One of the most popular people and a role model among entrepreneurs and investors is Elon Musk. The dreamer and inventor has recently been heard, here and there they talk about his ideas, praise him for his business acumen, but few people know that Elon is the owner of unprofitable companies and has been fired more than once from the post of project manager in which he was the main shareholder. And at the same time, the state of the brilliant entrepreneur is about $ 21 billion! What is Musk's secret and how does he manage to be a successful investor under all the circumstances described above?
Who is Elon Musk?
If you follow the news of the financial world, and just follow the news, then you must have heard about Elon Musk. The entrepreneur simply gushes with various ideas and, while many entrepreneurs laugh at him, makes great discoveries and gives humanity faith in a brighter future. Of course, Elon deserved so many mentions in the press, first of all, thanks to his unrealistic discoveries, numerous companies and global undertakings.
According to Forbes, Musk's fortune is estimated at $ 21 billion, and he, one way or another, earned these funds through investments. But today he is rich, successful, commanding respect and envy. If you look at the biography of Elon, then this is a continuous series of ups and downs that led to success.
The beginning of the road to success
Elon Musk was born into a simple family that did not have large incomes and learned from childhood what hard physical labor is. His parents divorced, after which the boy stayed with a strict father, at school he was cruelly bullied by his peers and Elon was extremely withdrawn into himself. But all this did not prevent him from reading a lot and showing the same interest in the exact sciences and science fiction - both the first and the second will play a big role in the future fate of the Mask.
Entrepreneurial vein woke Elon at an early age, when at the age of 12 he wrote a game on a computer and sold it for $500. Surprisingly, while still just a child, Musk spent the proceeds not on candy and toys, but invested in the shares of a pharmaceutical company. And I must say that the investment was successful - having received several thousand dollars of profit, the enterprising guy buys himself a "start in life", that is, he leaves for Canada. Actually, from here the active work of the inventor began.
Ilon was never lucky with jobs, no matter what position he held. That's exactly what happened after graduating from university and earning a PhD, when Musk took a job at a bank. After leaving a financial institution, the future billionaire, together with his brother, founded his first company, Zip2, in the field of activity of which was the sale of software. Musk, of course, did not have money for Zip2, as well as the talent to attract third-party investors, so his father financed this venture, allocating $ 25,000 from the family budget. Surprisingly, young entrepreneurs, who initially did not even have the money to rent a house and slept right in the office, eventually promoted their company and sold it for $ 308 million three years later.
Elon Musk and space
It would seem that having received 7% of the sale of Zip2, Elon Musk could stop there and live comfortably until the end of his days - his share was $ 22 million. But no, the inventor had other peaks in the plans, the plane of which was far beyond the globe. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, having sold the first company and received the money, Musk comes up with another one, and its activities were focused on a completely different area. Elon is investing his millions in the newly minted company X.com, which offers fast payments on the network.
A year later, X.com merged with Confinity, but Musk's bad temper did not allow him to be the head of the company for a long time. A major shareholder was removed from the position, and the payment service was renamed PayPal. Two years after these events, the company was bought out by the largest online auction eBay and Elon received his $ 175 million (he was the holder of 11.7% of the shares). This amount allowed the inventor to move away from Internet companies and get as close to the dream as possible.
Maybe Max re-read science fiction, or maybe he really is a genius, but long before he became rich, Elon dreamed of colonizing space. And if at that time these dreams seemed ridiculous to someone (and even today many consider Musk's undertakings to be fantastic), then the dreamer himself willingly believed in them and in practice shows that his goals are achievable.
Spaceships, Tesla and the bankruptcy of Elon Musk
One of Musk's largest and most famous companies is SpaceX. The idea to create their own spaceships from an American entrepreneur did not arise immediately. After receiving his $175 million, Max goes to Russia and tries to buy a Soviet rocket from a local businessman. The deal did not take place, as the parties did not agree on the price - they asked too much for the spaceship and there were not enough millions of Musk for it. Elon was not very upset, but thought that the price of rockets was too high and they could be produced cheaper.
