Jill Lepore is a bestselling author, Harvard history professor, New Yorker staff writer, and most recently the host of Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket, a podcast exploring the life of the richest person on Earth and the type of moguldom he represents, which she calls “Muskism.” The definition? “Extreme, extraterrestrial capitalism, where stock prices are driven less by earnings than by fantasies from science fiction,” she explained in the New York Times.

Morning Brew caught up with Lepore for a debrief. No hyperloops were harmed in the making of this interview.

In what ways does Muskism reflect or repeat the past?

Muskism takes its vision of the future from science fiction, much of it more than a century old. And then, to make that weirder, a lot of that science fiction was a set of warnings about how not to live, indictments of colonialism and unchecked capitalism. But disciples of Muskism read those books as if they’re instruction manuals. It’s like reading Moby-Dick and designing your life and your business strategy in imitation of Ahab.

What do you think traditional business media coverage misses about Elon Musk?

I’m not sure I’ve read enough traditional business media coverage of Musk to know. There are a lot of Musketeers out there. I suspect much of the press he gets is a lot of loudspeakers amplifying what he’s putting out on his own microphone. Business coverage I find compelling and important are projects like Vermont PBS’s series The Future of Farming in the era of Big Ag and Big Dairy, or that recent New York Times op-doc about how business decisions affect nursing and patient care.

Why do you think the ultra-wealthy are so interested in space travel?

Space exploration: I totally get that. Space travel? Dunno. You fly first class, then Platinum, then you fly charter, then have your own plane, a bigger plane, the biggest, fanciest, most James Bond-villain private jet, a fleet of them, and what’s next? A rocket. But, in the end, it’s not about travel: It’s about commerce.

Are you a fan of the alternate history genre? Any favorites?

Oh geez. That’s a whole genre? You mean like The Plot Against America, Philip Roth? Does The Handmaid’s Tale count? Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad? Dunno. I guess it’s not a set of books I think of as a set. Or maybe I don’t think about that genre, if it’s a genre, the way other people think about that genre. But here’s a searingly beautiful book that I adore and that fits into all sorts of categories and also none, since it’s sui generis: George Saunders’s Lincoln in the Bardo.

Why do you think The Simpsons has so often accurately predicted the future, while many notable “futurists” have often gotten it wrong?

Because The Simpsons are right about everything. Especially Lisa. And Marge.

What’s been the biggest change you’ve observed teaching college students from 1995 to present day?

Their iPhones. Also, some of them have never watched The Simpsons.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Each week, our workplace whisperer Shane Loughnane answers a reader-submitted question about problems at work. Anything nagging at you? Ask Shane here.

I will likely be getting divorced soon and have started looking for jobs not in my current location. How do I respond to interview questions about why I’m looking for a job without revealing too much personal info?—J. from Virginia

The late Robin Williams would have turned 70 this past year—which, remarkably, is 10 years older than Mrs. Doubtfire (the alias of Williams’s character, Daniel) in the movie that bears her name. While that’s sinking in, recall too that Daniel managed to land three new jobs during his divorce period: as a shipping clerk, that ill-fated housekeeping gig, and ultimately his own television show. With Hollywood scripting your fate, things sure do have a way of working out.

You may not have 21st Century Fox producing your career arc, but there’s no reason you can’t land your next role without going full TMI on your relationship details. The surge of remote opportunities notwithstanding, prospective employers will likely be interested in your relocation plans if the job requires your physical presence. Understand that they’re looking for evidence you’ll stick around the new place, rather than the reason you’re leaving the old. In other words, you can safely keep the details of your marital status under wraps. Meanwhile, sharing your motives for choosing the new location (perhaps it is closer to family, for example) may help provide assurance that you’re committed to your decision.

Beyond that, you’re far more likely to be asked why you want the specific position for which you’ve applied (as opposed to the broader matter of why you’re looking for a job), so focus your energy on having a compelling answer to the former. A clever trick is that once you do, you can easily tweak it to address your job hunt more generally—i.e., “I’m looking for a role that gives me the opportunity to do XYZ.” In either case, your personal affairs need not be addressed.

