---
title: "Neil deGrasse Tyson: Elon Musk “Will Transform Civilization As We Know It”"
description: "In a recent interview with CNBC Make It, Neil deGrasse Tyson told reporters that Elon Musk \"will transform civilization as we know it.\""
date: "2018-11-21"
modified: "2018-11-21"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-elon-musk-transform-civilization"
categories:
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
  - "The Industrialists"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "neil degrasse tyson"
  - "space exploration"
---

# Neil deGrasse Tyson: Elon Musk “Will Transform Civilization As We Know It”

![In a recent interview with CNBC Make It, Neil deGrasse Tyson told reporters that Elon Musk "will transform civilization as we know it."](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/neil-degrasse-tyson-elon-musk-transform-civilization.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Ramin Talaie/Corbis via Getty Images/Bruce F Press/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Future Man

It's no secret that Neil deGrasse Tyson is an advocate for space exploration. So it should come to no surprise that he's a big fan of one of spacetech's most public figures.

In an [interview](<https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/19/neil-degrasse-tyson-elon-musk-is-the-most-important-person-in-tech.html>) with *CNBC Make It*, Tyson said he thought Elon Musk was going to have a bigger influence on society, in the long run, than other tech personalities like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg.

## Civilization Transformer

Musk "is not simply giving us the next app that will be awesome on our smartphone," like Steve Jobs or other tech CEOs, Tyson said. "No, he is thinking about society, culture, how we interact, what forces need to be in play to take civilization into the next century."

He even went on to say that Musk "will transform civilization as we know it."

## Space Exploration

Tyson is far more concerned with how humanity will fare once it's able to leave Earth than the consumer technology sector or social media, with a futurist's eye toward humanity's long-term outlook.

And as an astrophysicist himself, space exploration is close to his heart. Perhaps one day he'll be able to explore it himself aboard a SpaceX capsule.

**READ MORE:** [Neil deGrasse Tyson: Why Elon Musk is more important than Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg](<https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/19/neil-degrasse-tyson-elon-musk-is-the-most-important-person-in-tech.html>) \[CNBC\]

**More on Elon Musk's space exploration efforts:** [Elon Musk Just Changed the BFR’s Name for a Fourth Time](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-bfrs-name-fourth-time-starship>)

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)