Early life
Elon Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. He had a passion for engineering and early on took an interest in computers. At the age of 10, Elon was already programming and tinkering with technology, developing a fascination with electronic games. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with two degrees – a Bachelor of Science in economics and a Bachelor of Science in physics. After graduating, he moved to California in the United States and started a PhD program in Energy Physics at Stanford.
His studies, however, were short-lived as he was soon inspired by the internet boom and decided to start his own company instead. He founded Zip2 Corporation in 1995 with his brother Kimbal – a web-software company that provided web-based services for the newspaper industry.
Elon’s passion for space exploration also had an early impact on his life. He was already interested in the field at age 17, and as early as his college days was a vocal proponent for the space industry. Musk founded a company in 2002 called SpaceX to pursue his space age dreams, but it would be several years until the company launched its first successful mission.
PayPal
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Elon Musk focused on turning his startup Zip2 into a successful enterprise. His work attracted the attention of venture capital firms, and with the additional funds, Elon and Kimbal acquired X.com in 1999 – an online banking company.
Soon after, X.com merged with Confinity, an online payment company, and eventually transitioned into PayPal. Musk served as the company’s chairman and largest shareholder. Under his direction, PayPal established itself as the leader in online payments, and by 2002 it had become a public company. Musk’s shares were worth over $200 million when he sold the business that year.
Musk’s success on the business side dubbed him an entrepreneur to be reckoned with. He was quickly recognised as a financial genius and a born networker, able to talk his way into, and out of, practically anything.
Tesla
In 2003, Musk started considering investing in space and electric transport. After visiting his brother Kimbal in Los Angeles, he decided to found SpaceX and Tesla. Elon invested in the electric automaker Tesla from the get-go and served as chairman of the board and then CEO starting in 2008. Tesla soon became a revolutionary company in the auto industry, producing some of the most advanced and efficient electric vehicles in the world.
With the launch of their first production cars in 2008, Tesla began to revolutionise the auto industry. Musk drove the company’s expansion and aggressive growth, rapidly improving their products and introducing new ones. Tesla grew at a breakneck pace, building massive factories and expanding across the world while furthering their mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
SolarCity Corporation
In 2006, two of Elon’s cousins Peter and Lyndon Rive founded SolarCity Corporation, a company that specialised in solar energy and energy storage systems. Musk immediately invested in the company and became its chairman, helping to steer the company’s growth and development. SolarCity quickly became the leader in solar power systems and a leader in renewable energy.
Musk was a driving force behind solar power in the US, helping to push it forward legally as well. He lobbied for draft laws to increase the use of solar power in California and other states and in 2015 SolarCity merged with Tesla. As part of the Tesla Motors acquisition, SolarCity’s operations were integrated with Tesla and it became Tesla Energy – the world’s largest solar panel installer and energy storage system maker.
Hyperloop
Musk also has a keen interest in transportation, particularly high-speed transportation. In 2013, he released a concept for a new hyperloop system in the US. The so-called Hyperloop was a way to travel between cities at speeds of up to 760 mph, using vacuum-sealed tubes and levitating pods.
In 2018, the first Hyperloop was built in Las Vegas, allowing for short rides of up to half a mile. Musk has expressed that he sees the potential for Hyperloop to travel much further than this and has expressed interest in building a version of the Hyperloop from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
Other pursuits
Elon Musk has been involved in several other ventures over the years in addition to his core focus on Tesla, SpaceX and the SolarCity Corporation. In fact, he invested in over 70 companies in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to renewable energy.
In 2020, Musk also developed a new company called Neuralink, which is working on a device that can link human brains to computers. Musk also created another venture called The Boring Company to build underground transport systems. However, his major focus continues to be on the development of SpaceX, Tesla and the SolarCity corporation.
Philanthropy
In addition to his businesses, Musk has also been heavily focused on philanthropy. He has donated millions of dollars to the US National Parks Service and numerous educational initiatives around the country. He has also given substantial donations to charities such as the Red Cross and World Wildlife Fund.
Further, Musk is active in numerous advocacy groups and organisations focused on promoting cleaner energy and sustainability. He has also been an outspoken critic of the ways in which capitalism tends to be structured in the US, with particular emphasis on income inequality and the need for a fairer economic system.
Environmental issues
Musk is also very passionate about environmental issues. He has been a vocal advocate for sustainable, clean energy and has actively worked to reduce air pollution and global warming. In support of this cause, Musk is a strong supporter of renewable resources, such as solar and wind, and has invested in research and development to expand these technologies.
He also works to make technology more efficient, which decreases its impact on the environment. This is evident through Tesla’s efforts to build more efficient and greener vehicles, as well as the company’s work to develop home battery systems that store renewable energy.
Artificial Intelligence
Musk has also been a vocal proponent of artificial intelligence (AI) research, believing that it is a critical tool for the advancement of human society. He has invested heavily in AI and open source AI research, and has been a vocal advocate for its use in public policy debates.
He is also a member of OpenAI and has donated $10 million to the Institute for Advanced Study in California, where he is also a visiting scholar. Musk believes that AI will have a major role to play in the future of the world.
Conclusion
In summary, Elon Musk has had a long and successful career in technology and science. Starting with his early passion for computers and space exploration, he went on to make millions from his involvement with Zip2 and PayPal, and more recently has revolutionised the auto industry with Tesla and the solar industry with SolarCity. He has also been active in philanthropy, advocating for renewable energy, sustainable technology and AI research. The impact that he has had on the world is truly remarkable.