Divulging personal info typically doesn’t benefit the job applicant, which is why laws exist that govern the types of questions that can be asked in interviews. The more you can stay focused on simply selling yourself, the easier it will be to avoid getting caught up in any sticky situations.

If you have an issue at your workplace, share your concerns and maybe we’ll reply to you in a future Brew.

President Biden announced economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday that, among other measures, are intended to “degrade their aerospace industry, including the space program.” Later that day, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space program, responded via Twitter thread (this is the world we live in) that the sanctions would result in the International Space Station crashing down.

• No need to look up, though: Rogozin is a well-known rabble-rouser, and both NASA and Roscosmos (Russia’s equivalent to NASA) confirmed to The Verge on Friday there were no changes to their partnership.

But warnings by Rogozin, and the hostile tone of them, may offer a glimpse into how difficult a breakup between the two space programs could be, especially when it comes to who (if anyone) gets their equivalent of the dog: the ISS.

When did the US and Russia become Zenon and Nebula?

The two countries were intense rivals in space in the mid-20th century, competing to one-up each other in what history’s dubbed the space race. But as the Cold War cooled, the US and Russia, or at least their respective space programs, warmed up to each other. And in 1998, they worked together to launch the ISS, which to this day depends on both Russian and American (along with European, Canadian, and Japanese) resources and personnel to operate.

With relations between the countries rapidly disintegrating (Biden called it a “complete rupture” this week), the ISS is having its Judgment of Solomon moment, because you can’t exactly cut it in half. And although it might be a bit awkward up in the station right now—with four Americans, one German, and two Russians on board—the ISS has a couple of important events coming up that require the use of Russian Soyuz spacecraft:

• On March 18, three Russian cosmonauts will fly up to join the seven-person crew on the ISS.
• And on March 30, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two cosmonauts will return to Earth.

But the most important date on the calendar is in 2024, when Roscosmos’s agreement to collaborate on the ISS expires. The US is already making plans for its involvement through 2030, but Roscosmos has yet to renew.

That brings us back to Rogozin’s warning, which actually has some credibility. Because the Russians provide the propulsion that controls the ISS's altitude, a lapse in the agreement could cause the space station to deorbit and fall back down to Earth. The good news: The US might be able to come up with some contingency plans to prevent that from happening, and one of them could involve you-know-who.

When asked on Twitter whether SpaceX would help save the ISS if Russia were to sabotage it, Elon Musk replied, “Yes.”
—JW

Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section that will have you slappin’ the bass. We’ll give you a few facts about a listing and you try to guess the price.

Today’s geometric hideout, located 20 miles north of downtown LA, is the former home of Michael “Flea” Balzary, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. With 5.7 acres bordering the Angeles National Forest, it’s a shock Flea would want to give it away, give it away, give it away now. Amenities include:

• 5 beds, 5 baths
• Redwood accessory cabin (you can put clothes and shoes in there too)
• 50-foot Johnston Vidal lap pool. Gotta have the Johnston Vidal version…
• Open-air movie pavilion

How much to free Flea?

1. Try new fruit. The weirder, the better. (New York Times)
2. What Vladimir Putin wants—and how Russia’s war in Ukraine could reshape the world. (Plain English)
3. These classes are near-death experiences. (TIME)
4. A moment of clarity. (Noahpinion)
5. TikTok is full of alleged scam artists pretending to be real advertisers. (Marketing Brew)
6. Notes apps are where ideas go to die. And that’s good. (Reproof)
7. Arooj Aftab’s Tiny Desk Concert. (NPR)
8. What are Gen Z investors wearing? (Vogue Business)
9. 3,134 miles, 18 pairs of sneakers, multiple cartel checkpoints: A run across Mexico. (Washington Post)
10. Everything will be all the time and everywhere. (Garbage Day)

Not exactly head over heels for your job? Look out for tomorrow’s episode of Founder’s Journal, a podcast hosted by our executive chairman: Alex Lieberman. Alex will walk through 5 questions you should ask if you don’t love your job. Don’t miss it.

Welcome back to Morning Brew’s Meme Competition, where we crown a single memelord every Sunday.

Today’s winner: Upanshu Malhotra in New Delhi, India

This week’s challenge: You can find the new template here for next Sunday. Once you’re done making your meme, submit it at this link for consideration.