A student at Queen’s from 1989 to 1991, Elon Musk, Comm ’94, is now one of the faces in a tariff war threatening to send Canada’s economy into a recession.
Having attended Queen’s for his first and second year before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, Musk is considered a Queen’s alumnus, but not a graduate. While this technicality has been a talking point for students and faculty, Musk’s brief time at the University is a small part in his far-reaching and controversial career.
Given Musk’s role as Donald Trump’s advisor and leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, his silence on racism and sexual harassment allegations at Tesla, as well as the plethora of controversial social media posts, many in the Queen’s community are reluctant to claim Musk’s alumni status.
Musk’s short-lived experience at Queen’s is little more than a footnote in a 4,000 word Wikipedia page, yet his name continues to surface in conversations that many would rather leave in the past. The reality is, Musk is far more invested in Mars than in Canada, and it’s time people started acting that way.
Despite the general distaste for his political and economic actions on campus, Musk’s time at Queen’s has been highlighted by Queen’s Alumni Review, praised by faculty online, and utilized in political discourse by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Musk, however, has said little publicly about his time at Queen’s. If anything, he’s spoken negatively about higher education, criticizing the post- secondary model.
Undeterred by his unobservable enthusiasm about his time at the institution, Musk was praised on LinkedIn as a “generational talent” by Smith School of Business Professor Jim Hamilton.
Hamilton’s post was prefaced as being “in the interest of dialogue and understanding,” seemingly unaware that no one wants to talk about the supposed protégé, who only briefly attended Queen’s.
With a net worth of over $300 billion USD, Musk is far removed from the social and economic landscape in Kingston and at Queen’s. While he spends billions attempting to colonize Mars, the University is grappling with a $35.7 million budget deficit.
Further, Musk has little love to give to Canada, likening former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Hitler on X.
Controversial on social media, and politically poised against Canada, commending Musk doesn’t appear to be the most productive use of online dialogue. Especially considering he nor his 220 million followers on X are likely to notice or care.
Back in 2015, students campaigned excitedly to see Musk return to Queen’s. Considering his current role in politics and controversial policies across his various companies, many would now much rather forget he ever attended.
Queen’s as an institution has done little to acknowledge Musk’s time here, with just one 2013 feature in the Alumni Review. And perhaps that’s for the best—his two years at Queen’s is nothing more than a fun fact and should remain as such.
At the opposite end of the political spectrum, Premier Doug Ford took offense at Musk’s association with Trump, arguing that Musk was personally attacking the province that gave him the opportunity to attend Queen’s. But considering Musk’s privileged upbringing—as a child math prodigy and son of a model and engineer—it’s unlikely Ontario was the determining factor in his ission to Queen’s.
Ultimately, utilizing a brief two years spent in Canada as political ammunition is a weak defence in the face of a potential $300 billion in tariff revenue.
While Musk’s name continues to resurface in political debates and is highlighted as an accolade of the university, the reality is that his connection to Queen’s is insignificant at best. While professors and politicians attempt to leverage a brief two years in Canada, Musk himself is so far removed from the reality of Queen’s that fixating on his time here does little to advance meaningful discourse.
Whether he’s praised or criticized, one thing is abundantly clear—Musk has moved on, and Queen’s should too.
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