At his own expense, Elon Musk is building rockets, along with this, he is fond of electric vehicles. Having met Tesla executives, Elon is inspired by their ideas and invests $ 7 million in electric cars. Having invested in two projects at once, Musk is on the verge of bankruptcy. And now, when the dream investor had no money left, both SpaceX and Tesla began to have serious problems. The Falcon rockets developed by Musk failed three times, and Tesla produced cars at a loss - at a cost of $ 200 thousand, the sale was carried out for $ 85 thousand.
It would seem that Elon Musk suffered a complete fiasco and then any other entrepreneur would give up and declare himself bankrupt. By 2008, the situation became completely critical - there was no longer money not only for launching rockets or constructing cars, the employees of both enterprises had nothing to pay salaries for.
What did Elon Musk do to save companies?
Literally a few hours before declaring bankruptcy, Musk unexpectedly finds investors for Tesla. At this difficult moment, another success smiles at him - NASA signs a contract with SpaceX for 12 flights and allocates $ 1.6 billion for this. A real streak of luck begins for Elon: under his leadership, new Tesla car models are produced, which are very successful, and SpaceX sets world records. What was the cost of the successful launch of the largest Falcon Heavy launch vehicle in history, the live broadcast of which was watched around the world.
Elon Musk continues to make new plans and is slowly working on their implementation. Some ideas are already working, some are possible only in theory, but Elon does not give up. Among the planned and implemented ideas of a successful entrepreneur:
- The use of SpaceX rockets for ultra-fast flights to different points on the Earth.
- Development of human-friendly artificial intelligence. For this, the company OpenAI was created, which researches AI in order to prevent the uprising of machines. Musk is currently out of the board, but is a shareholder in the company.
- The exchange of information between the human brain and electronic machines. Neuralink, founded by Musk, is working on this goal.
- Creation of underground automobile tunnels (The Boring Company).
- Tesla Truck Manufacturing.
- A network of charging stations for electric cars has been launched.
- Development of the Hyperloop vacuum train system.
- Creation of a network of free satellite Internet.
But the popular sphere of investment in cryptocurrencies has passed away from Elon Musk. If you believe his words, then he has stored 0.25 somewhere, which a friend once sent him. This and all the crypto-currency assets of a great investor.
Will there be life on Mars?
Today, Elon Musk does not slow down at all and constantly comes up with new projects and developments (for example, satellite Internet and underground capsule trains). But his main goal remains the colonization of Mars, in which Elon sincerely believes. According to him, as soon as a large asteroid falls on our planet or a large volcano wakes up, life on Earth will cease. Even the third world war can wipe humanity off the face of the planet, and this is most likely to be expected. Today, Musk's goal is to fly to Mars and create conditions for people to live there. And the American promises to fulfill all this by 2025.
4 reviews for "Elon Musk: how to make money by investing in your dreams?"
Elon Musk dreams and realizes his dreams and this one is great. There are a lot of resources in the world. And the genius of Musk is that he manages to use the resources of the World to realize the Dream. This is available to few. The resources of South Africa, and Canada, and the United States are significant. And so Musk succeeds in a lot. I will be glad if his business success continues. I myself have been a disabled pensioner since 2002 (blood cancer, Chernobyl) and just rejoice at the success of Elon Musk. I wish him success on Earth and in Space!!!
thanks for the information I thought I thought who he is that everyone is talking about him
You are always welcome, mate 😉
Thank you ever so for you post.
Only lazy people do not talk about the outstanding figure of modern technologies and achievements. Elon Musk is a modern genius. His quotes have become winged, his incredible dreams are becoming a reality, and his achievements benefit people today.
What education are you thinking about? Quite often, when people hear this word, they think of university. Elon Musk's education began much earlier. At the age of 3-4 he said: "Where does the world end and begin?". Not every child thinks about such global issues.
