How to Save the Human Race and Other Light Topics: Elon Musk at the Milken Institute

At the 2025 Milken Institute Global Conference, Elon Musk took the stage for a wide-ranging conversation that was initially billed simply as “A Conversation with Elon Musk.”

But as moderator Michael Milken humorously clarified, the real topic was far more ambitious: “How to Save the Human Race and Other Light Topics.”

Over the course of the discussion, Musk reflected on his early ideas, shared thoughts on humanity’s future, and reiterated strong views on topics like free speech, government regulation, and education.

Foundational Visions for Humanity’s Future

The session opened with a flashback to a speech Musk gave 11 years prior, where he outlined five areas he believed would most affect humanity’s future:

1) The internet

2) Sustainable energy (production via solar power and consumption via electric vehicles)

3) Making humanity a multi-planetary species

4) Modifying the human genome

5) Artificial intelligence

Musk emphasized how science fiction—particularly Star Trek—inspired his vision of a multiplanetary civilization.

“We want to make science fiction not fiction forever,” he said. “There have to be things that move your heart and make you excited to wake up in the morning.”

Alien Life and the Fermi Paradox

Musk tackled the perennial question: Where are the aliens? He noted that despite operating 6,000+ Starlink satellites, SpaceX has “never had to maneuver around a UFO.”

For Musk, this absence of evidence likely points to a deeper truth—that intelligent civilizations may be exceedingly rare or fragile.

“Civilization is precarious and rare. We should think of human civilization as a tiny candle in a vast darkness, and we must do everything possible to make sure that candle doesn’t go out.”

Free Speech as a Democratic Bedrock

Musk strongly reaffirmed his commitment to free speech, calling it the “bedrock of democracy.”

“Without it, America ends. You cannot have democratic elections if people do not have access to the information required to make informed decisions.”

He pointed out that the First Amendment exists because people came from regimes where speech was punished. “The Constitution is there to protect people from the government,” he added.

Socialism and Government Inefficiency

Musk took aim at socialism and inefficient bureaucracies:

“The fundamental error of socialism is shifting capital allocation from highly effective entrepreneurs to astonishingly ineffective government.”

Calling government a “corporation with a monopoly on violence,” he warned against idolizing it over the private sector, using the DMV as a cautionary example of what governance at scale can feel like.

Overregulation and the Need for Legal “Garbage Collection”

In one of the more sobering parts of the conversation, Musk criticized the permanence of laws and regulations:

“Humans die, but laws and regulations don’t. Eventually, everything becomes illegal.”

He referenced the California High-Speed Rail project, which after billions in spending, remains largely incomplete—blaming regulatory paralysis.

Musk called for a “garbage collection” mechanism to actively prune outdated rules, lest society experience a “hardening of the arteries.”

Gamifying Education for Future Generations

On education, Musk advocated for a complete overhaul:

“You don’t have to tell your kid to play video games—they’ll do it on autopilot. So if you can make education interactive and engaging, it becomes far more compelling.”

He criticized the traditional model—likening it to a local vaudeville performance versus Hollywood-level production—and suggested that learning should resemble problem-solving, not rote memorization. Relevance and emotion, he argued, are the keys to memory retention.

Final Thoughts

Throughout the session, Musk’s tone oscillated between humour, idealism, and stark realism.

Whether discussing space colonization or regulatory reform, his message was clear: the future of humanity is not guaranteed, but it is worth fighting for.

“We want a future that’s inspiring. We want to be out there among the stars.”