Elon Musk (PayPal, Tesla)

Elon Musk Biography

Contents

Elon Musk Biography (Tesla) – Fun facts


Wonder Years of Elon Musk


1) Elon Musk – A June 28 Cancerian

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa to Maye (Haldeman), a Canadian woman, and Errol Musk, a man with African-Dutch-English lineage. The couple raised Elon and his two siblings, Kimbal and Tosca, in a very liberal manner unlike the conditions in Africa at the time. Such an upbringing was partly responsible for the wonders that the Musks later achieved in their lives.


2) A Special Interest In Programming

Elon Musk got his first computer at age 10. Because of his interest in programming, he was able to learn the skill himself through trial and error. Musk’s father always encouraged him to try new things and to explore newer fields of interests, which was one of the primary reasons that Elon Musk became a pro at computing.


3) Blastar

With expert knowledge about programming, Musk sold his first commercial software at the age of 12. He designed this software for a game called Blastar that was considered a major feat by a young boy. Musk later sold Blastar for $500.


4) A Promising Businessman Since Childhood

Musk recalled how he made his siblings and cousins work for him in various small ways such as selling Easter eggs in the neighborhood or staring a video game arcade for children to stop by. Always getting into new hobbies, Elon Musk no doubt had it in him to become a future leader and entrepreneur.


5) Making Rockets While Growing Up

Musk developed an interest in space and rockets from an early age. His first video game design was a space game. He recalled that making rockets and explosives was his favorite pastime, something that has culminated over the years into love for his SpaceX company. He said, “It is remarkable how many things you can explode. I’m lucky I have all my fingers.”


6) Touring Europe, U.S. And Canada

When Musk was 17, his father packed him up for a tour of the west. After flying to the U.S., Musk took to the road and traveled to 18 states by car. His experience as a lone traveler gave him the exposure he needed and that his father intended him to have. Unknown to him, these experiences would give him the power to make major decisions in the future.


7) Musk’s Concern For Apartheid

Contrary to popular opinion, serving in the African militia wasn’t a concern for the young Musk; however, favoring apartheid was. In an interview later in life, Musk said, “I don’t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African army suppressing black people just didn’t seem like a really good way to spend time.”


8) The Decision To Move To The U.S.

The kind of upbringing that Musk had gotten from his father fueled his need for “wanting something better” and “making big of his life.” Soon he decided to move to the United States at a time when South African passport holders had difficulty traveling abroad. Musk said, “It is where great things are possible.”
Further Education


9) Deciding On A Major

Musk spent two years at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, but soon left Canada to pursue business and physics, the subjects that attracted him the most. He entered the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed undergrad degrees in both subjects.


10) Entering The Silicon Valley Circle

After his undergraduate study, Elon Musk moved to Silicon Valley to get a PhD in applied physics from Stanford University. Even though he left the PhD program halfway, it gave him enough insight and exposure to choose a career path and excel at it.


11) Impressed With Inspiring Innovators

With majors in business and physics, there was no doubt in Musk’s mind that he wanted to become not only an entrepreneur but also an innovator. Holding icons like Nikola Tesla as inspiration, Musk soon became adept at understanding the needs of the market and serving it accordingly.


Beginning of His Career


12) The Zip2 Software

In the series of businesses launched and run by the highly innovative Elon Musk, Zip2 is not only the first but also the humblest. It was the reason he left Stanford. Zip2 is an online content publishing software, mostly used by new and infant organizations.


13) Acquisition Of Zip2

A multimillion-dollar project which only grew stronger and expanded under Musk’s leadership, Zip2 was launched with the help of his younger brother, Kimbal Musk. In 1999, Zip2 was acquired by Compaq’s AltaVista division for $307 million cash and $34 million in stock options. This sale made Musk a millionaire and provided the funds he needed for his future ventures.


14) Co-founding PayPal

In March 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, which was an online financial services and email-payment company. Even though X.com was the provider for a very lucrative niche, Musk initiated an acquisition of Confinity, the organization that owned the auction payment system called PayPal, to give X.com a strong foothold.


15) Marriages

Elon met his first wife, Justine Musk, back at Queen’s University in Canada and the two got married in 2000. Justine is a Canadian-born author who gave Elon Musk six sons (one died in infancy). The couple separated in 2008. His second wife was British actress Talulah Riley. This relationship ended in 2012.


