Elon Musk's Surprising Shift: Attending Davos Despite Criticism

Elon Musk will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, reversing his earlier criticism of the event. He joins BlackRock CEO Larry Fink in a panel, amidst ongoing global debates surrounding his ventures, like SpaceX and the chatbot Grok. As an ally of Donald Trump, Musk wields notable influence.

Elon Musk is set to make his debut at the World Economic Forum in Davos, attending the event for the first time on Thursday. This marks a significant change in stance for Musk, who has famously criticized this notable gathering of global political and business leaders.

Scheduled to appear alongside BlackRock CEO Larry Fink in a discussion at 1530 GMT, Musk's presence comes amid his active involvement in key international issues. These include the deployment of SpaceX's satellite internet in conflict zones and public backlash over Grok, a chatbot from his AI company, xAI, known for generating overtly sexualized imagery.

Musk has been vocal against the forum, often describing Davos as elitist and out of touch via his social media platform, X. Despite this, his alliance with former U.S. President Donald Trump enhances his political leverage, impacting policy dialogues across various sectors. His companies, like SpaceX and X, play pivotal roles with governmental interests due to their implications in national defense and public discourse regulation.

(With inputs from agencies.)