Is Elon Musk creating a utopian city? The hellish, heavenly history of company towns
In some ways, Snailbrook is similar to the first American company towns, which sprang up in the 19th century as industries such as mining, textiles and steelworks sought to house large numbers of workers in remote or sparsely populated areas. Employees would have to take what they were offered – usually tents or basic wooden shacks housing several families. At best, there might be a church or a school, plus a company-owned store, which would often earn back what the company paid its workers or lead them into debt. They were often closer to prison camps than ideal cities. Colorado coal-mining towns owned by John D Rockefeller were policed by armed guards, who prevented anyone entering or leaving. An inspector visiting one in 1910 wrote that the miners’ dwellings “smack of the direst poverty … Not all of the houses are equipped with water, and practically none have sewerage … The people reflect their surroundings; slatternly dressed women and unkempt children throng the dirty streets and alleys of the camp.”
Overriding all of this is the temptation for the founders (almost always white men) to build monuments to themselves and rule like dictators. Given Musk’s reputation for impulsive heavy-handedness and extreme attention-seeking, this does not bode well. But this is the guy who promises to colonise Mars, so it is worth examining what he is doing down here on Earth.
If there is one utopian whom Musk brings to mind, though, it is Walt Disney. Like Musk, Disney was a committed futurist with an almost boyish belief in technology’s liberating potential (albeit combined with socially conservative values). Like Musk, Disney sought to put his ideas into action by secretly buying up large tracts of land in central Florida – the area that is now Disney World.
If Snailbrook is to be a success, this is the kind of thing Musk will have to do, although there is little indication he is leaning in this direction so far. If there is a lesson to be learned from the history, it could be that company towns work best when their creators put civic responsibility over egotistical urges and employee wellbeing over corporate profit. Does that sound like Musk?
In some ways, Snailbrook is similar to the first American company towns, which sprang up in the 19th century as industries such as mining, textiles and steelworks sought to house large numbers of workers in remote or sparsely populated areas. Employees would have to take what they were offered – usually tents or basic wooden shacks housing several families. At best, there might be a church or a school, plus a company-owned store, which would often earn back what the company paid its workers or lead them into debt. They were often closer to prison camps than ideal cities. Colorado coal-mining towns owned by John D Rockefeller were policed by armed guards, who prevented anyone entering or leaving. An inspector visiting one in 1910 wrote that the miners’ dwellings “smack of the direst poverty … Not all of the houses are equipped with water, and practically none have sewerage … The people reflect their surroundings; slatternly dressed women and unkempt children throng the dirty streets and alleys of the camp.”
Overriding all of this is the temptation for the founders (almost always white men) to build monuments to themselves and rule like dictators. Given Musk’s reputation for impulsive heavy-handedness and extreme attention-seeking, this does not bode well. But this is the guy who promises to colonise Mars, so it is worth examining what he is doing down here on Earth.
If there is one utopian whom Musk brings to mind, though, it is Walt Disney. Like Musk, Disney was a committed futurist with an almost boyish belief in technology’s liberating potential (albeit combined with socially conservative values). Like Musk, Disney sought to put his ideas into action by secretly buying up large tracts of land in central Florida – the area that is now Disney World.
If Snailbrook is to be a success, this is the kind of thing Musk will have to do, although there is little indication he is leaning in this direction so far. If there is a lesson to be learned from the history, it could be that company towns work best when their creators put civic responsibility over egotistical urges and employee wellbeing over corporate profit. Does that sound like Musk?
