With SpaceX’s IPO, Elon Musk is officially a trillionaire. But he’s not just wealthy. He’s also shaping how people understand the world through the media platforms and infrastructure he controls. How did we get here?
In this episode, Jena and Michelle unpack the growing concentration of power in media. Using recent developments involving Musk, the Murdoch family, and Larry and David Ellison, they explore how media empires are evolving and what happens when a small number of people controls most of what everyone else sees and hears.
They also discuss the turmoil at 60 Minutes, the future of news, and why it’s essential for the public to understand who owns what.
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Read our writing about power in media:
Listen to our episode about Australia’s social media ban:
Check out our recs:
The UK’s violent riots were stoked by Elon Musk and a global far-right network, On the Media, 2026.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Corporate Consolidation (S4 E24)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Tech Monopolies (S9 E14)
Audio clip sources:
Knicks Win Championship, ESPN footage, 2026
Keir Starmer endorses Netflix drama Adolescence as a wake-up call on online violence, The Indian Express, 2025.
Justice Department Approves Merger, CBS News, 2026
Meet the billionaires who control your media, It’s Been a Minute, 2026.
Want to learn more?
New York Knicks:
Why the Knicks really won, The New York Times, 2026.
The Haves and Have-Nots: How the Knicks’ Celebrity Row works, Front Office Sports, 2024.
UK social media ban:
Fact sheet: New rules to protect children online, UK Department for Science, Innovation, & Technology, 2026.
Five big questions about the UK’s under-16s social media ban, BBC, 2026.
It makes no sense: 16- and 17-year-olds on UK social media ban, The Guardian, 2026.
Panic first, evidence later, Kids Play Tech Lab, McGill University, 2026.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation speech in full, BBC, 2026.
Use, views and worries on age bans on social media: responses form 29,169 children in 19 European countries, EU Kids Online, University of Oslo, London School of Economics, 2026.
Power in media:
How a $45 million donation brought Larry Ellison deeper into Trump’s circle, Wall Street Journal, 2026.
How Elon Musk is boosting far right politics across the globe, NBC News, 2025.
Justice Department approves Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC News, 2026.
A Murdoch builds his own media empire. Is this Succession or secession?, The New York Times Magazine, 2026.
The Murdoch family fight is over. So what does Lachlan control?, The New York Times, 2025.
Paramount agrees to pay $16M to settle Trump lawsuit, Pew Research Center, 2025.
Paramount CEO promises editorial independence for 60 Minutes, says Lesley Stahl, The New York Times, 2026.
Rivalries and rumors: how the new order of the Murdoch dynasty is playing out, BBC, 2025.
Scott Pelley on the Bari Weiss era and his last days at 60 Minutes, The New York Times, 2026.
SpaceX IPO makes Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, Reuters, 2026.
Student who called out CBS at News Emmys says Scott Pelley did the “right thing” amid network upheaval, NBC News, 2026.
What Fox’s Roku acquisition says about Lachlan Murdoch’s vision, The Poynter Report (Poynter Institute), 2026.
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About Did You See? with Jena and Michelle
Did you see that? Whether it’s in the news or pop culture, in print or online, we are living in a media overload. It’s a lot to process!
Did You See? is for anyone looking for space to pause and work through the media moments shaping how we see and understand the world.
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin spent 25+ years in media and education — as a media literacy educator, advocate, and CUNY lecturer.
Jena Wuu spent 15+ years in tech and policy — building Uber in Europe and founding Meta’s global information ecosystem program.
Two friends, two different perspectives on the same media landscape, and a shared belief that there’s always something more to the story. ◾
