“Elon Musk has forever blurred the lines between politics and business”

Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration is part of a trend for increasingly blurred lines between business and politics, a leading headteacher told a special conference for the next generation of businesspeople.

Speaking at the event on March 6, Rachel Bailey, Headmistress at Benenden School, urged the young entrepreneurs in the room to remember that the greatest attribute they can bring to the fast-changing world of business is to be adaptable. “Innovative people and companies will continue to play a major role in shaping society,” she said.

Speaking at the Enterprise and Innovation Conference, where more than 200 Sixth Form students gathered at Benenden in Kent from 11 schools from across the UK, Ms Bailey said the recent sight of Musk, the world’s richest person, giving a press conference in the Oval Office was “an image for the ages”. She added: “Never before has the sheer power and influence of big business been more apparent.”

Ms Bailey highlighted the sheer financial might of the so-called Big Five US tech companies – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft – which have a combined value of more than 13 trillion dollars: greater than the annual gross domestic product of every country on Earth except for the United States and China.

In addition, tech firms achieve enormous levels of engagement with individual citizens through their popular devices and platforms, making them incredibly influential in modern society.

Ms Bailey, whose school is regarded as one of the leading girls’ boarding schools in the world said in her opening address: “It’s no wonder that politicians want big business round the table with them. And that, in turn, big business wants to become a political force.

“Of course, in Donald Trump, we have a bold businessman in the White House. This President is a dealmaker and in general, politics is becoming ever more transactional. This blurring of lines between business and politics is likely to increase in future.”

Ms Bailey also said that if major businesses are increasingly becoming role models in the political arena, they need to ensure they live and breathe their values at all times.

She told delegates that to thrive in the business landscape of the future, the key will be their ability to adapt.

Ms Bailey commented: “We are seeing how creativity and innovation are vital skills in the workplace. The very definition of being innovative is being original and creative in thinking.

“In short, you need to be creative problem solvers. This means continually adapting as society changes – driven by a rapidly-changing technological landscape.

“You need to be continually reviewing what you and your business are doing, identifying what problems you want to solve to improve people’s lives, checking how you and your business are behaving – and adapting as a result.”

Ms Bailey concluded: “Only time will tell whether the partnership between Trump and Musk will come crashing down. But in many ways it doesn’t matter, it’s a sideshow to the real story: business is playing as important a role in people’s lives as politics.”