Most people complain about Target being too crowded. Elon Musk has a different problem: he literally cannot enter one without triggering what amounts to a flash mob. During a recent appearance on "The Katie Miller Podcast," Musk explained why mundane errands are simply not an option for him anymore.
"There's an immediate 'can I have a selfie' line that forms," he said. "It's not that I don't want to. I simply can't."
When host Katie Miller asked when he last did something "extremely ordinary" like shopping at Target or CVS, Musk was blunt: "I can't go to things where there's the general public." This isn't celebrity whining about inconvenience. According to Musk, it's about survival.
Life on Hardcore Mode
Musk referenced the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to underscore just how real the threats are. "There are serious security issues," he said. "Life is on hardcore mode. You make one mistake and you're dead. And it only takes one." When asked if Kirk's death changed his behavior, he clarified it didn't change anything — it "reinforced" what he already knew.
The podcast covered more ground than just Musk's inability to buy toothpaste like a normal person. He revealed he averages exactly five hours and 56 minutes of sleep per night and spends most of his waking hours doing "information triage" across Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI, and his other ventures. One major goal: minimizing context switching because of the cognitive toll. "If you had to context switch every three seconds, the penalty would be very high," he explained.
AI Nightmares and Trump Jokes
Despite being at the forefront of artificial intelligence development, Musk admits the technology keeps him up at night. Literally. "I've had AI nightmares many days in a row," he said. He was quick to clarify a common misconception: "People get confused. They think what I predict will happen is what I want to happen. It's not."
On a lighter note, Musk named President Trump as the funniest person he's ever met. "President Trump is very funny… it's somewhat effortless," he said. He recalled a moment when Trump was asked if he was a fascist and responded to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani by saying, "Just say yes. It's easier that way."
The Moments Worth Reliving
Miller asked which life experiences Musk would want to relive just to feel them again. His answers were revealing: the births of his children, SpaceX's first successful orbit, and the breakthrough moment when Tesla made its electric car actually work.
So if you were hoping to bump into Musk while comparing shampoo brands at CVS, you're out of luck. He's not avoiding the public because he's antisocial. He's avoiding it because, as he puts it, he's trying to stay alive.