16) Musk’s Philosophy Behind PayPal

Musk remained the largest shareholder of PayPal, owning 11.7% of shares. His philosophy behind the operations of PayPal was driven by his farsighted view of the imminent P2P breakthrough in the world of the Internet. Not only did X.com acquire PayPal’s brand name, it also took forward its selling proposition by giving up on financial services and adopting the online payment system for good.


17) Making PayPal Go Viral

PayPal was a group project with many investors on board; however, the online payment company owes Musk for its growth. The innovative entrepreneur gave the company viral growth and made it possible for the idea of online P2P payment to hit it off in the market. With its demand on the rise, PayPal was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.


SpaceX


18) SpaceX – Musk’s Third Successful Venture

Musk’s brainchild SpaceX is working for rocket launching systems, which is a world away from entrepreneurial ventures that we hear about every other day. In Musk’s view, rocket technology will be a very big influence on the future life of humans on earth.


19) The First Rocket Launch From SpaceX

Founded in 2002, SpaceX has since developed a number of space transportations. The Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft are the most notable achievements of the company. Under the leadership of Musk, SpaceX continues to be one of the leading private space transportation companies.


20) SpaceX And Musk Make History

In May 2012, after years of deliberation and intense work on developing adequate facilities, SpaceX transported cargo via its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. This feat made the company the first privately held corporation to transport cargo to space.


21) Musk’s Mission For Space Exploration

Musk is an entrepreneur who has the ability to see past shortsighted goals. He sees space exploration as integral to human survival in times when the race faces threats from all angles. He has said, “An asteroid or a super volcano could destroy us, and we face risks the dinosaurs never saw: An engineered virus, inadvertent creation of a micro black hole, catastrophic global warming or some as-yet-unknown technology could spell the end of us. Humankind evolved over millions of years, but in the last sixty years atomic weaponry created the potential to extinguish ourselves. Sooner or later, we must expand life beyond this green and blue ball – or go extinct.”


22) The Philosophy Behind SpaceX

Elon Musk is the current CEO and CTO of SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies). In the 10 years of the company’s existence, Musk has had a strong philosophy behind it. According to him, the cost of spaceflight should be reduced by a factor of 10 so that in the years to come, it can become a reliable and cost effective mode of transporting humans to multiple planets.


23) Musk And The Falcon Family

In the years of its existence, SpaceX has managed to design the Falcon Family, space vehicles used for transporting cargo to the International Space Station. The Falcon vehicles are also used by SpaceX to carry and launch satellites in the planet’s orbit.


24) Funding A Space Transportation Company

Regardless of the kind of work SpaceX does, Musk has managed to fund the company privately despite all odds. From its inception till May 2012, SpaceX recorded a total of $1 billion in funding, all coming from private sources including the CEO himself, who invested $100 million for fueling R&D and high-tech manufacturing.


25) Breaking Unbreakable Records

SpaceX became the first private company to carry a space shuttle into space on May 22, 2012. The Falcon 9 rocket carried the Dragon over to the International Space Station. Not only this, Dragon earned the title of the first private space shuttle to ever be docked in orbit.


26) The NASA Contract

Recognizing the immense contribution and efforts of SpaceX for space technologies, NASA awarded the company a $1.6 billion contract in 2008 for replacing cargo via the Falcons and the Dragon shuttle. A future motive is to transport astronauts to the space station with the help of SpaceX.


27) Elon Musk’s Dream For SpaceX

Even though SpaceX works on multibillion-dollar contracts, for Musk the mission for his brainchild is something different. He aims to initiate human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars in the next 15 years, making the notion of multi-planetary existence come to life.


28) Launching Satellites In Space – A Trick For Elon Musk!

SpaceX has not only managed to develop space technologies, but it has also accomplished the feat of delivering satellites in space. In 2006, the company launched its first low-orbit satellite for a private company and started the planning for the launch of a geostationary satellite in 2013. This journey is to be completed by Musk’s trusted Falcon 9.


29) Some Humble Clients Of SpaceX

Playing with fire and taking risks is second nature to Musk. Apart from hefty contracts with NASA, SpaceX’s operations have impressed the American military, non-government agencies and other privately held concerns to become valued clients as well.


