I once had patents too, and later "Saw the light", allowing them to lapse, and am glad Musk argues against patents. Taken to conclusion, the same logic results in a realisation that the whole business of fractured profit driven comptetive research is an abuse of energy, as well as not the way to achieve things beneficial to all humanity. Who knows if Musk knows this too, it wouldn't matter, because he still has no other real options of funding than the VC route.
It will stop soon, as there is no longer enough energy by extraction left to fund different efforts towards research.
I hate to say it, but we in the West appear to have blown most of our reserves, with nothing much to show for it, apart from the internet, which is currently being ripped to pieces again by the same forces that created it.