Elon Musk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

Elon Musk

FRS

Musk at the Royal Society admissions day in London, July 2018

Born Elon Reeve Musk

June 28, 1971 (age 49)

Pretoria, South Africa

Citizenship South Africa (1971–present)

Canada (1971–present)

United States (2002–present)

Education Queen's University

(no degree)
 University of Pennsylvania

(BS and BA, 1997)

Entrepreneur
Occupation
Industrial designer

Engineer

Years active 1995–present

Net worth  US$ 209 billion (January 2021)[1]

Title Founder, CEO, lead designer of SpaceX

CEO, product architect of Tesla, Inc.

Founder of The Boring

Company and X.com (now PayPal)
Co-founder of Neuralink, OpenAI, and Zip2

Chairman of SolarCity
Justine Wilson
Spouse(s)

(m. 2000; div. 2008)

Talulah Riley

(m. 2010; div. 2012)

(m. 2013; div. 2016)

Partner(s) Grimes (2018–present)

Children 7[a]

Parents Errol Musk (father)

Maye Musk (mother)

Relatives Kimbal Musk (brother)

Tosca Musk (sister)

Lyndon Rive (cousin)

Signature
Elon Reeve Musk FRS (/ˈiːlɒn/ EE-lon; born June 28, 1971) is a business
magnate, industrial designer and engineer.[3] He is the founder, CEO, CTO and chief
designer of SpaceX; early investor,[b] CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; founder
of The Boring Company; co-founder of Neuralink; and co-founder and initial co-
chairman of OpenAI. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018.[6]
[7]
 Also that year, he was ranked 25th on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful
People,[8] and was ranked joint-first on the Forbes list of the Most Innovative Leaders of
2019.[9] A centi-billionaire,[10] Musk became the richest person in the world, for a week, in
January 2021.[11]
Musk was born to a Canadian mother and South African father and raised in Pretoria,
South Africa. He briefly attended the University of Pretoria before moving to Canada
when he was 17 to attend Queen's University. He transferred to the University of
Pennsylvania two years later, where he received dual bachelor's degrees in economics
and physics. He moved to California in 1995 to begin a Ph.D. in applied physics and
material sciences at Stanford University, but dropped out after two days to pursue a
business career. He co-founded Zip2, a web software company, which was acquired
by Compaq for $307 million in 1999. Musk then founded X.com, an online bank. It
merged with Confinity in 2000, which had launched PayPal the previous year and was
subsequently bought by eBay for $1.5 billion in October 2002.
In May 2002, Musk founded SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transport
services company, of which he is CEO and lead designer. He joined Tesla Motors, Inc.
(now Tesla, Inc.), an electric vehicle manufacturer, in 2004, the year after it was
founded, becoming its product architect that year and its CEO in 2008. In 2006, he
helped create SolarCity, a solar energy services company (now a subsidiary of Tesla).
In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI, a nonprofit research company that aims to
promote friendly artificial intelligence. In July 2016, he co-founded Neuralink,
a neurotechnology company focused on developing brain–computer interfaces. In
December 2016, Musk founded The Boring Company, an infrastructure and tunnel
construction company focused on tunnels optimized for electric vehicles. In addition to
his primary business pursuits, he envisioned an open-source high-speed transportation
system known as the Hyperloop based on the concept of a vactrain.
Musk has also been the subject of criticism due to unorthodox or unscientific stances
and highly publicized controversies. Following the rejection of a prototype submarine
from Tesla that Musk had offered to be used in the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, he
insulted a diver who advised in the rescue and disparaged the prototype and in
response the diver sued for defamation; a California jury ruled in favor of Musk. Also in
2018, he falsely tweeted that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla at
$420 a share. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued him for the
comment. He settled with the SEC, temporarily stepping down from his chairmanship
and accepting limitations on his Twitter usage. Musk has received substantial criticism
for his views on artificial intelligence, public transportation, and the COVID-19
pandemic.

