--- title: "Neil deGrasse Tyson Reveals What He Really Thinks of Elon Musk" description: "According to famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk is the \"modern day Thomas Edison.\" But, uh, is that a good thing?" date: "2022-10-04" modified: "2022-10-04" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/neil-degrasse-tyson-elon-musk" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "Musk" - "neil degrasse tyson" - "the digest" --- # Neil deGrasse Tyson Reveals What He Really Thinks of Elon Musk ![According to famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk is the "modern day Thomas Edison." But, uh, is that a good thing?]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Edison Adjacent Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson weighed in on SpaceX and Tesla Elon Musk over the weekend — but we're not entirely convinced by his choice of words. "Elon Musk is like a modern day Thomas Edison, right?" Tyson [told *TMZ* in an interview]() published Sunday. "He dreams big. And I don't think all of his dreams are realistic, but that doesn't matter, because he's dreaming big." To be fair, Tyson does seem to mean this in earnest. Edison, however, was a complicated character — and in his apparent attempt to praise the space and electric car mogul, Tyson may have actually delivered a bit of a [backhanded compliment](). ## Patent Player First of all, Musk might actually hate this comparison, mainly because of Edison's love of patents. Musk is a vocal believer that "[patents are for the weak]()," while Edison, on the other hand, was a patent fiend. Average Edison's patent applications out over the course of his life, and the famous inventor applied for one roughly *every 11 days*, [according to *The New Yorker*](). There's also the fact that Edison was, in plain terms, a widely alleged jerk. He's been accused of stealing work from students and publishing it under his own name, and was also an [occasional dog murderer]() (and, [depending on who you ask](), an [elephant murderer as well]()). That being said, we don't believe Tyson is accusing Musk of being any of those things — even if there [may indeed be parallels](). ## Parallels The similarities don't end there. Like many [modern tech bros](), both Musk and Edison are/were known for their [extreme work schedules](); both have/had fervent, [devoted followings](). There's also the fact that both favored a perfection model, rather than one of raw invention. Though he's widely understood as the dude who invented the lightbulb, Edison didn't really invent incandescence. He expanded on it and made it marketable. Similarly, Musk didn't invent rocket science, nor did he build the world's first electric car. But Musk *has* rebuilt technologies and arguably even industries in his image — or, at least, coated them in a fine new lacquer of marketing language. But again, this *probably* isn't the nuance that Tyson is trying to get across, here. Probably. "I'm all for progress. I'm all for people seeing a world that they can invent," the astrophysicist continued. "A better world, where people are happier, safer... that's what science brings you." **READ MORE:** *[The Real Nature of Thomas Edison’s Genius]()* \[*The New Yorker*\] **More on Neil deGrasse Tyson's Elon Musk thoughts:** *[Neil Degrasse Tyson Has Some Serious Beef with Elon Musk's Mars Plan]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()