Further Ventures: Elon Musk


30) SolarCity – Energy For The Future

Extending the concept of renewable resources, Musk suggested the idea of SolarCity, a company that supplies solar powered equipment and panels. His cousin Lyndon Rive took up the idea and established this company with Musk as the most prominent shareholder and chairman of the company.


31) The Three Musketeers

Elon, Kimbal and Tosca Musk all are self-employed and thriving entrepreneurs. Kimbal Musk is the CEO of the search company OneRiot and owner of The Kitchen, a nationwide restaurant chain. Tosca is the founder of Musk Entertainment and with the help of her brother, Elon, has produced a number of movies.


32) The Resourceful Musk In Movies

A number of Musk resources have made it to the silver screen, along with their owner. In “Iron Man 2,” SpaceX’s factory was used as a filming location. In another movie, “Thank You for Smoking,” Musk’s beloved Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft was showcased and the owner appeared as a pilot on screen!


33) The Iron Man inspiration

Musk’s influence is more than just on paper. According to the director of “Iron Man,” Jon Favreau, the persona of the intelligent billionaire Tony Stark, the main character in the movie, was inspired by none other than Elon Musk.


34) The Hyperloop

Another one of Musk’s theories for making the world a better place to live revolves around the Hyperloop. In the billionaire’s own words, “This system I have in mind, how would you like something that can never crash, is immune to weather, it goes 3 or 4 times faster than the bullet train… it goes an average speed of twice what an aircraft would do. You would go from downtown LA to downtown San Francisco in under 30 minutes. It would cost you much less than an air ticket or car, much less than any other mode of transport… I think we could actually make it self-powering if you put solar panels on it… you generate more power than you would consume in the system. There’s a way to store the power so it would run 24/7 without using batteries… Yes, this is possible, absolutely.”


35) Seeing Through From The 2008 Financial Crisis

As the financial crisis bore down in 2008, the hardest time for Musk began. According to him, the majority of the investors for Tesla Motors pulled out because of heightened fear and the company was about to be closed down. However, despite all odds, Musk’s determination made it pull through such a hard time.


Tesla Motors


36) Engineering His Way Through To Tesla Motors

Musk’s interest in physics and engineering was put to use when he co-founded Tesla Motors. The company is a Silicon Valley-based electric car manufacturer that specializes in using electrical components. The philosophy behind Tesla is the same one that Musk uses behind SpaceX, i.e., independence and liberty for humans.


37) Did You Know Tesla Is Named After Elon Musk’s Inspiration?

Elon Musk had always been inspired by Nikola Tesla, an electric engineer and physicist of the 19th century. Using Tesla’s theories and models, combined with his sharp business acumen, Musk has been able to build an entire empire of motor vehicles that are geared for future consumption.


38) The Tesla Roadster – Opening The Doors To EV Technology

With a focus on future needs and the current state of energy depletion, Tesla Motors began production with their first electric sports car in 2008. The Roadster was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle that was produced using lithium-ions. Per charge, the car can travel 200 miles.


39) Success With The Tesla Roadster

The Tesla Roadster soon became a legendary car. Not only was it a peek into the future of electric vehicles, its system also conformed to several governments’ initiative for energy efficient transport. As a result, by 2012 Tesla Motors had shipped/sold 2,400 Roadsters in 31 countries.


40) Sequels To The Roadster

After the success of the Roadster, Tesla went on to produce electric cars in the consumer category. Its next model was a sedan launched in 2012 and the third, Model X, a minivan, is scheduled to begin production in 2014.


41) Musk’s Long-Term Strategy For Tesla

Producing electric cars is not all that Musk’s Tesla Motors is aiming to achieve. For the founder, the main goal is to further the idea of using electrical energy in vehicles; therefore, Tesla also sells electrical components to independent manufacturers such as Toyota and Daimler and makes for a perfect role model for these companies.


42) The Business Mind Behind Tesla Roadster

One might question the intelligence behind manufacturing an electric sports car when the masses are not hooked yet to electrical technology. However, the guru behind it all had a strategy in mind. For Musk, making electric cars commonplace and affordable for the public meant he needed to target the early adopters first, who in turn would fuel the subsidization of electrical energy, thus fulfilling this visionary’s aim.


