28 episodes

Elon Musk vs. Twitter: In the fifth season of How it Happened, hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey, Axios reporters cover the collision between Elon Musk and Twitter through conversations with insiders at Twitter and members of Musk’s inner circle.
How it Happened is an Axios podcast docu-series featuring instant histories. Each season, Axios reporters bring you behind closed doors to hear the people and decisions shaping the biggest stories of our time.
Trump’s Last Stand: In the first season of How it Happened, national political reporter Jonathan Swan reveals the inside story of Donald Trump’s last few months in office. The story starts with his COVID-19 recovery and ends with the insurrection at the Capitol.
The Next Astronauts: In the second season of How it Happened, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer goes behind the scenes at SpaceX and the preparations for the first all-civilian mission into orbit.
Trump's Big Deal: In the third season of How it Happened, Axios’ Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid and national political reporter Jonathan Swan will uncover the surprising negotiations that led to the Abraham Accords, the most significant Middle East peace agreement in a generation.
Putin's Invasion: In the fourth season of How It Happened, Axios’ World editor David Lawler pulls together analysis and reporting from across the Axios newsroom to explain how the invasion of Ukraine happened in slow motion over 8 years and then all at once.

How It Happened Axios

    • News
    • 4.8 • 687 Ratings

Elon Musk vs. Twitter: In the fifth season of How it Happened, hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey, Axios reporters cover the collision between Elon Musk and Twitter through conversations with insiders at Twitter and members of Musk’s inner circle.
How it Happened is an Axios podcast docu-series featuring instant histories. Each season, Axios reporters bring you behind closed doors to hear the people and decisions shaping the biggest stories of our time.
Trump’s Last Stand: In the first season of How it Happened, national political reporter Jonathan Swan reveals the inside story of Donald Trump’s last few months in office. The story starts with his COVID-19 recovery and ends with the insurrection at the Capitol.
The Next Astronauts: In the second season of How it Happened, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer goes behind the scenes at SpaceX and the preparations for the first all-civilian mission into orbit.
Trump's Big Deal: In the third season of How it Happened, Axios’ Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid and national political reporter Jonathan Swan will uncover the surprising negotiations that led to the Abraham Accords, the most significant Middle East peace agreement in a generation.
Putin's Invasion: In the fourth season of How It Happened, Axios’ World editor David Lawler pulls together analysis and reporting from across the Axios newsroom to explain how the invasion of Ukraine happened in slow motion over 8 years and then all at once.

    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude

    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude tells the story of Musk's meteoric rise to become the world's richest man and a cross-industry mogul.

    Through interviews with people who were instrumental early in Musk's career, the episode chronicles how Musk moved from industry to industry.

    The episode also features Musk in his own words over the years, reflecting on his career and ambitions, and examines how he uses Twitter.

    The reporting for this episode was done by reporters across the Axios newsroom, including Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer and Ina Fried.



    This episode contains explicit material that some listeners may find offensive.
    Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer, Ina Fried and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

    • 37 min
    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk

    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk explores how Musk's philosophy on risk brings people far beyond his consumers and employees into the experiments he runs.

    Axios reporters Joann Muller and Miriam Kramer draw on years of reporting on Tesla and SpaceX respectively to detail how risk fits into Musk's framework at these companies. 

    The episode also features interviews with people who have known Musk for years, who have watched him across his career.

    The episode explores how Musk's risk tolerance has allowed him to innovate in ways no one else has — and the costs that come with that. 


    Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer, Ina Fried and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

    • 29 min
    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part III: Musk Offers To Buy Twitter (Again)

    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part III: Musk Offers To Buy Twitter (Again)

    Just days before a trial to determine if Elon Musk would be forced to buy Twitter was scheduled to begin, Musk sent a letter offering once again to buy Twitter for the same price he'd originally offered in April.

    Musk has a unique tolerance for risk at his companies, but the surprise move still shocked the tech world, and it's not clear yet if it will successfully knock the trial off the docket.

    Media reporter Sara Fischer and business editor Dan Primack join the podcast for a conversation on this latest twist in the saga.

    Both Fischer and Primack spent months reporting on the reverberations of Musk's initial offer to buy Twitter both within Musk's inner circle and inside Twitter itself.


    Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer, Ina Fried and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

    • 17 min
    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List

    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List features reporting from Axios media reporter Sara Fischer about the challenges at Twitter that Musk could inherit — and what he might do about them.

    Fischer takes listeners inside Twitter to understand how the platform has struggled with content moderation over the years.

    The episode unpacks Musk's vision for free speech and what it could mean for a platform that has become the global public square. 


    Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Sara Fischer, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Ina Fried, Ashley Gold and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

    • 34 min
    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire

    Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire explores whether Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has made his cross-industry empire too big for one billionaire to run.

    Host Erica Pandey examines Musk's first months as CEO of Twitter and the simultaneous challenges facing his other companies.

    Reporting from around the Axios newsroom unpacks lawsuits, a federal investigation, and more facing Musk's other companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink.


    Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Sara Fischer, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Ina Fried, Ashley Gold and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

    • 32 min
    Coming soon: Elon Musk vs. Twitter

    Coming soon: Elon Musk vs. Twitter

    How it Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter is a first-of-its-kind newsroom collaboration featuring exclusive reporting on the rise of Elon Musk to become world's richest man, the parallel rise of Twitter as the global public square, and the collision of these two titans this year.
    This documentary season is hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey and features reporting from political reporter Jonathan Swan, media reporter Sara Fischer, business editor Dan Primack, space reporter Miriam Kramer, and others.

    The podcast will go inside Elon Musk's world and inside his companies to understand how he achieved cross-industry dominance and what that says about how he might manage Twitter.

    It will also go deep inside Twitter's inner workings, with new reporting on key moments in its history, including the day President Trump's account was permanently suspended.

    The podcast will illuminate how Musk's tweet offering to buy the platform and subsequent back-track shook up the financial and tech worlds, how his politics have shifted, how the legal battle between Musk and Twitter could play out — and how all of this could impact his legacy.

    Subscribe to hear the new season when it launches in September.

    • 1 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
687 Ratings

687 Ratings

RodentReviewer ,

Insightful

A fresh and intelligent perspective on the crumbling of the Trump Empire. Fascinating.

Trev_60 ,

Not Balanced

I’m a long term (10 years +) observer of Tesla and sustainable energy and transportation advocate. In my opinion this series about Musk and associated companies emphasises the negative aspects of events to the degree it is not balanced. I’m not saying they are factually inaccurate however they don’t acknowledge or even attempt to present positives or opposing views. Borderline hit piece.

Axe1974 ,

Really really poor journalism

I have loved How it Happened since it first started but this latest series is absolute rubbish. It's an Axios-sourced hatchet job on Elon Musk that I frankly expected better from Axuos.
I get that he didn't respond to requests to comment but making allegations that publicising failed rocket tests on the part of Space X indicate a risky culture are completely unjustified and frankly ridiculous. As a race we learn more from failure than we do from success so this public acknowledgement of failure during testing should inspire confidence in the finished product. The same goes for Tesla and full self driving. The stats quoted were incredibly selective and it seemed that they were specifically designed to reflect poorly on Musk to support the broader narrative of this series which is not flattering toward Musk.
I'm not an unabashed Musk fan but I do think that criticism of him needs to be balanced and this series is far from balanced. If I could give 0 stars I would.

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