COLUMN: Beneath Las Vegas, Musk’s Empire Is Digging Its Own Grave

Violations piling up like skeletons in a closet

Since 2019, the Boring Company has racked up violations the way others collect stamps. Chemical burns on workers. Excavations too close to the Las Vegas monorail, endangering existing infrastructure. Hundreds of environmental violations. Wastewater spills into the county’s storm drains. Accidents and incidents during construction. And most shocking of all: two firefighters burned by chemicals during a training exercise in the tunnels. Two firefighters. Men who risk their lives to save others. Burned in a tunnel that was supposed to be safe. A massive concrete slab collapsing in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Workers crushed, thrown from the structure. The list goes on. It’s too long. And every time, the company disputes the allegations. Fights back. Refuses to admit responsibility.

Every violation is a scar. Every incident is an alarm blaring in the silence. But no one seems to be listening. Or rather, those with the power to change things prefer to look the other way. Because Musk means innovation. He means the future. He means money. And money, in our society, buys silence. Buys complacency. Buys impunity.

Oversight That Resembles Complicity

Nevada’s regulatory agencies testified at the hearing: the Division of Industrial Relations, the Department of Business and Industry, and the Division of Environmental Protection. All defended their regulatory approach. All acknowledged that the project was “very unique,” that it was “moving quickly,” and that it presented challenges. Jennifer Carr, administrator of the Division of Environmental Protection, stated: “This is a very unique project. It’s moving quickly. It has expanded into several neighborhoods in the city. Most of our permits involve static facilities, so we’re also grappling with the very nature of the project.” Nevada safety regulators admitted they had not followed their best practices during an inspection related to the firefighters’ burns. They said they had implemented new policies and procedures. Too little, too late. The governor’s office—which Fortune had revealed had been notified by the Boring Company when the company was cited following the firefighters’ injuries—refused to send a representative to the hearing.

Regulators are supposed to protect the public—not corporations. But here, it feels as though the roles have been reversed. It seems as though agencies are walking on eggshells so as not to upset a tech giant. It’s pathetic. It’s dangerous. And it’s exactly what should never happen in a state governed by the rule of law.

Lives Shattered in the Name of Progress

Let’s talk about the victims. Not statistics. Human beings. The two firefighters who were burned during a training exercise. Imagine this: You’re a firefighter. You’re training to save lives in these tunnels in case of an emergency. And you end up burned by chemicals—because safety protocols weren’t followed. Because the company prioritized speed over safety. The workers crushed and thrown from the concrete slab when it collapsed. Men and women working hard to earn a living. Who trust their employer to ensure their safety. And who end up injured, traumatized, sometimes disabled for life. How many other incidents went unreported? How many workers suffered in silence, for fear of losing their jobs? How many families have been destroyed by the negligence of a company that cares more about its profits than its employees?

I think of these families. Of these lives turned upside down. And I ask myself: at what point did we decide this was acceptable? At what point did we accept that technological progress justifies the sacrifice of human lives? I refuse to accept this logic. I reject it with all my might. Because every life matters. Every worker deserves to return home safe and sound at the end of the day.

When the Desert Becomes a Toxic Dump

The Boring Company’s environmental violations are not mere technicalities. They are attacks on the fragile ecosystem of the Nevada desert. Hundreds of violations. Discharges of wastewater containing drilling fluids into the county’s storm drains. Chemicals seeping into the soil, into the groundwater, into the environment. Nevada is an arid state. Every drop of water counts. Every instance of contamination is a disaster. And yet, the company carries on. Digging. Dumping. Polluting. As if the desert were a blank canvas on which it can do whatever it wants. Senator Nguyen put it plainly: “We don’t want to wait until there’s more than just chemical burns or until our community’s water is poisoned. We want to make sure we can do what we can now.” Now. Not tomorrow. Not when it’s too late.

The environment isn’t an infinite resource that we can exploit without consequences. It’s our home. Our only home. And we’re destroying it, piece by piece, in the name of profit and innovation. It breaks my heart. Because I know we can do better. That we must do better. For ourselves. For our children. For all future generations.

