'Agent of influence': Expert warns Musk's tactics are straight out of ‘Russia’s playbook'

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s increasing influence – not just in the United States as a close ally of the incoming president – but around the world is helping to fuel Russia’s war on democracy and mirrors tactics pulled from Vladimir Putin’s playbook, foreign policy researcher Olga Lautman warned Friday.

Using a “strategy of strategic chaos,” and armed with his “immense wealth” and ownership of the social media platform X, Musk has morphed into “an active agent of influence” that he uses “to undermine Western unity and destabilize democratic institutions,” Lautman wrote on her Substack page.

Lautman told readers on Friday that Musk’s endorsement via X of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is another sign of his growing influence in Europe. She urged Democrats to investigate Musk’s “ties to Moscow, his access to U.S. government contracts, and his security clearance.”

“Musk’s meddling extends beyond tweets, with secretive ties and calls to Putin and full control over Trump as he assumes the role of acting president-elect,” Lautman wrote. “By amplifying nationalist agendas, dismantling democratic norms, and aligning with authoritarian figures, Musk’s actions mirror Russia’s playbook for destabilizing Western democracies and advancing its geopolitical goals."

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She continued to sound the alarm in stark detail in her article, writing that the actions of the SpaceX and Tesla owner – who was largely seen as effectively tanking the first negotiated congressional spending bill on Wednesday by way of yet another social media post on his platform – benefits one central player: Russia.

“Moscow stands to gain from the erosion of Western democratic institutions and the global rise of the far-right,” she wrote. The researcher added that Musk’s access to U.S. security clearance and numerous government contracts “only deepens the gravity of his actions, as he exploits his position to weaken the very systems that uphold democracy."

“This is nothing short of insanity,” according to Laudman, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and a senior investigative researcher at the Institute for European Integrity.

She concluded her piece by warning readers that Musk’s growing influence is “increasingly alarming” and that his agenda aligns with “longstanding Kremlin goals of weakening America’s intelligence and security apparatus, as he runs disinformation and destabilization tactics designed to erode trust in public institutions.