Elon's company town

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The world's richest man is developing a company town outside Austin, Texas. Like the industrialists who came before him, Elon Musk may learn it’s hard to create (and sustain) a utopia. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Noel King. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members An aerial view of Elon Musk's Snailbrook community in Bastrop County, Texas. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you open your Maps app and you type in Snailbrook, Texas, you will get nothing but a prompt.
0:09.7	Do you maybe want Scenic Brook, Texas, or Springbrook, Texas?
0:14.0	Snailbrook is not a town just yet. It is currently under construction outside of Austin.
0:19.7	The builder, one Elon Musk, says Nailbrook will be a company town
0:23.9	for employees of his boring company and X and etc.
0:28.1	He has plans for it to be, quote, utopian, which...
0:32.2	I mean, it's got a long way to go.
0:35.0	It's got a lot of rough edges, and it's definitely nothing that you would call
0:38.6	like a utopia. So far it's just 15 trailers. Coming up on today, explain Elon Musk takes us back
0:44.2	to the days of the company town, whether we care to go or not. I don't see the draw personally
0:51.1	to wanting to go out in the middle of nowhere and then live in a tiny trailer.
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	...

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