When Disruption Becomes Delinquency

Howard Watts, the committee chair, summed up the situation in one sentence: “I fear that breaking the law and violating regulations has essentially become a cost of doing business for companies in Musk’s orbit.” A cost of doing business. That’s where we’re at. Fines, citations, and violations are no longer deterrents. They’re budget line items. Planned expenses. Minor inconveniences on the path to profitability. Watts noted that the Boring Company had contested every violation levied against it since 2019. Every. Single. One. Not once has the company said, “Yes, we made a mistake. We’ll fix it.” No. Every time, it’s denial. Contestation. A legal battle. Because it’s more profitable to fight than to comply. Because the fines are paltry compared to the profits. Because the system is broken.

This business model is toxic. It sends a terrible message: the rules are for the weak. For those who can’t afford to challenge them. For small businesses that don’t have armies of lawyers. But if you’re rich enough, powerful enough, well-connected enough, you can do whatever you want. And that is the death of democracy. It is the death of the rule of law. It is the death of everything that makes a society just and equitable.

When a City Sells Its Soul to the Technological Devil

The Vegas Loop was launched in 2021. It offers free rides around the Las Vegas Convention Center and charges between $4 and $12 for trips to select hotels, casinos, and the airport. The Teslas can be hailed via a website or picked up at stations. The Boring Company has been granted permission to build 68 miles of tunnels and 104 stations over the next few years in Las Vegas, a city that lacks fast and reliable public transportation. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley praised the project in January after the city issued a permit for a new tunnel. “The city is thrilled to bring an innovative transportation option to downtown Las Vegas and to create another way for visitors to experience all that the city has to offer,” she said. Innovative. The magic word. The word that justifies everything. That excuses everything. That allows us to turn a blind eye to violations, injuries, and pollution. Because it’s innovative. Because it’s the future. Because it’s Elon Musk.

Las Vegas deserves better. Its residents deserve better. They deserve a transportation system that works, that’s safe, and that respects the environment. Not a vanity project that primarily serves the interests of a billionaire. Not an open-air laboratory where untested technologies are tested at the expense of the public. Las Vegas isn’t a playground. It’s a city. With people. Families. Dreams. And these people deserve respect.

From Nashville to Dubai, the same disregard for the rules

The Vegas Loop is just the beginning. The Boring Company has tunnel projects planned for Nashville and Dubai. Same concept. Same promise. Same risk. Nashville, Tennessee. A city known for its music, its culture, its hospitality. Soon, perhaps, for its underground tunnels and their safety violations. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A city of excess, of dizzying skyscrapers, of colossal projects. A fertile ground for Musk’s ambitions. But at what cost? Nevada lawmakers have asked the question: if we can’t effectively regulate the Boring Company here, how will other cities be able to? How will Nashville protect its workers? How will Dubai ensure the safety of its residents? The answer is simple: they won’t be able to. Not if the model remains the same. Not if the company continues to treat rules as optional suggestions.

The Boring Company’s international expansion terrifies me. Because I know what’s going to happen. The same violations. The same injuries. The same toxic spills. But in countries where regulation is even weaker, where transparency is even more limited, where workers have even fewer protections. It’s a nightmare repeating itself on a global scale. And we’re letting it happen.

Stop the machine before it’s too late

We are at a crossroads. On one side: innovation at any cost. Disruption without safeguards. Progress that crushes everything in its path. On the other: responsibility. Safety. Respect for human life and the environment. The choice should be obvious. But it isn’t. Because we live in a society that idolizes billionaires, that worships technology, that confuses speed with progress. Nevada’s lawmakers have done their job. They’ve asked the right questions. They’ve shed light on the violations. They’ve demanded accountability. Now is the time to act. Strengthen regulations. Increase fines until they really hurt. Impose criminal penalties for serious violations. Protect workers. Protect the environment. Protect the public. Because if we don’t do it now, when will we? After how many more injuries? After how many more environmental disasters? After how many more deaths?

I refuse to wait. I refuse to remain silent while lives are put at risk in the name of profit. I refuse to accept that innovation justifies negligence. We can have both. We can have progress AND safety. We can have innovation AND respect for the environment. But that takes courage. The courage to say no to the powerful. The courage to stand up for the vulnerable. The courage to put people before profit. And we must find that courage. Now. Before it’s too late. Before the next accident happens. Before the next life is shattered. The time for outrage is over. It’s time for action.

Signed, Jacques Provost