News · US
National launches campaign bus as parties hold events
Elections and votingChristopher Luxon is scheduled to speak in Auckland at 11.30am before taking questions from the media.
The Ballot National DeskOct 3, 2026
A documentary about concentrated power
Filmmaker Alex Gibney discussed his documentary “Musk” with Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick on Episode 422 of the Political Theater podcast, published Oct. 2, 2026.
The film examines how Elon Musk, whom Roll Call identifies as the world’s richest person, accumulated influence across the White House, artificial intelligence, space exploration, transportation and robotics. Rather than focusing on one company or one area of public life, the documentary follows Musk’s reach across several institutions and technologies.
That scope leads to the film’s main question: What will Musk do with the power he has accumulated? The question centers the documentary on the use of influence, not only its acquisition.
Politics, technology and private influence
The White House is one part of the film’s examination, alongside industries shaping technology and infrastructure. Artificial intelligence and robotics concern the development of advanced systems, while space exploration and transportation affect how people and goods move. Gibney’s documentary considers Musk’s position across all of those areas together.
The podcast conversation is not tied to a candidate, campaign or election. It instead addresses the broader civic issue of how much influence one person can hold across government and major technological fields.
Dick’s interview places the documentary’s argument and central question at the center of the episode. The film’s title, “Musk,” reflects its focus on the individual whose influence it examines, while its cross-sector approach frames that influence as extending beyond any single business or policy area.