Contents
 1Early life
o 1.1Childhood and family
o 1.2Education
 2Business career
o 2.1Zip2
o 2.2X.com and PayPal
o 2.3SpaceX
 2.3.1Mars Oasis and the founding of SpaceX
 2.3.2Flights to ISS and collaboration with NASA
 2.3.3Starlink and further progress
 2.3.4Long-term goals
o 2.4Tesla
 2.4.1Origins and master plan part one
 2.4.2Product line expansion and master plan part two
 2.4.3SEC lawsuit
 2.4.4Gigafactory Shanghai, Cybertruck
 2.4.5Ownership of Tesla
o 2.5SolarCity
o 2.6Neuralink
o 2.7The Boring Company
 3Other efforts
o 3.1Hyperloop
o 3.2OpenAI
o 3.3Tham Luang cave rescue and defamation case
 3.3.1Device viability and backlash
o 3.42018 Joe Rogan podcast appearance
o 3.5Music ventures
 4Views
o 4.1Politics
 4.1.1Political parties and the US in general
 4.1.2President Trump and support of 2020 presidential candidates
 4.1.3Short-selling and subsidies
o 4.2Pronouns
o 4.3Artificial intelligence
o 4.4Public transport
o 4.5COVID-19 pandemic
 5Personal life
o 5.1Family, relationships, and residence
o 5.2Philanthropy
 6In popular culture
 7See also
 8Notes and references
o 8.1Notes
o 8.2References and citations
o 8.3Works cited
 9Further reading
 10External links
Early life
Childhood and family
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa.[12]
[13]
 His mother is Maye Musk (née Haldeman), a model and dietitian born
in Saskatchewan, Canada,[14][15][16] but raised in South Africa. His father is Errol Musk, a
South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, and property
developer.[17] He has a younger brother who was an early business partner, Kimbal (born
1972), and a younger sister, Tosca (born 1974), the CEO of the video streaming
site Passionflix.[16][18][22] His maternal grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was an American-
born Canadian.[23] His paternal grandmother had both British and Pennsylvania
Dutch ancestry.[24][25]
After his parents divorced in 1980, Musk lived mostly with his father in the suburbs of
Pretoria,[24] a choice he made two years after the divorce and subsequently regretted.
[26]
 Musk has become estranged from his father, whom he has described as "a terrible
human being... Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done." [26] He
also has a half-sister and a half-brother on his father's side. [27][28]

Musk graduated from Pretoria Boys High School in South Africa.

At the age of 10, he developed an interest in computing while using the Commodore

VIC-20.[29] He learned computer programming using a manual and, by age 12, sold the
code of a BASIC-based video game he created called Blastar to PC and Office
Technology magazine for approximately $500.[30][31] An awkward and introverted child,
[32]
 Musk was severely bullied throughout his childhood and was once hospitalized after a
group of boys threw him down a flight of stairs.[26][33] He attended Waterkloof House
Preparatory School and Bryanston High School before graduating from Pretoria Boys
High School.[34]
Although his father insisted that he attend college in Pretoria, Musk became determined
to move to the United States, saying, "I remember thinking and seeing that America is
where great things are possible, more than any other country in the world." [35] Aware that
it would be easier to enter the United States from Canada, [36][37] he applied for a Canadian
passport through his Canadian-born mother.[37][38]
Education
While awaiting Canadian documentation, Musk attended the University of Pretoria for
five months. This allowed Musk to avoid mandatory service in the South African military.
[39]
 Arriving in Canada in June 1989, Musk failed to locate his great-uncle in Montreal and
instead stayed at a youth hostel. He then traveled west to live with a second-cousin
in Saskatchewan.[40] He stayed there for a year, working odd jobs at a farm and lumber-
mill.[41] In 1990, Musk entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.[42][43] Two years
later, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania; he graduated in 1997 with
a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in economics from the Wharton School and
a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in physics.[44][45][46]
In 1994, Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley during the summer: at an energy
storage start-up called Pinnacle Research Institute, which researched
electrolytic ultracapacitors for energy storage, and at the Palo Alto-based start-up
Rocket Science Games.[47] Bruce Leak, the former lead engineer behind
Apple's QuickTime who had hired Musk, noted: "He had boundless energy. Kids these
days have no idea about hardware or how stuff works, but he had a PC hacker
background and was not afraid to just go figure things out." [48] In 1995, Musk was
accepted to a Ph.D. program in energy physics/materials science at Stanford
University in California.[49] Musk attempted to get a job at Netscape, but he says that he
never received a response to his job inquiries.[37] He dropped out of Stanford after two
days, deciding instead to join the Internet boom and launch an internet startup.[50]

