Alternative Timeline: How Elon Musk Became the Democrats’ Favorite Billionaire

In a timeline just slightly to the left of our own, President Joe Biden made a pivotal decision in 2023: instead of treating Elon Musk as a political adversary, he embraced him as a visionary partner. The result? A seismic shift in American politics, technology, and governance.

The Biden-Musk Alliance

It all started with a simple, but shocking, move—Biden invited Musk to the White House for an informal chat. Unlike in our timeline, where the administration largely ignored Musk in favor of traditional labor-backed automakers, Biden recognized that Tesla was still the undisputed leader in EV technology and that SpaceX was indispensable to America's space ambitions.

Behind closed doors, Biden and Musk met for hours, discussing infrastructure, government inefficiencies, and the future of American innovation. Musk, never one to hold back, complained about bureaucracy stifling progress, suggesting that America needed an official Department of Government Efficiency—a radical idea that Biden, to the astonishment of his staff, found intriguing.

Days later, Biden publicly praised Musk as "one of the greatest American innovators of our time" and invited him to join the administration as a Special Advisor on Technological Innovation. Overnight, Musk went from Democratic punching bag to progressive rockstar.

Musk’s Power Play: Harris 2024

As the 2024 election approached, Biden stunned the nation by announcing he would not seek re-election, citing his age and a desire to "pass the torch to the next generation." Musk, by now a household name in Democratic politics, quickly threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “a pragmatic leader” and “the only candidate who truly understands the intersection of government and technology.”

It was a bizarre sight: the world’s most unpredictable billionaire, known for bashing regulations and union-backed Democrats, suddenly backing Harris with the same unfiltered enthusiasm he once reserved for Mars colonization. Musk flooded social media with endorsements, launched viral pro-Harris memes, and even held a massive rally at Tesla’s Fremont factory, where he preached the gospel of AI, renewable energy, and high-speed tunnels under major cities.

For once, progressives and tech billionaires were fully aligned.

With Musk’s backing, Harris easily defeated Ron DeSantis in the general election, marking the dawn of a new era in American politics.

Musk’s America: The Department of Government Efficiency

Once Harris took office, she wasted no time giving Musk unprecedented influence. His pet idea—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—was established in record time, tasked with eliminating waste, digitizing archaic bureaucratic processes, and implementing AI-driven governance solutions.

The left, to everyone's surprise, loved it.

“Government inefficiency is one of the biggest barriers to social progress,” argued Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, now one of Musk’s unlikely allies. “Elon is right. We need to overhaul our system from the inside out.”

Musk’s first major success? The elimination of the DMV as we know it. Within months, vehicle registration, driver’s license renewals, and even traffic tickets were integrated into an AI-powered system called AutoGov, which operated at near-instantaneous speeds, slashing wait times from hours to seconds. The public was ecstatic.

Even more radical was Musk’s second initiative: automating the IRS. Tax filings were streamlined, unnecessary audits were reduced, and complex loopholes were flagged and closed by an AI system dubbed TaxBot. Progressives cheered, moderates applauded, and the GOP found themselves in the bizarre position of opposing an initiative that reduced government spending.

Tesla, SpaceX, and the New California Boom

With Musk fully aligned with the Democratic establishment, his businesses boomed. No longer feeling the need to flee California, Tesla scrapped its plans to move headquarters to Texas and doubled down on its Fremont and Palo Alto campuses. Harris, eager to show that progressive policies could be pro-business, worked with Musk to craft a tax structure that rewarded innovation while funding public programs.

SpaceX received even larger government contracts, further cementing its dominance in the space industry. Meanwhile, Musk convinced Harris to fund the first Hyperloop pilot program in Los Angeles, promising to solve the city's traffic woes once and for all.

Of course, Musk remained Musk. He continued to tweet wildly, take unnecessary potshots at critics, and even briefly suggested that the DOGE should integrate a "public rating system" for federal employees, an idea so controversial that Harris had to personally talk him down. Still, his chaotic energy seemed to complement rather than disrupt the administration.

Musk’s Future in Politics

With the 2028 election approaching, speculation is rampant about Musk’s next move. Some believe he may run for office himself (pending a constitutional amendment about foreign-born candidates), while others suggest he will remain an influential de facto policymaker.

Either way, one thing is clear: in this alternative timeline, Musk isn’t a rogue outsider fighting the establishment. He is the establishment. And for the first time, the left isn’t fighting him—they’re cheering him on.

Because, after all, what’s more progressive than making government work?