What started as admiration is turning into quiet disillusionment. On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, longtime Elon Musk supporter Joe Rogan appeared to grapple with a growing realization: that the tech mogul he once praised as a visionary may be leading society down a path with unintended — and possibly dangerous — consequences.

This wasn’t a hit piece. It wasn’t even planned. But as Rogan and his guest discussed Musk’s growing empire — from Twitter/X to AI, to space, to brain chips — you could sense it: the vibe had shifted.

 From Admiration to Anxiety

For years, Rogan has been one of Elon Musk’s biggest public defenders. He’s hosted him multiple times, smoked weed with him, and praised his risk-taking. But recently, the tone has changed.

“I just don’t know if anyone should have that much control,” Rogan said mid-conversation, referring to Musk’s influence over communication platforms, satellites, AI development, and transportation systems.

He wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t raging. He was thinking out loud — and for longtime listeners, it was unmistakably different.

 AI, Neuralink, and the ‘God Complex’

One major turning point in Rogan’s shift seems to be Elon’s work on Neuralink and xAI — projects that blend artificial intelligence with the human brain and digital communication.

Rogan raised questions:

What happens if Neuralink becomes mandatory or abused by governments?

Who gets to control the data from Starlink?

Why does one man hold the kill switch on so much digital infrastructure?

“He used to be this guy fighting against the system,” Rogan said. “But now he’s the system.”

 The Twitter/X Takeover Fallout

Musk’s chaotic takeover of Twitter (now X) also came up — and Rogan didn’t hold back. While he once cheered Elon for bringing “free speech” back to the platform, he now admits the results have been mixed at best.

“It’s kind of a mess,” he said. “Some people are louder. Some people got silenced. It’s not what we thought it would be.”

He also noted that under Musk, the platform has seen spikes in hate speech, disinformation, and increasingly toxic behavior — the very things Musk promised to fix.

 Power Without Accountability?

What Rogan seemed to wrestle with most was the scale of Elon Musk’s influence — and the lack of checks around it.

SpaceX controls space communication. Tesla is changing global transportation. Starlink can black out entire regions with the flip of a switch. And X is shaping public discourse in real time.

“If you screw this up, you’re not just breaking a toy,” Rogan said. “You’re messing with the whole world.”

 Final Thoughts: The Slow Realization

This wasn’t an anti-Musk episode. But it felt like something more powerful: a moment of awakening from one of Musk’s most high-profile allies.

Joe Rogan didn’t shout “Elon screwed us all” in dramatic fashion. He didn’t have to. His words, pauses, and tone made it clear:

He’s no longer sure Elon Musk is the hero of this story.

And for millions of fans who’ve followed both men for years, that quiet shift speaks volumes.