What Would Orwell Think? Elon Musk, Symbolism, and the Power of Propaganda

A Critique, From an Avid Reader of Orwell’s Works

In September 2025, London hosted a rally fronted by Tommy Robinson, a controversial figure whose events attract both fervent supporters and equally vocal critics. At this gathering, one appearance stood out: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of X (formerly Twitter), addressed the crowd wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words:

“What Would Orwell Think?”

It was a striking image.

Orwell’s face has become shorthand for critiques of authoritarianism, censorship, and propaganda. Musk’s choice of attire was not accidental; it was a calculated symbol designed to resonate. But it begs a genuine question: if George Orwell were alive today, what would he think of Elon Musk, his companies, and the causes with which Musk sometimes aligns himself?

This article doesn’t endorse the rally or its speakers. Instead, it examines Musk’s Orwellian posturing through the lens of Orwell’s writings – from Homage to Catalonia to 1984 and Animal Farm – and considers expert commentary on how Orwell is routinely misrepresented.

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Orwell’s Core Beliefs: Truth, Clarity, and Resistance to Power

George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair) was many things: essayist, novelist, war correspondent, democratic socialist. But across his works certain themes are constant:

• Suspicion of propaganda: In Homage to Catalonia, Orwell condemned the twisting of truth to serve political ends.

• Warnings about surveillance and control: In 1984, he imagined Big Brother; a system that watches everyone, rewrites history, and weaponises language.

• The corruption of ideals: In Animal Farm, revolution devolves into dictatorship, with leaders becoming the oppressors they once opposed.

Orwell’s writing is not an open invitation to use his name as a slogan. It is a plea for honesty, intellectual rigour, and resistance to any individual or institution that manipulates reality.

Why Orwell Might Be Sceptical of Musk

Wearing an Orwell shirt is one thing; living by Orwell’s values is another. There are several reasons Orwell might be critical of Musk’s symbolic gesture:

Concentration of Power Over Information

Musk’s ownership of X has made him the de facto gatekeeper of one of the world’s largest communication platforms. With hundreds of millions of users relying on it for news, commentary, and political debate, the reach is unprecedented for a single individual. In 1984, Big Brother’s strength lay in precisely this ability: to control information, rewrite narratives, and ultimately shape discourse. While Musk is not a government, the sheer scale of his influence over public conversation is vast – and, for Orwell, almost certainly troubling. For a writer so concerned with the dangers of monopolised communication and centralised authority, the parallels would be difficult to ignore.

Propaganda and Spectacle

In Homage to Catalonia, Orwell reflected on the nature of propaganda, mocking the way it was often manufactured by those far from the frontlines. He wrote scathingly about how lies, distortions, and exaggerations came not from those risking their lives but from people manipulating information for political advantage.

Musk’s choice to wear a “What Would Orwell Think?” T-shirt at a political rally is not warfare, but it is undeniably propaganda. It is a piece of theatre, a symbolic gesture designed to shape how audiences perceive him. By invoking Orwell, Musk was not only aligning himself with the author’s reputation as a critic of authoritarianism, but also attempting to cast himself as a defender of truth and freedom. The irony, however, is that this very act of self-branding may itself be the kind of spectacle Orwell distrusted.

Authoritarian Leadership

Musk’s reputation as a corporate leader has long been described as autocratic.

From sudden decrees that reshape entire businesses overnight, to mass firings carried out via email, to public demands for loyalty, his leadership style often carries the hallmarks of command rather than collaboration.

Orwell was acutely aware of how revolutions and grand ideals can slide into tyranny. His line from Animal Farm:

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”

…resonates uncomfortably when applied to Musk’s companies. Employees and users may be promised openness and empowerment, but the reality is often dictated by the will of one man. To Orwell, this concentration of authority would have looked less like liberation and more like a modern form of the very control he spent his life criticising.

Expert Critique: “A Fundamental Misreading”

Orwell experts have repeatedly challenged the way Musk and others invoke 1984. In August 2024, Professor Jean Seaton, director of the Orwell Foundation and official historian for the BBC, argued that Musk’s use of Orwell is a “terrible ripping out of context and complexity”.

She emphasised that Orwell was not a “free speech fundamentalist,” but a “reality fundamentalist.” He wasn’t simply attacking “the state”, he was warning against tyrannical states, of any ideology.

On Musk in particular, she noted the irony:

“The real joke is, have we got an Orwell who could take on the personal power exercised by one man over the world’s communications – Musk?”

In other words, Musk may be closer to Orwell’s villains than his heroes.

This context also makes Musk’s previous claim that “living in the UK is like real-life 1984” appear, frankly, like complete nonsense. To equate a liberal democracy with Orwell’s dystopia is to misunderstand both the UK and Orwell’s text.

What Orwell Might Sympathise With

For balance, it’s fair to note that not everything Musk says or does would be alien to Orwell’s worldview.

Commitment to free expression

Orwell valued dissent. He might see echoes of his own battles in Musk’s resistance to some forms of censorship – though Orwell would insist on responsibility as well as liberty.

Suspicion of bureaucracy

Orwell distrusted bloated institutions. Musk’s critique of government inefficiency might resonate, even if Orwell doubted his solutions.

Challenging orthodoxy

Orwell respected contrarians, often irritating his own side. Musk’s instinct to challenge prevailing narratives might appeal to this streak.