The founder of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, will gain enormous influence from the election of Donald Trump, whom he supported, to the post of US president.
A former senior SpaceX employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the agency that Musk sees the Trump administration as a means to get rid of the many regulations that prevent him from doing whatever he wants.
Musk hopes to force the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA to stop enforcing Tesla’s current driver assistance system “Autopilot” within four years.
The agency’s source claims that the billionaire would also like to achieve the adoption of decisions necessary for the development of autonomous vehicles and “robotaxis” designed by Tesla.
Musk’s goals include getting the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), its primary federal safety regulator, to hold off on potential enforcement actions involving the safety of Tesla’s current driver-assistance systems, called “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving,” according to a person familiar with the matter.
Musk’s “primary focus over the next four years,” the person said, would be “de-enforcement.”
Musk, the source said, could also push for favorable regulation of autonomous vehicles and robotaxis that Tesla plans. For his new artificial intelligence startup xAI, Musk could shape nascent rules, according to Reuters.
The US presidential election took place on November 5. The candidates for the post were Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Party representative Donald Trump. To win, one of the politicians had to receive at least 270 electoral votes.