Business career
Zip2
Main article: Zip2

External video

 Musk speaks of his early business

experience during a 2014 commencement

speech at USC on YouTube

In 1995, Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri founded web software
company Zip2 with money raised from a small group of angel investors.[26] They housed
the venture at a small rented office in Palo Alto. [51] The company developed and
marketed an internet city guide for the newspaper publishing industry, with maps,
directions, and yellow pages.[52] Before the company became successful, Musk says he
could not afford an apartment, instead sleeping on the office couch and showering at
the YMCA. Furthermore, he says they could only afford one computer, and
consequently, according to Musk, "The website was up during the day and I was coding
it at night, seven days a week, all the time." [51]
Their efforts materialized when the Musk brothers obtained contracts with The New
York Times and the Chicago Tribune,[53] and persuaded the board of directors to
abandon plans for a merger with CitySearch.[54] Musk's attempts to become CEO were
thwarted by the board.[55] Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash[56] in February
1999.[57] Musk received $22 million for his 7 percent share from the sale. [58][53]
X.com and PayPal
Main articles: PayPal and X.com
In March 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-
mail payment company, with $10 million from the sale of Zip2. [53][54] One year later, the
company merged with Confinity,[51][59] which had a money-transfer service called PayPal.
[53]
 The merged company focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal in
2001.[60] Musk was ousted in October 2000 from his role as CEO (although he remained
on the board) due to disagreements with other company executives over his desire to
move PayPal's Unix-based infrastructure to a Microsoft one.[61] In October 2002, PayPal
was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, of which Musk received $165 million.
[62]
 Before its sale, Musk, who was the company's largest shareholder, owned 11.7% of
PayPal's shares.[63][64]
In 2017, Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount,
explaining that it had sentimental value to him. [65][66]
SpaceX
Main article: SpaceX
Mars Oasis and the founding of SpaceX
See also: History of SpaceX
In 2001, Musk conceived Mars Oasis, in which a miniature greenhouse on Mars would
grow food crops and reawaken public interest in space exploration. [67][68] In October 2001,
Musk traveled with a group to Moscow to buy refurbished Dnepr Intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBMs) that could send the greenhouse payloads into space. He met with
companies such as NPO Lavochkin and Kosmotras; however, Musk was seen as a
novice and was even spat on by one of the Russian chief designers. [69] The group
returned to the United States empty-handed. In February 2002, the group returned to
Russia to look for three ICBMs. They had another meeting with Kosmotras and were
offered one rocket for $8 million, which Musk rejected. Musk instead decided to start a
company that could build affordable rockets. [69]
With $100 million of his early fortune,[70] Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies
Corp., traded as SpaceX, in May 2002.[71]
Flights to ISS and collaboration with NASA

Musk and President Barack Obama at the Falcon 9 launch site in 2010

In 2006, NASA announced that the company was one of two selected to provide crew
and cargo resupply demonstration contracts to the International Space Station (ISS),
[72]
 followed by a $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services program contract on
December 23, 2008, for 12 flights of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the
Space Station, replacing the US Space Shuttle after it retired in 2011.[73][citation needed] On May
25, 2012, the SpaceX Dragon vehicle berthed with the ISS, making history as the first
commercial company to launch and berth a vehicle to the International Space Station.[74]
Starting in 2011, SpaceX received funding under NASA's Commercial Crew
Development program to develop the Dragon 2 crew capsule.[75] A contract to provide
crew flights to the ISS was awarded in 2014. [76][77]
Working towards its goal of reusable rockets, in December 2015, SpaceX successfully
landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back near the launch pad, the first time this
had been achieved by an orbital rocket.[78] Landings were later achieved on
an autonomous spaceport drone ship, an ocean-based recovery platform.[79] Starting in
2017 boosters were reflown on further missions,[80] with booster reuse becoming more
common than new boosters from 2018 on. [81]
On February 6, 2018, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in
operation and the rocket with the fifth-highest thrust ever built (after N1, Saturn
V, Energia and the Space Shuttle).[82] The inaugural mission carried a Tesla Roadster
belonging to Musk as a dummy payload.[83][84]
Starlink and further progress
SpaceX began development of the Starlink constellation of low Earth orbit satellites in
2015 to provide satellite Internet access, with the first two prototype satellites launched
in February 2018. A second set of test satellites and the first large deployment of a
piece of the constellation occurred in May 2019, when the first 60 operational satellites
were launched.[85][86] The total cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy
the constellation is estimated by SpaceX to be about $10 billion, [87] including nearly $900
million in Federal Communications Commission subsidies.[88][89]