Success of SolarCity


43) Increasing Demand And Popularity Of SolarCity

After being in business for 7 years, SolarCity has played a major role in commercializing and increasing the demand for solar-paneled roofs and systems working on this technology. In 2011, it was awarded the title of the No.1 residential solar installer in the United States by Greentech Media Research.


44) Tesla Motors And SolarCity – Collaborating For A Better Future

Being closely involved in the operations of SolarCity, Musk announced in 2012 that “SolarCity and Tesla Motors are collaborating to use electric vehicle batteries to smooth the impact of rooftop solar on the power grid.” The investor’s aim is to give a helping hand against global warming with this project.


Accolades – Musk Elon


45) Winning Awards For Falcon 1

Not only has Musk contributed to space technology in terms of providing cargo facilities, he is also the first private creator of a liquid fuel rocket, the Falcon 1. In 2007-08, Musk received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low Award for the design of Falcon 1.


46) Innovator Of The Year Award

According to the ratings of R&D Magazine, Musk was titled as the Innovator of the Year 2007 for his ventures: SolarCity, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. Apart from this, he was also named the Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine for the same.


47) One Of The Most Influential Men

Apart from his charismatic personality, Elon Musk is a notable figure for the work that he does. In 2010, Time magazine named him in the list of the 100 Most Influential People who affect the world. He was given the same title by Esquire Magazine.


48) Recognized As The Space Guru

In 2008, Musk was given the Aviation Week Laureate for significant efforts in the space industry. This award considers all the efforts in this field by entrepreneurs worldwide; therefore, Musk’s win is a very big achievement for the young leader.


49) Recognized In The Automotive Industry

For his innovative architecture of automobiles, Musk was also the recipient of the Automotive Executive of the Year Award in 2010 for “demonstrating technology leadership and innovation via Tesla Motors.” Musk broke the record by being the youngest executive to earn this title.


50) The Award-Winning Tesla Roadster

Musk’s outstanding designing of the Tesla Roadster won him several awards and considerable recognition. He received the Global Green Product Design Award in 2006 and later the Index Design Award in 2007.


51) Earning The FAI Gold Space Medal

Because of his immense contribution to space technology and making it accessible, Musk received one of the highest awards for air and space. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the international governing body of aerospace, gave him the FAI Gold Space Medal for designing the first private rocket to reach outer orbits. Previous recipients of the award have been famous people like Neil Armstrong.


52) Receiving The Heinlein Prize

Reaching out into space and making it a commercial business is no small feat. For Musk, it is daily business; however, one that won him the coveted Heinlein Prize for $500,000 in 2011. This award is an auspicious recognition for contributors like Elon who have made “advances in space commercialization.”


53) Musk Applauded For Outstanding Leadership

In 2009, Elon Musk was given the National Space Society’s Von Braun Trophy to honor him for his outstanding leadership skills, both as the head of SpaceX and as a fearless entrepreneur. Being the first privately held company to assist in space missions is a huge achievement.


54) Keeping The Earth Green At All Costs

For his unwavering efforts to make the environment and the planet greener, Musk is also the recipient of the National Wildlife Federation 2008 National Conservation Achievement Award. This award highlights his efforts with two of his most renowned ventures in particular, SolarCity and Tesla Motors.


55) Elon Musk – The Space Hero

According to the Space Foundation Survey conducted in 2010, Musk was named the Most Popular Space Hero in light of his interest in space technology and significant efforts in the field.


56) Musk’s Legendary Contribution To Space

Due to the entrepreneur’s relentless efforts and contributions to the development of space technology and delivery systems, he was awarded a Gold Medal by the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2012. This Gold Medal stands for every bit of work that Musk has done to further his mission of making space accessible to humans.


57) Earning Honorary Doctorates

Musk has received a number of honorary doctorates from famous universities. The two most prominent ones are a doctorate in design from the Art Center College of Design in California and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Surrey.


58) Honored As A Young Legendary Leader

In 2011, Elon Musk was honored as a Legendary Leader at the Churchill Club Awards. Not only this, he was also elected to the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology and the X-Prize Foundation because of the invaluable knowledge he has gathered in this field.