His self-education began quite early - at the age of 8 he read all the books from the library, after which he took up the study of Britannica - the oldest English-language universal encyclopedia. It's hard to imagine how you can devote 10 hours a day to reading, but it was Elon's favorite hobby. An amazing photographic memory allowed him to memorize a lot of new information.
After the divorce of his parents, Elon stayed with his father. The boy spent the first years of his life in South Africa. He was a reserved and peculiar boy, for example, Elon Musk behaved like a deaf child in childhood, although he was not. At school, he could not stand up for himself, he was beaten. Once Ilon was thrown down the stairs, his nose was broken. Relationships with peers have never been good. Probably, the divorce affected the boy, who went headlong into hobbies and did not like to communicate.
Ilona was presented with the first computer Commodore VIC-20 at the age of 10. He used it for programming. He mastered the BASIC course, designed for 6 months, in 3 days. The habit of learning new things and understanding them came in handy in this case. This is probably why, at the age of 12, Elon Musk wrote the Blaster game, which he sold for $500.
Elon Musk. New stage
At the age of 14, Ilona is overtaken by an existential crisis, and he reads The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, deciding that his mission is to save humanity. In an effort to avoid being drafted into the South African army and dreaming with all his heart about Canada, Elon emigrates to Canada with his brother. Nobody was waiting for him in the country, so for the first year he was in constant search of work. Elon Musk in his youth even worked at a sawmill for a small pay - $ 18 per hour. He had to make his way through a narrow tunnel, which he barely entered, then throw hot coals, sand and dirt through it. Going anywhere is impossible. It is noteworthy that by the end of the week, out of 30 people working there, only 3 remained, including Musk himself. He took on any job, even completely unrelated to his area of interest.
Elon Musk and the universities where he studied
The last six months spent in South Africa, Elon studied physics at the University of Pretoria. The thirst for knowledge did not subside. When he was in Canada, in Kingston, he decided to study at Queen's University. After that, leaving for the United States, he entered the University of Pennsylvania, where he received two bachelor's degrees at once: in physics from the School of Arts and Sciences and in economics from the Wharton Business School. Later, Elon studied at Stanford, where he planned to get a Ph.D., but dropped out. During that period, the Internet fever was gaining momentum, he decided that the future belongs to the global network, and not to scientific degrees.
Elon Musk. Quotes
Elon Musk's expressions have already become popular. Young people tend to imitate him, his apt phrases inspire: “I did not expect that I could make money. It was enough for me to earn enough to cover the rent and buy some food.” By his example, he shows that our dreams can be much deeper than it seems at first glance. One cannot but agree with the simplicity of his thoughts, which motivates. For example, “Mistakes are not scary. The main thing is to make mistakes every time in something new.
Another quote for inspiration:
"I can either watch it happen or be a part of it."
He proves by personal example that the best way to change the world is to start with yourself. He also has a playful phrase with a deep meaning: "I would like to die on Mars, but not crashing on its surface."
The biography of this person is peculiar and at the same time interesting. It is impossible to remain silent about him. He breaks stereotypes and makes breakthroughs. Read Elon Musk's Twitter and be the first to know about his achievements and breakthroughs
Extraordinary engineer Elon Musk brought each of us a few steps closer to the very future that science fiction writers wrote about.
So when will apple trees bloom on Mars and trains will travel the earth at supersonic speeds?
Tesla electric car
Musk became the man who was able to make such a car the object of desire for millions of drivers around the world. He just has an animal instinct for everything high-tech and advanced. That is why engineer Martin Eberhard (the founding father of Tesla Motors and the author of the business idea) turned to him for help in implementing a project to create an environmentally friendly and stylish car of the future. Turned, I must say, to whom it is necessary!
Photo: pixabay.com Elon Musk invested a lot of money from the sale of PayPal into the creation of the concern - he was just looking for some interesting project for investment.
