Wonder if Elon had any say in that.
Seeing Green
Rest assured that as president-elect Donald Trump tries to buy Greenland from Denmark, he'll be selecting some of the most qualified people out there to negotiate this tricky diplomatic endeavor — like one of Elon Musk's old pals.
That pal is Ken Howery, a powerful tech investor who worked with Elon on PayPal some 25 years ago. The two have remained closely connected ever since, The New York Times reports, a sign of Silicon Valley figures' eager kowtowing to, if not participation in, Trump's administration — or perhaps Musk's influence over the man about to be sitting in the Oval Office.
Howery is Trump's current pick for US ambassador to Denmark. If he gets the job, it'll mark his second diplomatic stint under the Republican president, having served as ambassador to Sweden between 2019 and 2021.
After his nomination in late December, Howery thanked Trump on X, formerly Twitter, to which Musk responded with a crying-laughing emoji, writing this masterful bit of sloganeering: "Help America gain Greenland."
Friends4Ever
Unlike his billionaire brother-in-arms, Howery typically avoids the spotlight. But he's known for being an adventurous globe-trotter with a bit of a "daredevil streak" in him, per the NYT — and also for throwing elaborate parties.
According to the NYT's sources, he's said to be an old-school conservative and not a "Trump die-hard." He's largely motivated by the prospect of working overseas rather than ideology, sources close to him said.
When attending Stanford University in the 90s, Howery linked up with Peter Thiel, another towering tech investor figure who espouses (and bankrolls) right-wing politics. Years later, the pair would collaborate with Musk on PayPal, and the three of them would go on to become key members of the so-called PayPal Mafia, a group of former heavies at the payment platform whose money and influence goes far in Silicon Valley today.
His Majesty's Retinue
As for Howery's ties to Musk, he reportedly plays an important but subtle role in helping Musk's businesses. He advised him on his purchase of Twitter, for example, and invested in his ventures including Neuralink and xAI.
Howery also handles some of Musk's day to day affairs, often taking notes, packages, and resumes intended for Musk.
Howery has been right alongside Musk for his political turn, too. At Musk's request, he helped obfuscate Musk's involvement in his America PAC by being one of its first donors: four contributions totaling $1,000,000.
For what it's worth, Howery has remained fairly reticent about the whole Greenland-annexing saga; he made no mention of it in this thank-you post to Trump for his ambassadorial post, despite Musk's comments. Tactful as he may be, some are doubtful that he's the right guy for the Greenland job — if indeed anyone is.
"If you're entering into the political firestorm that would be Donald Trump’s stated desire to purchase Greenland, I don’t believe there’s very much on your resume that can help you navigate that," Rufus Gifford, former ambassador to Denmark under President Obama, told the NYT.
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