59) Being A Trusted Board Member

At a young age not only has Elon Musk managed to astound the world with his contributions to space technology, he has also defied age limits when it comes to being on company boards. Musk has been a director of the Planetary Society, a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board and the Stanford University Engineering Advisory Board.


Humanitarian Work


60) Helping Hurricane Victims With Solar Power

Musk mobilized a million-dollar project in 2010 to donate solar-powered systems to areas that were in critical need. The first of these situations arose in Alabama where state and federal help was limited. Therefore, the Musk Foundation invested millions of dollars to help prevent a future crisis in areas still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.


61) The Musk Foundation

Elon Musk is a philanthropist. Not only do his business ventures focus on benefitting humans, his own charity, The Musk Foundation, is a big name in philanthropic work especially in the areas of science education, pediatric health and clean energy.


62) The Giving Pledge

Musk signed on to the Giving Pledge in 2012. He wants to give away most of his fortune in philanthropic causes.


63) The World’s Greenest Billionaires

In March 2013, Forbes put Elon Musk on the list of the Greenest Billionaires of the World. With his $2.7-billion net worth, Musk is a definite sensation not only in the circle for serial entrepreneurs but also in the fight for a greener Earth.


Work Ethic – Elon Musk


64) Paying Tribute To Nikola Tesla

In 2012, Elon Musk joined hands with Mathew Inman of The Oatmeal website to preserve Wardenclyffe Tower in New York, an early transmission tower designed by Nikola Tesla, who moved his laboratory there. For Musk, Tesla is one of the most inspirational and close-to-his-heart personalities, a legend who gave the entrepreneur the idea for Tesla Motors. Plans call for turning the location into a museum and science center in the physicist’s honor.


65) Managing Tesla And SpaceX All In One

Because Musk is CEO of both the companies, looking after them gives the young man a hard schedule. During a week, Musk averages 400 miles, commuting between Tesla in San Francisco and SpaceX in Los Angeles! Added to this workload is the responsibility of being a father of five young boys, something that Musk loves being.


66) Commitment And Focus Are Values Ranked The Highest By Musk

For Musk, committing himself to his businesses has been the success behind each. Even though Tesla Motors is yet to record a profit and SpaceX has been making a profit for the last five years only, Musk’s commitment behind each is unwavering.


67) Juggling Work In Two Places At Once

When asked how the young CEO manages to show his face at two offices, Musk replied that he is able to keep both separated, unless there is a crisis at both places at the same time, “then it is really difficult.” Juggling two businesses at the same time may be a difficult task even for a top-level executive; therefore, Musk is a true inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.


68) Running His Business With Enthusiasm: Musk’s Style

SpaceX, a business that most would deem incomprehensible, is a dream for Elon Musk. Designing space shuttles and fueling transport to and from space is something that makes him fantasize sending men to Mars. On one occasion he said, “I would like to die on Mars; just not on impact.”


Elon Musk : An Inspirational Personality


69) A Powerful CEO At A Young Age

In 2011, Forbes named Musk as one of the most Powerful CEOs less than 40 years of age. No doubt, managing a space cargo company single-handedly is no small feat.


70) A Living Legend In Aviation

The career path chosen by Musk is one that other entrepreneurs only dream of. His immense contributions to space technology earned him recognition as the Living Legend of Aviation by the Kitty Hawk Foundation in 2010. This title was awarded for the creation of the space shuttle by SpaceX.


71) A Workaholic Who Enjoys It

Elon Musk is a devoted workaholic. He spends a minimum of 100 hours a week managing SpaceX and Tesla Motors. According to him, devising newer ways of serving humanity is the crux of existence.


72) Musk Has Always Been Farsighted

Just out of college, Musk was able to point out areas of business that would drive the human race in the 21st century. According to him, the Internet, space and clean energy were “important problems that would most affect the future of humanity.”


73) ‘We Have Planes, Trains, Automobiles And Boats… What If There Was A Fifth Mode?’ – Elon Musk

Musk is a visionary. With the exposure of space technology, Musk has become a guru when it comes to developing new ways of exploring resources. With a cost of $6 billion, the Hyperloop theory has already been put under detailed study so that the entrepreneur’s idea of a fifth mode of mass transit can be given shape.