PayPal is the most popular international payment system in the world. Elon Musk managed to combine his own similar project X.com and PayPal. At the moment, PayPal is the safest electronic way to pay for purchases on the Internet - all personal user data is protected from even the most sophisticated hackers.
In 2002, Musk made almost $200 million after the famous online auction site eBay acquired the service.
Everything instantly spun, spun, and just a few years later, the Tesla Model S became a breakthrough in the automotive industry. A huge panoramic roof, almost 500 kilometers of autonomous travel, crazy speed from the start and, of course, environmental friendliness.
At the end of July this year, a presentation of the new creation of the Tesla Model 3 concern took place. No knobs, buttons and switches - only an incredible touch screen and steering wheel. Just a spaceship, not a car. Experts are confident that the popularization of electric cars and their displacement from the roads of cars with internal combustion engines will “improve” the ecology of our planet. Clean air will become commonplace again.
Reusable launch vehicles and the colonization of Mars
Even 15 years ago, Musk began to realize his childhood dreams - he began to design and build spaceships. His company SpaceX has become a symbol of a new era in space exploration. Just last year, the brainchild of Elon - the Falcon 9 rocket returned from near-Earth orbit back to Earth and sat on a robotic platform in the ocean. Unprecedented event!
In general, when reusable rockets become commonplace, flights into space will become much cheaper, which means only one thing - we will be able to thoroughly study all the planets of the solar system.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is capable of returning to Earth with several tons of cargo on board. In the near future, Musk plans to use this ship, as well as the Dragon V2 manned module and the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, during the first expedition to Mars in human history. Already, the inventor is seriously working on the design of residential modules, space suits, life support devices and other units that will help people live and work on the Red Planet.
Last year, Elon Musk, during his speech at the next congress of the International Astronautical Federation in Mexico, said that he and his colleagues are able to save the Earth from overpopulation. He suggests that the first colonizers may appear on Mars in 50 years. Musk has even come up with a special rocket fuel, the ingredients for which can be extracted from the bowels of the planet that has been attracting people for so many years. In general, his entire project is based on the principles of reusability, and the possibility of refueling ships in space.
Super Train Hyperloop
Well, now from heaven to Earth: it is quite possible that soon we will rush in the futuristic vacuum trains invented by Elon Musk. In general, it is difficult to call this type of transport a train - a capsule with passengers, as conceived by the inventor, will “fly” inside a special vacuum tube. Or maybe powerful magnets will be located there - the exact decision has not yet been made, however, the first tests of the project, which was called Hyperloop (Hyperloop), are already in full swing in the American desert of Nevada.
The accelerating engine of the capsule will, of course, be electric. The most interesting thing is that the "train" will not only consume, but generate electricity. It can be sold, and the proceeds can be spent on the construction of new sections of the vacuum pipeline.
So far, it has not been possible to accelerate the capsule prototype to the 1200 km / h promised by Musk, however, the inventor’s associates are working tirelessly to bring this project to life in the near future.
The cost of building the first section of the pipeline for high-speed travel is $60 billion. The first "trains" as conceived by the creators will connect Los Angeles and San Francisco. Musk himself will not pull such a sum - he hopes for progressive investors. By the way, according to preliminary forecasts, the project should pay off within 20 years.
Home battery
Elon Musk is literally one step away from solving the problem of electricity shortages. Tesla Motors has already released a revolutionary battery to solve the issue of autonomous power supply for a house or apartment. The unit was named Powerwall.
During the day it is charged by solar panels, and at night it powers the refrigerator, split system and other household appliances that work around the clock. Happy Powerwall owners are absolutely not afraid of blackouts. It weighs a whole centner, but it looks very beautiful.
Musk is generally “turned” on the topic of energy saving: he literally hung thousands of buildings in California with solar panels, which are produced by his other company Solarcity. The world will never be the same after the arrival of a man like Elon Reeve Musk.
