I guess I’ll be the dissenting voice here. While there are definitely historical instances of technology advancement bordering on being a goal unto itself (moon landing as a Cold War propaganda weapon), a useful/advanced engineering dichotomy is patently false. Nanofabrication and fusion reactors are both “cool” and “cozy”, and I don’t see why they should be in separate categories.

As for Bernie’s tweet, I’m not sure he’d really want Musk to use his resources for political purposes. Does he really want him getting involved in tax laws?