74) Elon Musk – Intelligence At Its Best

Being an entrepreneur who understands the needs of the time, Musk is one of those few personalities who have believed in working for the betterment of Mother Earth. Every venture that he has started takes into account the terrible loss our planet has suffered in terms of non-renewable resources. According to Musk, “We need to figure out how to have the things we love, and not destroy the world.”


75) Musk’s View Of The Internet

Seeing the Internet as a need for mankind’s future, Elon believes the way this resource is used will directly affect our welfare. His view of the Internet is rather exemplary and thought-provoking as when he said, “In terms of the Internet, it’s like humanity acquiring a collective nervous system. Whereas previously we were more like a… collection of cells that communicated by diffusion. With the advent of the Internet, it was suddenly like we got a nervous system. It’s a hugely impactful thing.”


76) A Revolutionary Man

Motor critics and experts have observed Musk’s determination behind Tesla’s goal. According to them, this young entrepreneur is a “Henry Ford in modern times,” owing to his superb leadership and farsighted approach in managing the motor company.


77) A Man With Powerful Motives

One may think that for entrepreneurs, love of money is completely rational behavior; after all, they earned it themselves. Nonetheless, for Musk, money is nothing if it can’t be put to use. He has said, “I would feel terrible if one of my companies died — and I still had cash in the bank that could have saved it.”


78) Urging Support

Talking about Tesla Motors’ future, Musk believes it is the world’s future that is at stake if Tesla’s renewable fuel strategy is not adopted. He said, “We’re running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere … can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe.”


79) Important Advice From Musk

Even though Musk enjoys the challenge of managing two diverse companies, each with its own problems, he does wish he spent more time traveling for leisure. The CEO has set a new goal for himself this year and that is to have fun! “I’d like to dial it back 5% or 10% and try to have a vacation that’s not just email with a view,” Musk said.


80) What More To Accomplish, Musk?

This is Musk’s favorite question! When asked in multiple interviews what he would want to accomplish after being so successful, he simply replied, “I’d like to visit Mars.”


81) In Favor Of Lax Immigration Rules

Musk is a strong proponent of immigration of individuals with big dreams. Being an immigrant entrepreneur himself, for Musk the value of dreams is way too great to be restricted with immigration laws.


82) How About Buying An Island? Or Retiring?

Being an entrepreneur in the tech savvy-world has earned Musk quite a fortune. However, when asked about his retirement or investing in some entertainment, the 100-hours-a-week CEO replies that he would simply get bored of that lifestyle. Truly, one has a lot to learn from businessmen like Elon Musk.


83) Celebrating The First Launch Of Falcon 9 To The ISS

When the Falcon 9 became the first privately held rocket to reach the ISS, Musk rejoiced over the achievement. He was heard saying, “I feel very lucky… For us, it’s like winning the Super Bowl.”


84) Naming His First Shuttle The Dragon

Do you know why Musk named his first shuttle Dragon? According to him, when he started SpaceX in 2002, most observers considered his goal far-fetched and impossible. Therefore, when his first space shuttle came into existence, he named it after the fictional character from “Puff the Magic Dragon” to emphasize the reality of his dreams.


85) A Wheel Of Cheese Into Space!

On its first mission into space, The Dragon carried a wheel of cheese in its capsule! According to officials at SpaceX, the “secret” payload was to be kept such in honor of John Cleese, a British comedian. “It’s kind of funny,” Musk told reporters after the successful launch in 2010. “If you like Monty Python, you’ll love the secret.”


86) Naming The Falcon Family

Naming the Falcons was an interesting task for Musk. The Falcons are named after the Millennium Falcon spaceship from the “Star Wars” movies. Gathering inspiration from fictional space sagas, Musk turned them into reality in the names of his larger-than-life space rockets.


87) PayPal Buddy Peter Thiel On Musk

Having previously worked with Musk for PayPal, Peter Thiel has a very high opinion of him. Being a visionary himself, Thiel said, “He’s a throwback to when people were doing less incrementalist things. The companies he’s started are executing against a vision measured not in years but in decades.”


88) ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’

Musk’s love for reading led him to one book that he states as the “solace of his childhood years.” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” was an inspiration for him that taught him a lot. In his words, “It taught me that the tough thing is figuring out what questions to ask, but that once you do that, the rest is really easy. I came to the conclusion that we should aspire to increase the scope and scale of human consciousness in order to better understand what questions to ask. Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment.”


89) Musk’s Way Of Continuous Improvement

For an entrepreneur to stay ahead of competition and be alert for problems and concerns, continuous improvement is a must. In Elon Musk’s words and ways, this improvement can be sought when one “constantly thinks about how you could be doing things better and question yourself.”


90) What Failure Means For Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s attitude to failure is rather encouraging and unique. Coming from a business that has always been highly risky and prone to a number of failures in the initial stages, Musk seems to have learned how to cope with failure in the best way. He said, “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.” And: “I started SpaceX with the expectation of failure.”


91) Building And Shaping His Own Destiny

Even though Musk faced a number of challenges when he started his entrepreneurial ventures and heard criticism of his ambitions, he never gave up on what he set his mind to. No doubt, entering space is an unforgiving business to deal with but Musk mastered it. His biggest advice is to, “Really pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends… hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful.”


92) Musk Made His Way Up From Humble Start

In an interview, the young billionaire recalled the way he fared in the years that Zip2 was still an infant project. Living in a rented office/headquarters/bedroom, Musk had a hard time finding outside investors to trust an online business that was considered another spinoff of the dot-com bubble. However, soon Musk proved that with determination even the smallest of endeavors could bring big changes.


93) Musk’s Interest Lies In The Details

Making big decisions is every CEO’s most coveted privilege. It’s no different for Musk, however, what this CEO wants is something quite different. He said, “I think of myself more [like] an engineer, who, in order to invent the things I want to invent and create them, that I have to do the company as well. So I’m more reluctantly the CEO. It’s not my preference, actually.”


94) A Role Model For The Business Circle

Because of the extraordinary accomplishments of this businessman at a young age of 41, Musk has managed to stand out as a role model in multiple industries. Many experts and observers have singled him out. It has been said that he makes Steve Jobs look “like a kid playing with an electronic kit at home.”


95) Getting Capital Advice From Elon Musk

In an interview, Musk revealed his opinion of the best way for entrepreneurs to arrange for capital. He said, “I think the best way to attract venture capital is to try and come up with a demonstration of whatever product or service it is and ideally take that as far as you can. Just see if you can sell that to real customers and start generating some momentum. The further along you can get with that, the more likely you are to get funding.”


Elon Musk: Future Plans


96) What’s Next For Elon Musk?

After all the accomplishments that Musk has managed to secure for himself, thinking of anything as lofty and overrated is simply not in his dictionary. In the future, he plans to delve into the development of double-decker highways to ease traffic congestion and to invest in supersonic jets that work on vertical landings and takeoffs.


97) Creating A ‘Spacefaring Civilization’

The biggest service to humanity by Musk has been in the form of the ideology of “spacefaring civilization.” The concept of spacefaring means alleviating “restrictions” and making humans live freely, without fear of destruction.


98) Planning The ‘Mars Oasis’

In 2001, the idea of an oasis on Mars made Musk ponder the ways this concept could be fulfilled. However, because of lack of technology, it never got to completion. With SpaceX, Musk aims to achieve this purpose and send a prototype of a greenhouse full of plants to Mars so that the chances of a multi-planetary life can be gauged. Musk’s efforts to serve humanity are truly worthy of praise and recognition.


99) A Peek Into The Mind Of Elon Musk

While giving an interview, Musk revealed that most of his success lies in a simple habit of breaking down the big ideas into smaller pieces. He said, “You look at the fundamentals and construct your reasoning from that and then see if you have a conclusion that works or doesn’t work. And it may or may not be different from what people have done in the past. It’s harder to think that way, though.”


100) Elon Musk’s Secret To Success

If you ask Musk for the biggest secret to his success, his reply will motivate you greatly. According to Elon Musk, “Work like hell. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks, every week. [This] improves the odds of success. If other people are putting in 40 hour work weeks and you’re putting in 100 hour work weeks, then even if you’re doing the same thing you know that… you will achieve in 4 months what it takes them a year to achieve.”

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Elon Musk Biography | Elon Musk Facts

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