How did the career of a billionaire, owner of Tesla, SpaceX and SolarCity start and develop?
1971. Born in Pretoria, South Africa. His mother is a Canadian nutritionist and his father is a South African engineer.
1980. Musk's parents are divorcing, and he remains to live with his father in South Africa.
1983. 12-year-old Elon is learning to code on his own. Sells his first Blastar PC game for $500.
From 12 to 15 years old, he experiences an "existential crisis". Reads Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and other gloomy philosophers. It does not help. Later, he is introduced to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, which has a significant impact on him.
"The book taught me that the hardest thing — is to ask the right questions. Once you've done that, everything else is very easy. I came to the conclusion that we should strive to expand the limits of human consciousness in order to learn how to ask the right questions. When I was in college, I constantly thought about what will most affect the fate of mankind in the future."
1988. 17-year-old Musk receives Canadian citizenship and moves to Kingston (Ontario) to live a life separate from his parents.
"I experimented on how to survive on less than $ 1 a day and not get scurvy. For example, I ate spaghetti sauce with green pepper - for vitamins. I found out that if you do not buy a hot dog ready-made, but collect it yourself, it costs 25-30 cents a piece.
1991. Receives bachelor's degrees in economics and bachelor's degrees in physics from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).
1995. Drops out of Stanford University (and loses the opportunity to earn a Ph.D.).
He co-founds Zip2 with his brother, which creates online content publishing software for various news organizations. Signs contracts with New York Times and Chicago Tribune.
Musk did not rent an apartment, but slept in the office. He showered at the local branch of the YMCA charity.
"My brother and I had one computer for two. During the day, the site worked on it, and at night I wrote code. Every day, including weekends."
1998. Sells Zip2 for $400 million in cash.
"I worked from morning to night. I lived in the same warehouse where I rented an office, and I went to the locker rooms of the local stadium to take a shower. But I saved on renting an apartment and kept the company afloat in the first two most difficult years. Work for 80-100 hours per week. This will increase your chances of success."
1999. With the proceeds from the sale of Zip2, he buys a McLaren F1 car (to cut it through Silicon Valley) and establishes the online banking company X.com.
2000. Combines X.com with Confinity, a payment software and cryptography company.
Marries for the first time. His lover's name is Justine.
2001. According to a public opinion poll, people associate the name X.com with porn. Musk renames X.com to PayPal.
2002. After PayPal's initial public offering, eBay buys the company for $1.5 billion.
Musk becomes an American citizen.
Founds SpaceX, a space rocket company. To understand the basics of rocket science, he reads the book "Structures, or Why Things Don't Fall" by the pioneer of biomechanics and materials science J. E. Gordon.
"I collected model rockets as a child, but I never thought that I would work in this field. I am convinced that there is a huge gap between the fascinating fate of humanity, which conquers space, explores the stars and planets, and the fate of humanity, which imprisoned itself on Earth and heading towards certain death.
2004. Elon Musk invests $7 million in electric car company Tesla Motors and becomes its chairman.
“Tesla’s strategy has three phases,” explains Musk. “First, we launch the first model in a limited edition, an expensive car. Then, a mid-price model with a medium batch. And finally, a third model, a car at an affordable price, in a large batch.”
2005. Signs a contract with automaker Lotus to design Tesla's first car.
2006. Presents the Tesla Roadster, a $100,000 "stage one" electric car. Tesla Roadster is capable of accelerating to 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds. The maximum speed is forcibly limited to 200 km/h. The battery charge is enough for 300-400 km. Fully charging the batteries takes 3.5 hours.
Serial production of the Tesla Roadster will begin in 2008.
Founds SolarCity, which specializes in the supply of energy services. In particular, the company develops, finances and installs solar energy systems. It also builds charging stations for electric cars. One of the main partners of SolarCity is Google.
"Honestly, I'm sure that solar energy will triumph over other sources of energy, including natural gas. It has to happen. Otherwise, we are doomed."