SpaceX DM-1 preflight. Musk (furthest left) with members of NASA, March 2019
Musk explains the planned capabilities of Starship to NORAD and Air Force Space Command in April 2019

In late 2017, SpaceX unveiled the design for its next-generation launch vehicle and
spacecraft system, Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), that would support all SpaceX launch
service provider capabilities with a single set of very large vehicles: Earth-orbit, Lunar-
orbit, interplanetary missions, and even intercontinental passenger transport on Earth,
and totally replace the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon vehicles in the 2020s.
Starship will have a 9-meter (30 ft) core diameter. Significant development on the
vehicles began in 2017, with an initial prototype unveiled in September 2019, [90] while the
new rocket engine (Raptor) development began in 2012,[91][92] with a first test flight
performed in August 2019.[93][better  source  needed]
In a September 2018 announcement of a planned 2023 lunar circumnavigation mission,
a private flight called #dearMoon project,[94] Musk showed a redesigned concept for the
BFR second stage and spaceship with three rear fins and two front canard fins added
for atmospheric entry, replacing the previous delta wing and split flaps shown a year
earlier. The revised BFR design was to use seven identically-sized Raptor engines in
the second stage; the same engine model as would be used on the first stage. The
second stage design had two small actuating canard fins near the nose of the ship, and
three large fins at the base, two of which would actuate, with all three serving as landing
legs.[95] The two major parts of the re-designed BFR were given descriptive names in
November: "Starship" for the upper stage[c] and "Super Heavy" for the booster stage.
[96]
 As of October 2020, Musk was spending most of his time at the company's Boca
Chica launch site leading the engineering work on Starship development. [97]
In May 2020, SpaceX launched its first manned flight, the Demo-2, becoming the first
private company to both place a person into orbit and dock a crewed space-craft with
the ISS.[98] Furthermore, it marked the first time an American astronaut was launched
from American soil on an American rocket since the end of the Space Shuttle program.
[99]

Long-term goals
SpaceX's goal is to reduce the cost of human spaceflight by a factor of 10.[100] In a 2011
interview, Musk said he hopes to send humans to Mars' surface within 10–20 years.
[101]
 In Ashlee Vance's biography, Musk stated that he wants to establish a Mars colony
by 2040, with a population of 80,000 humans. [29] Musk stated that, since Mars'
atmosphere lacks oxygen, all transportation would have to be electric (electric cars,
electric trains, Hyperloop, electric aircraft). [102] Musk stated in June 2016 that the first
unmanned flight of the larger Interplanetary Spaceship was aimed for departure to the
red planet in 2022, to be followed by the first manned ITS Mars flight departing in 2024.
[103]
 In September 2016, Musk revealed details of his architecture to explore and colonize
Mars.[104]
Tesla
Main article: Tesla, Inc.
Origins and master plan part one

Musk observing an assembly demo at the reopening of the NUMMI plant, now known as the Tesla Factory in
2010

Tesla, Inc. (originally Tesla Motors) was incorporated in July 2003 by Martin
Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who financed the company until the Series A round of
funding.[105] Both men played active roles in the company's early development prior to
Musk's involvement.[106] Musk led the Series A round of investment in February 2004,
joining Tesla's board of directors as its chairman. [107][108][109][110] According to Musk, all three,
along with J. B. Straubel, were inspired by the earlier AC Propulsion tzero electric
roadster prototype.[111] Musk took an active role within the company and oversaw
Roadster product design at a detailed level, but was not deeply involved in day-to-day
business operations.[112] Following the financial crisis in 2008 and after a series of
escalating conflicts in 2007, Eberhard was ousted from the firm. [113][114] Musk assumed
leadership of the company as CEO and product architect in 2008, positions he still holds
today. As of 2019, Elon Musk is the longest tenured CEO of any automotive
manufacturer globally.[115]
Tesla Motors first built an electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster, in 2008, with sales of
about 2,500 vehicles to 31 countries, which was the first serial production all-electric car
to use lithium-ion battery cells.[116] Tesla began delivery of its four-door Model S sedan in
June 2012. Although it unveiled its third product, the Model X, in February 2012, the
launch was delayed until September 2015.[117][118][119] In addition to its own cars, Tesla sold
electric powertrain systems to Daimler (for the Smart EV, Mercedes B-Class Electric
Drive and Mercedes A Class), and to Toyota (for the RAV4 EV). Musk was able to bring
in both Daimler and Toyota as long-term investors in Tesla. [120]

