According to reporting—I’ve never met the guy and hope I never do—the wealthiest man in the world references a common bit of video game terminology, non-player character, to characterize critics and probably anyone else who does not fit into the narrative he has constructed of himself in his head.

Non-player characters (NPCs) are the computer-controlled characters in a video game that are part of the story, driven by a script, and move the game forward when the player interacts with them. The real knee-slapper of a gag that Musk almost certainly consoles his butthurt feelings against is that NPCs are clearly part of the machine, incapable of independent thought, and imminently dismissible. 

Besides being deeply solipsistic and symptomatic of a life immersed in wealth-driven sycophancy, the problem is bigger than Musk… though he would likely disagree since the universe obviously revolves around him and exists solely for his pleasure. *sigh* It’s a problem of individualism and perspective.

We slip into modelling ourselves after our own experience, after all, and when we start behaving like algorithms—looking at the world as monochromatic, binary problems to solve or swirling equations with simple answers—it’s easy to see how one might simultaneously slip into a worldview that extrapolates a fictional reality shaped by capitalistic pursuit and applies that generally to a colourful, rich, and complex human tapestry.

It’s troubling, to say the least. And Musk’s influence means that there are likely thousands of impressionable minds who will follow him down a dark emotional path, and who will see their worldview and experiences supported by inhuman algorithms online and beyond.

Musk might think we’re all NPCs for not following him blindly down that path, but too, there are other video game metaphors that would better describe his role in our society and he certainly isn’t the main character in most our lives.