Conducts a failed launch of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle. Such failures will befall the Falcon 1 5 more times.
2008. Tesla and SpaceX are on the verge of bankruptcy.
“We were very close to collapse, but we managed to overcome the black streak in 2008. The goal of SpaceX is to develop space technologies. In particular, try to answer the pressing question facing humanity: “How to make space travel possible?”. In other words, how to create a rocket suitable for frequent, repeated operation?
Esquire magazine lists Elon Musk as one of the most influential people of the 21st century.
He divorces Justine after 8 years of marriage. They have five sons, twins and triplets.
2010. SpaceX is conducting a demonstration launch of the Falcon 9 expendable launch vehicle, which puts the Dragon private cargo spacecraft into orbit as part of the International Space Station resupply program.
Starring in the blockbuster "Iron Man 2" as Tony Stark's friend. Film director Jon Favreau says that Elon Musk is the prototype of Iron Man.
Marries British actress Talulah Riley ("Pride and Prejudice", "Inception").
2011. Receives the Heinlein Prize "for achievements in the commercialization of space".
Forbes lists Musk as one of the most influential CEOs under 40.
2012. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft docks with the International Space Station. For the first time in history, a commercial rocket company is partnering with the ISS.
Launches the Tesla Model S, a five-door "stage two" liftback. In 2015, Musk will lower its cost to $70,000 and allow for an additional fee to install an autopilot, smart air suspension or upgrade speed.
2013. As a result of sales, Tesla becomes the third most popular business class car in California, behind only the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7 Series. In addition, the electric car is sold very successfully in Norway.
Motor Trend Magazine named the Tesla Model S "Car of the Year 2012".
In response to US government plans to build a high-speed rail that will connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2029, Musk presents the Hyperloop project (a vacuum train that travels faster than the speed of sound) and releases a 57-page document outlining the plans to the public. its creation so that others can continue to develop the concept.
As a result of this research, hyperloop one (not owned by Musk) will unveil the first experimental 800-meter track for special magnetic levitation capsule trains in May 2016 in Las Vegas. Hyperloop One promises to deliver "from Helsinki to Stockholm in 30 minutes" (a distance of almost 500 km). It is expected that the speed of transport of the future will be at least 1,223 km/h, and even higher over time.
2014. The SC Dragon launch vehicle delivers 2,200 kg of payload to the ISS and returns a 1,600 kg payload to Earth, which includes the results of scientific experiments.
Files for divorce from Talulah Riley.
Founds an experimental Ad Astra school with only 20 students: his own children and the children of SpaceX employees. There is no division into classes at school, but they teach there, according to Elon Musk, "how to solve the problems themselves, and not learn the tools for solving problems."
2015. Tesla introduces the Powerwall home battery, which offers independence from the electrical grid. It weighs 100 kg, is wall-mounted and stores 10 kWh of electricity.
“Energy supply used to be a monopoly, people had no choice. Now, for the first time, you can say that monopolists have competitors. Before the power lines belonged to electric companies, and now electricity is on the roof of your house. I think this empowers homeowners and businesses. I I'm sure that solar energy will make up a decent part of the energy in the US. I think it will happen in less than 20 years. I even made a bet."
SpaceX is successfully testing the ejection system for the Dragon V2 Capsule passenger spacecraft. On board was a dummy equipped with 270 sensors, microphones and video cameras - they transmitted data on the loads that future flight participants would have to experience.
Dragon V2 Сapsule from 2017 will deliver astronauts to the ISS.
In the fall, Tesla launches its first crossover, the Model X, which has been delayed for two years. INModel X seats seven people, and thanks to special rear doors that open up and are called "falcon wings", passengers can easily open the doors even with a minimum distance between cars. The Model X is priced at $132,000.
2016.
April.
