In his first message after winning the U.S. presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump referred to Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “super genius.” Regardless of the political and business choices made by one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, it’s evident that Musk knows how to maximize his time. Either that, or he might have discovered a way to stretch his days longer than those of everyone else.
Not only does Musk manage to run multiple companies and support Trump in his election campaign, but he also finds time to excel as a player in the video game Diablo IV.
This raises an intriguing question: How can someone find time to beat records in a video game between leading five billion-dollar companies and being involved in an election campaign? Perhaps the answer lies in the very nature of the video game itself.
Five billion-dollar companies. Musk holds leadership positions in five major companies, though he doesn’t officially serve as CEO of all of them. In practice, however, he often operates as the de facto CEO. The companies in question include Tesla, SpaceX, X, Neuralink, and The Boring Company.
Most executives would find managing all these companies overwhelming. Yet, for Musk, it appears to be just another item on his daily to-do list.
Campaigning and posting. In addition to overseeing his companies, Musk actively participated in Trump’s reelection campaign in the last few months, engaging in rallies and large events. Additionally, The New York Times reported that his activity on X significantly increased during the campaign’s final stretch.
In the week leading up to the elections, Musk leveraged his platform to promote pro-Trump messages, respond to critics, and reaffirm his support. He even took the time to share memes related to the campaign.
Playing Diablo IV. Amid all the chaos surrounding his companies, political content, and memes, Musk recently puzzled his more than 200 million followers with videos of his gameplay in Diablo IV.
In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk acknowledged that, despite being at the center of the business and political storm in the U.S., he managed to establish himself as one of the best Diablo IV players in the world. However, according to The Verge, the ranking Musk mentioned is unofficial and is based solely on how quickly players complete The Pit dungeon.
What’s more, Musk’s success seems to have been short-lived because other players have now surpassed his record time. As such, he has dropped a few positions in the ranking.
A passion for gaming. Musk’s passion for video games isn’t new. In fact, one of his first jobs involved programming a video game. As journalist Walter Isaacson wrote in his Musk biography, video games have served as a refuge for the tech mogul during the most stressful and complex moments in his life.
Isaacson recounts how Musk spent sleepless nights immersed in games like Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Overwatch and how he boasted about being one of the best Quake players in the world. According to Isaacson, as Musk’s personal or financial situations with Tesla or SpaceX grew more tense, he became increasingly obsessed with video games.
Abstraction as a problem-solving tool. Several scientific studies, including some conducted by the University of Brasilia in Brazil, have linked stress and mental overload to difficulties in problem-solving. In addition, American psychologists have explored how everyday tasks can serve as a means of abstraction and how they can affect problem-solving abilities.
In this context, video games may act as a release valve for individuals like Musk. According to research from the Southwest University in China, they can help him escape from problems and allow his brain to take a break, potentially opening up new pathways for problem-solving.
Image | Daniel Oberhaus
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