To be clear: It’s not that I was wrong about the conflicts of interest Musk would be subject to — there is virtually nothing in government that doesn’t affect Musk’s businesses, which span electric vehicles, robotics, artificial intelligence, space exploration, social media, biotech, satellite comms and road infrastructure.

Mike Benz appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast in late December to discuss USAID, spurring Musk’s first mention of the agency.