Musk presents the Tesla 3 budget model, the approximate cost of which is $ 35,000. Everything turned out as he planned in 2006: build a sports car and use the money from its sale to make an affordable car. At the presentation, he thanks Model S and Model X buyers for providing the company with the money to develop the Tesla 3.
The new car accelerates to hundreds of kilometers in 6 seconds, but its variations can be faster. Tesla 3 can travel up to 346 km on a single charge, it also has an autopilot function. Sales will start in 2017.
May.
SpaceX successfully launches a Falcon 9 rocket, delivering supplies and an inflatable module to the ISS. But most importantly, after numerous failed attempts in the past, she managed to return the first stage of the ship without damage, landing it on an offshore platform.
The success of the Falcon 9 indicates that the rocket can be used more than once. Musk says that Falcon 9 with the same stage can be launched 10-20 times, and this will significantly reduce cash costs and thus make space flight more affordable.
Tesla Motors has updated the coverage map of electric stations around the world, according to which two new points will appear in Ukraine in 2016.
“Even if a zombie apocalypse happens,” says Elon Musk, “you can still travel thanks to gas stations and the Tesla Supercharging system.”
June.
Elon Musk announces plans to merge Tesla Motors and SolarCity. In the first, he is the CEO, and in the second, he is the head of the board of directors. Shareholders of the solar company will receive $2.8 billion worth of Tesla shares, he said, and Tesla customers will get the opportunity to buy an electric car, a home battery and solar panels in one place.
Theorizes that we are all living in a simulation. "The strongest argument" he calls the rapid development of computer games, from the simplest Pong to modern developments in virtual and augmented reality.
"We are on the way to making games indistinguishable from reality and at the same time be able to run on any console, computer, any device. And while there are billions of such devices, it seems logical to assume: the chances that we ourselves are in objective reality one in a billion."
According to Musk, all civilizations must sooner or later come to the creation of a virtual world, otherwise they are threatened with extinction.
Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur and engineer. He took part in the creation of the PayPal payment system, which was sold to EBay for $1.5 billion in 2002. He heads the board of directors of SolarCity and Tesla Motors. According to Forbes, Musk is worth $2.4 billion.
short biography
Musk was born in Pretoria in 1971. The place where Elon Musk was born is an administratively developed scientific city. There lived his father, an engineer, and his mother, a former Canadian model who later worked as a nutritionist. The family had three children.
At the age of 10, Musk was given his first computer, and at the age of 12 he was selling his first game for $500. The teenager invests the money received in a pharmaceutical company, which he followed in the newspapers. He later sold the shares for several thousand dollars. At the age of 17, with this money, Musk moves to Canada, where he learns what poverty is. For example, he tried to live on $1 a day without getting an upset stomach.
In 1992, Musk moved to the United States and entered the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied physics and business. He writes his doctorate at Stanford University, but does not attend lectures. Together with fellow students, the future entrepreneur founded the company Zip2. In 1999, it was bought out by Compaq Computer for $307 million, of which Musk receives $20 million. With them, he buys a McLaren F1 aircraft and moves into a condominium.
Solar power plant for everyone
Elon Musk, whose biography is full of amazing events, founded X.com in 1999. In 2001, the company was renamed PayPal, which was sold a year later for $1.5 billion. The entrepreneur owned 11.7% of the shares.
In 2006, Musk opened SolarCity, a company that he still owns and engineers. The company is engaged in the installation of small power plants for personal use on the roofs of houses and companies. However, the main idea is not to create power plants on their own, but to rent them out on a long-term lease. The client can calculate the benefits from using such a power plant and receives a personal solar power plant almost free of charge. Buyers, as a rule, are ordinary Americans.
Elon Musk, whose biography contains both ups and downs, hit the mark with an innovative idea. Today the company is growing faster than its competitors. It has more than 30 operations centers in the US, a new customer every five minutes, and a huge queue of those who want to use solar energy. SolarCity has already installed such panels in several tens of thousands of buildings and is considered the largest company in this segment.
