMES.

IT CAN BREAK THINGS, BLOWUP ROCKETS AND REALLY DISRUPT TWITTER.

IT IS A STORY ABOUT A TIGHTLY WOVEN FABRIC.

>> ONE OF THE CRITIQUES IS SUCH A POWERFUL INDIVIDUAL THAT HE CAN WALK AROUND THE WORLD MAKING POLICY.

HAVING A REAL ROLE LIKE IN OUR INTERNET GENERATION IN UKRAINE.

I NEED TO ASK YOU BECAUSE IT IS IN THE NEWS, HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS DISCREPANCY REGARDING THE UKRAINE ATTEMPT TO TAKE IT TO CRIMEA IN THE EARLY DAYS.

YOU SAID ONE THING THAT HE TURNED IT OFF AND ANOTHER THING, THEN YOU HAVE TO WALK IT BACK.

>> THAT NIGHT WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING IN SEPTEMBER, HE SAID TO ME WE'RE NOT ENABLING THIS ATTACK.

IT COULD START WORLD WAR III.

HE WAS APOCALYPTIC.

SAYS WE'RE NOT GOING TO USE STARLING FOR THAT SNEAK ATTACK AND I MADE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING HE MEANT THAT NIGHT HE TURNED IT OFF.

LATER HE SAID NO IT WAS DISABLED BUT THE UKRAINIANS, ALL THE TEXT MESSAGES ARE IN THE BOOKS THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO GET HIM TO ENABLE IT BECAUSE THEY DID NOT KNOW HE HAD SO I MADE A MISTAKE THINKING THAT THE DECISION TO DISABLE IT WAS MADE THAT NIGHT.

IT WAS MADE BEFORE THEN.

IT'S CALLED GEO-FENCING.

THE MAIN THING WAS THAT HE GOT TO DECIDE THAT NIGHT, TO THE UKRAINIANS GET TO DO THIS ATTACK OR NOT DO THIS ATTACK?

IT DOES NOT AFFECT THE LARGER QUESTION, HOW COME HE GOT TO DECIDE?

WHY IS A PRIVATE CITIZEN DECIDING WHAT THE UKRAINIANS CAN DO?

>> TO TROUBLE YOU ABOUT SOMEBODY LIKE MUSK?

>> AFTER A WHILE, HE TALKED TO GENERAL MARK MILLEY OF CHIEF OF STAFF.

THEY WORK OUT A DEAL WHERE COMPANY WILL SELL SOME OF THESE SATELLITES TO THE U.S. MILITARY AND THE U.S. MILITARY GETS TO DECIDE AND THAT IS REALLY THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.

THERE IS A LARGER QUESTION HERE WHICH IS WHY, WHEN THE RUSSIANS ATTACKED UKRAINE, ALL OF THE U.S. MILITARY SATELLITES, COMMUNICATIONS GETS KNOCKED OUT AND THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD HAS A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM THAT CAN WORK IS MUSK AND IT IS STILL THE CASE.

PART OF THE REASON IS WE DON'T BUILD THESE THINGS AS WELL AS WE SHOULD READ >> SO THAT IS A LESSON FOR AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS AND SCIENCE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DEPEND ON ONE COMPANY.

YOU KNOW THAT ALL COMMUNICATIONS, BIG COMMUNICATIONS, EVEN FOR OUR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES THAT GO INTO ORBIT, THEY ARE DONE BY SPACE EX.

NASA AND BOEING HAVE BECOME SOMEWHAT SCLEROTIC.

>> WHAT ABOUT THIS WEEK AS HE MEETS WITH KIM JONG-UN?

PRESIDENT PUTIN PRAISES MUSK.

GREAT AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN, CITIZEN OF THE WORLD.

DOES THAT BOTHER MUSK AT THIS ACT OF IMPERIALISTIC AGGRESSION IS BEING DESCRIBED?

HE IS TALKING TO THE AGGRESSORS A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT FOR HIS STARLING AVAILABILITY FROM WHAT THE RUSSIANS SAY.

THIS IDEA OF STARTING WORLD WAR III.

IS THAT A CONCERN RIGHT NOW?

>> MUSK HAD AN APOCALYPTIC VISION AS HE OFTEN DOES.

TALKED TO THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR.

THE THING TO REMEMBER, WHEN RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE, THAT NIGHT, UKRAINE HAS NO WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH ITS TROOPS.

SATELLITE OUT.

THE ONLY WAY TO COMMUNICATE WOULD BE STARLING AND HE RUSHES HUNDREDS AND THEN THOUSANDS OF TERMINALS OVER THERE FOR FREE AS A DONATION, SO HE IS SUPPORTING THE UKRAINIANS, BUT AT A CERTAIN POINT HE SAYS TO ME, HOW DID I GET INTO THIS WAR X YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO BE USED FOR OFFENSIVE PURPOSES.