Early Years Of Elon Musk
Elon Musk was born in South Africa in 1971. He grew up near Pretoria in Transvaal, South Africa. He developed an early interest in computers, engineering and business. Musk’s parents divorced when he was nine years old. He stayed with his mother and attended the English-speaking Waterkloof House Preparatory School in Pretoria. He was a lateral thinker in school and was often bored. Musk was also cyberbullied by classmates while at school.
Musk studied business and physics at the University of Pretoria, then moved to the University of Pennsylvania at age 17. He earned a degree in Economics from the Wharton School at UPenn, then attended Stanford University for a Masters degree in Applied Physics for two days before deciding to drop out and pursue his entrepreneurial goals.
Beginnings Of Musk’s Entrepreneurial Ventures
Musk founded his first company, Zip2 Corporation, in 1995 at the age of 24. Zip2 provided an online city guide for the newspaper publishing industry. Musk sold Zip2 to Compaq in 1999 for $307 million. Musk then founded his second company, X.com, in 1999 to provide online payments and banking services. X.com then merged with Confinity and was renamed PayPal in 2001. Musk was a major investor and board member in PayPal, and sold it to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
Founding The Technology Companies
In 2002, Musk founded the space exploration firm, SpaceX. He remains the CEO and CTO of the firm and oversees its development of reusable rocket technology. In 2004, Musk co-founded the electric vehicle firm Tesla Motors. He again serves as CEO and Chief Product Officer of the firm. Tesla is best known for its revolutionary electric vehicles and has installations and stores around the world.
Advanced Ideas and Innovation
Musk is an advocate for innovative technology and futuristic ideas. In addition to SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity, which he helped found, Musk is concept-creator behind the Hyperloop system, a vacuum-based transit system designed to transport cargo and passengers quickly around the globe, and the BFR, an advanced rocket booster for space travel. Musk also founded The Boring Company to develop infrastructure for traffic reduction underground.
Noteworthy Achievements
Musk has been honoured with numerous awards throughout his career. In 2010, Musk was honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society along with Stephen Hawking. He was also listed as a runner-up Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful People and TIME’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. He also received a Hero of the Environment award from Time in 2009 for “his commitment to creating a commercially successful electric car.”
Contributions To Technology
Musk’s influence has extended into the field of technology through his investments, ideas and leadership. In 2016, Musk was listed as one of the world’s most respected and influential innovators. Forbes magazine states that at SpaceX, he “is revolutionizing the aerospace industry,” while at Tesla Motors, “he is helping usher in an age of sustainable transport.”
Philanthropic Endeavors
Musk has also extended his influence to charitable giving. He has made several large donations to educational and scientific institutions, most notably donating $10 million to the impressive Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe in New York. In addition, he established the Musk Foundation, which has donated to the Rainforest Connection, SolarCity, the National FFA, and the Muhammad Yunus Social Business Fund.
Philosophical Views on Life
Musk is an outspoken critic of short-term thinking and a strong believer in the idea of looking beyond current limitations and striving for something better. He is an advocate for long-term goals and setting high standards to strive for. Musk is also passionate about renewable energy technology, a keen musician, and a car enthusiast.
Leadership Style
Although Musk keeps a fairly low profile, his passion, drive and ambition have earned him respect throughout the business world. His leadership style is hands-on and he is heavily involved in all aspects of the business development process. Musk has a strong vision and clear goals, and strives to create exponential change through radical yet practicable ideas.
The Future Of Elon Musk
As of 2020, Musk has become one of the most successful and influential people in the world. He continues to develop cutting-edge technology and innovative products. Musk’s next steps will be to continue to perfect the technology for his now partially funded Hyperloop transit system, and develop the technology for the BFR rocket, which he hopes will revolutionize the space industry. It’s hard to guess what Musk will work on in the future – he is an unyielding innovator, and the future of technology lies in his capable hands.
Lifestyle Choices
Elon Musk is a highly disciplined individual and dedicates the majority of his time to his work. His lifestyle is heavily focused on efficiency and he is known to limit his sleep to 5-6 hours per night. Musk has also practiced veganism for a few years now and attributes a fair portion of his success to his strict vegan lifestyle. Musk is said to have also taken a page from Steve Jobs’ book, and spends a significant amount of his time surrounded by art and films.
Influence
Musk’s influence spans the sciences, technology, and society. An unorthodox businessman and entrepreneur, his impact on the world is significant. Through his businesses, he has helped promote sustainable transportation and efficient energy technology. He is an advocate of renewable energy and strives to make space exploration more accessible. He is a husband and father of five children, and is unafraid to push the boundaries of our current timeline. Musk continues to strive for excellence, inspiring hope and enthusiasm throughout the world.