The Path to Mars Colonization
Elon Musk, whose biography teaches not to give up, opens the SpaceX rocket company in 2002, the main goal of which is to reduce the cost of space flights and the company has already developed several space rockets and the Dragon spacecraft.
In 2010, Dragon was the first spacecraft to successfully launch, orbit, and return. Later, in 2015, it became the first spacecraft docked to the International Space Station.
In 2006, the company won the NASA competition for the delivery of cargo to space stations and received a prize fund of $278 million. Five successful flights have already been completed so far.
Other achievements and awards
In 2010, Tesla Motors, which had never shown a profit since its founding, was placed for public sale. However, the offer was so successful that on the first day of trading, the share price soared by 41%. Forbes named them the top earning stocks of the year.
Many awards have been given for what Elon Musk invented. In 2008, Musk was named one of the 75 Most Influential People of the Year by Esquire magazine. In 2011 he received the Heinlein Prize for outstanding achievements in the commercialization of space. That same year, Forbes added him to the list of the 20 Most Influential Young Executives.
Elon Musk is the second businessman to create three companies worth more than $1 billion. Many have tried to replicate this success. It seems that the entrepreneur lives by different rules. However, the businessman does not hide the fact that there are a few simple points that he follows.
Ask the Right Questions
As a teenager, Musk read a lot of philosophical and religious literature. However, his biggest influence was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. According to the entrepreneur, he realized that you need to ask the right questions. When Musk entered college, he thought about exactly how he wanted to influence the fate of mankind. There he decided that he would be engaged in the resettlement of people from Earth to other planets. The businessman decided that he would do his best to contribute to this industry. And started looking for money.
Dissect reality
Elon Musk, whose biography teaches not to be like everyone else, believes that innovation is hindered by the ability of people to think in analogies. Therefore, they do not create a new one, but try to improve the existing one. The entrepreneur believes that it is necessary to dissect reality to the ground and create something fundamentally different.
For example, space seems out of reach for business. It takes a huge budget to develop it. However, Musk is confident that costs can be greatly reduced if a new goal of flights is set. So he founded SpaceX, whose goal is colonization. The businessman says that if you need to move the population of the Earth to another planet, you need to do it economically.
I don't think he's lying, but I don't believe him
In 2012, Musk expressed his belief that in a few decades all cars will be electric. He began to work in this direction and in 2008 produced the first electric car that went into mass production. Analysts, however, are skeptical about Musk's statement, which does not bother the entrepreneur at all.
Musk is often compared to Steve Jobs. The latter used the term "reality distortion field" to convince himself and others that the impossible is possible. Musk's colleagues assure that he selects the facts so that they correspond to his reality. Many say that the entrepreneur does not seem to be lying, but it is impossible to believe him.
His Tesla Motors company often found itself on the verge of bankruptcy, although Elon Musk achieved admirable success in business. The biography of Tesla, the creator, shows that the entrepreneur tried in every way to keep the company afloat. Everything got better over time. According to the businessman, the world is too dependent on oil. This leads to climate change, and Musk believes that the use of electricity will correct the situation.
One of the company's achievements is Gemeral Motors' decision to build the Chevy Volt. This is a small car with electric charging capability. In electric vehicle mode, it can travel 65 km. During the release, 33 thousand people signed up to buy this car.
Elon Musk, whose photos are always cheerful, has become successful, embodying ideas that are crazy at first glance. He not only became independent and provided for his family, but also went down in history. The entrepreneur seeks to change lives for the better and works on projects that can save humanity in the future.
However, at the moment he is pleased that with his help there have been many changes in the field of energy, automotive and rocket science.
Musk even acted in films. In 2008, the film "Iron Man" was released, the prototype of which was Elon Musk. Later, in 2013, he had a small role in Machete Kills, but his name is not in the credits. He also played himself in episode 9 of season 9 of The Big Bang Theory.
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