An open letter to Elon Musk from a Lebanese citizen, tired of empty promises

Mr. Musk,

We love you, but we have something to tell you before you engage with Lebanon.

We have seen the headlines and your openness to visit Lebanon and help a country long forgotten by most. For a brief moment, it sparked a glimmer of hope. But from where I stand, I offer this with sincerity and caution.

We have been here before. We have welcomed visionaries, foreign delegations, multinational giants and even your fellow billionaire, Mr. Carlos Slim, of Lebanese origin. Many times, we dared to dream, only to watch our ruling class turn those chances into missed opportunities. These are the same faces who may soon line up to greet you.

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Musk calls Aoun to tell him he wants to do business in Lebanon

Lebanon has never lacked brilliance or resilience. What we have lacked is integrity in leadership.

We recently assembled a Cabinet of world-class experts, possibly the most qualified in our history, by any global standard. But even the best minds are trapped in a system in which sectarian loyalty and narrow interests matter more than national recovery or institutional reform.

For decades, we, the Lebanese people, have carried the weight of shattered promises and stolen futures. We have seen our savings vanish, our institutions collapse and our dignity eroded by a political class that feeds on paralysis and despair. We are bruised, but not broken.

This is not a country that failed because of its people. It failed because it was hijacked by those who profited from its dysfunction and feared accountability. Remnants of this corrupt class still cling to power and continue to exert control on parts of our government today.

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Open letter to Joseph Aoun

We’ve seen your work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and your bold attempt to disrupt inefficiency and challenge centralized systems. You know how deeply resistance runs when vested interests feel threatened.

So here’s an idea: offer Lebanon the equivalent of DOGE, but for public service. Help lead a digital revolution in government services: fast, decentralized and transparent. Start with what you know best, connectivity. Most of Lebanon’s public offices and courthouses outside Beirut are digitally stranded. Offer free Starlink internet access to all regional and rural public institutions, not through backroom contracts, but through public-service access points designed for citizens, not bureaucrats.

It is not charity. It is your kind of disruption.

Consider Lebanon your test case for rebuilding, not reforming broken governance systems. Do not work through the system. Work around it.

Support the ones who have survived in spite of the system — the Lebanese people.

Fund a hiring platform exclusive to Lebanese talent. Partner with schools and universities. Create channels for remote work, digital entrepreneurship, apprenticeships in AI, software, energy and aerospace. The talent is here. The infrastructure is not.

Dig deeper

Starlink's adoption in Lebanon on the right track, despite concerns

Remaining behind is not our choice. We seek the possibility to advance.

We are the descendants of a civilization that gave the world its alphabet, its oldest port cities and its first law school. We are multilingual, entrepreneurial, educated and driven. We love life, and we work hard to live it fully.

Empower the people — not the politicians — and you will be part of the only change that matters. Help us help ourselves. We are more than the wreckage they left behind. Support them, and you validate the very forces that betrayed us. Anything less is just another missed chance and another excuse for the status quo.

We are ready for the future if someone finally bets on us, not on our regime.

Sincerely,

Philip A. Honein, a Lebanese who still believes in the people, not the system.

Philip Honein is an engaged observer and nonprofit leader who has worked as managing director and strategic advisor for leading conglomerates in the Gulf.