Musk standing in front of a Tesla Model S in 2011

Product line expansion and master plan part two

Musk favored building a more affordable Tesla model; this led to the Model 3 which was
unveiled in 2016 with a planned base price of $35,000. [citation needed] Initial deliveries began in
2017, with the $35,000 base model becoming available in February 2019. [121][122] As of
March 2020, the Tesla Model 3 is the world's best-selling electric car, with more than
500,000 units delivered.[123] Musk originally intended to name the Model 3 the Model E
but was blocked by Ford which held the trademark, with Musk concluding that "Ford
was killing SEX".[124][125][126]
In 2014, Musk announced that Tesla would allow its technology patents to be used by
anyone in good faith in a bid to entice automobile manufacturers to speed up the
development of electric cars.[127]
Musk with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in San Jose, California in 2015

Anticipating that the global lithium-ion battery supply was insufficient for their planned
electric car output, a lithium-ion battery factory that would more than double existing
global output was planned.[128] In July 2016, the first phase of Gigafactory 1, a lithium-ion
battery and electric vehicle subassembly factory, was officially opened near Reno,
Nevada, by Tesla in partnership with Panasonic. [129][130] As of May 2020, Gigafactory 1
produces 35 GWh/year of batteries.[131]
In July 2016, Tesla began developing Autopilot, their advanced driver-assistance
system, in-house after Mobileye ended its partnership with Tesla, citing safety concerns
following a fatal crash in which the driver of a Model S using Autopilot was killed. [132][133][134]
In September 2017, Musk arranged a contract with the government of South
Australia for Tesla Energy to install the Hornsdale power reserve (which was then the
world's largest lithium ion battery pack) to help alleviate energy blackouts in the state.
The terms included a guarantee that it would be installed in 100 days or would be free.
[135]
 This deadline was achieved[136] and the resulting battery exceeded expected
performance and returns,[137] despite skepticism from Australian federal politicians. [138][139]
SEC lawsuit
In September 2018, Musk was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission for a tweet claiming that funding had been secured for potentially taking
Tesla private[140] (at a price of $420 a share, an alleged reference to marijuana [141]). The
lawsuit claimed that verbal discussions Musk held with foreign investors in July 2018 did
not confirm key deal terms[142] and thus characterized the tweet as false, misleading, and
damaging to investors, and sought to bar Musk from serving as CEO of publicly traded
companies.[140][143] Musk called the allegations unjustified and that he had never
compromised his integrity.[144] Two days later, Musk settled with the SEC, without
admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. As a result, Musk and Tesla were fined $20
million each, and Musk was forced to step down for three years as Tesla chairman but
was able to remain as CEO.[145]
Musk has stated in interviews that he does not regret the tweet that triggered the SEC
investigation.[146][147][148] On February 19, 2019, Musk stated in a tweet that Tesla would
build half a million cars in 2019.[149] The SEC reacted to Musk's tweet by filing in court,
initially asking the court to hold him in contempt for violating the terms of a settlement
agreement with such a tweet, which was disputed by Musk. This was eventually settled
by a joint agreement between Musk and the SEC clarifying the previous agreement
details.[150] The agreement included a list of topics that Musk would need preclearance
before tweeting about.[151] In May 2020, a judge prevented a lawsuit from proceeding that
claimed a May 1 tweet by Musk regarding Tesla stock price ("too high imo") violated the
agreement.[152][153]
Gigafactory Shanghai, Cybertruck
In January 2019, Musk traveled to China for the groundbreaking of Tesla's Shanghai
Gigafactory, the company's first large-scale plant outside the U.S. [154] In November 2019,
Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck, an all-electric pickup truck.[155][156] The Cybertruck is
slated to start commercial production in late 2021. [157]
Ownership of Tesla
As of January 29, 2016, Musk owned about 28.9 million Tesla shares, which equated to
about 22% of the company.[158][159] In January 2018, Musk was granted an option to buy up
to 20.3 million shares if Tesla's market value were to rise to $650 billion. Majority
shareholder approval for this package was approved in March 2018. [160] The grant was
also meant to end speculation about Musk's potential departure from Tesla to devote
more time to his other business ventures.[161] A report by advisory firm Glass Lewis & Co.
to its clients argued against granting the options. [162] As of December 31, 2019, Musk
owns 38,658,670 shares or 20.8% of all Tesla shares. [163]
SolarCity
Main article: SolarCity
SolarCity solar-panel installation vans in 2009

Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which his
cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive co-founded in 2006.[164][165] By 2013, SolarCity was the
second largest provider of solar power systems in the United States. [166] In 2012, Musk
announced that SolarCity and Tesla would collaborate to use electric vehicle batteries
to smooth the impact of rooftop solar on the power grid, with the program going live in
2013.[167]
In June 2014, Musk committed to building a SolarCity advanced production facility in
Buffalo, New York, that would triple the size of the largest solar plant in the United
States. Musk stated the plant will be "one of the single largest solar panel production
plants in the world," and it will be followed by one or more even bigger facilities in
subsequent years.[168] The Tesla Gigafactory 2 is a photovoltaic (PV) cell factory, leased
by Tesla subsidiary SolarCity in Buffalo, New York. Construction on the factory started
in 2014 and was completed in 2017.[169] Tesla accepted $750 million in public funds from
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of the Buffalo Billion project—a plan to
invest money to help the economy of the Buffalo, New York area—to build the factory
and infrastructure.[170] The factory was operated as a joint venture with Panasonic until
early 2020.[171]
Tesla acquired SolarCity for over $2 billion in 2016 and converted it into its solar
division; the announcement of the deal resulted in a more than 10% drop in Tesla's
stock price. At the time, SolarCity was facing liquidity issues; however, Tesla
shareholders were not informed.[172] Consequently, multiple shareholder groups have
filed a lawsuit against Musk and Tesla's directors, claiming that the purchase of
SolarCity was done solely to benefit Musk and came at the expense of Tesla and its
shareholders.[173][174] During a June 2019 court deposition, Musk acknowledged that the
company reallocated every possible employee from the solar division to work on the
Model 3, and, according to Musk, "as a result, solar suffered." This had not previously
been disclosed to shareholders. Court documents unsealed in 2019 have confirmed that
Musk was also aware of the company's liquidity issues. [172] Tesla directors settled the
lawsuit in January 2020, leaving Musk the sole remaining defendant. [175][176]
Neuralink
Main article: Neuralink
Musk discussing a Neuralink device during a live demonstration in August 2020

In 2016, Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology start-up company to integrate

the human brain with artificial intelligence. The company is centered on creating devices
that can be implanted in the human brain, with the eventual purpose of helping human
beings merge with software and keep pace with advancements in artificial intelligence.
These enhancements could improve memory or allow more direct interfacing with
computing devices.[177][178]
At a live demonstration in August 2020, Musk described one of their early devices as "a
Fitbit in your skull" which could soon cure paralysis, deafness, blindness, and other
disabilities. Many neuroscientists and publications criticized these claims. [179][180][181] For
example, MIT Technology Review described them as "highly speculative" and
"neuroscience theater".[179]
The Boring Company
Main article: The Boring Company

Elon Musk during the 2018 inauguration of the test tunnel in Hawthorne, California

On December 17, 2016, while stuck in traffic, Musk tweeted "[I] am going to build a
tunnel boring machine and just start digging ..." He then founded 'The Boring Company'
(TBC).[182] On January 21, 2017, Musk tweeted "Exciting progress on the tunnel front.
Plan to start digging in a month or so."[183] Discussions with regulatory bodies began in
January 2017.[184]
In February 2017, the company began digging a 30-foot (9.1 m) wide, 50-foot (15 m)
long, and 15-foot (4.6 m) deep "test trench" on the premises of Space X's offices in Los
Angeles, since the construction requires no permits. [185][186] A tunnel beneath the Las
Vegas Convention Center was completed in early 2020. Local officials have approved
further expansions of the tunnel system.[187]
As a merchandising and publicity stunt, Musk said TBC sold 2,000 "flamethrowers" in
2018,[188][189] allegedly inspired by the Mel Brooks-directed film Spaceballs (1987).[190][191]
Other efforts
Hyperloop
Main articles: Hyperloop and Hyperloop pod competition
On August 12, 2013, Musk unveiled a concept for a high-speed transportation system
incorporating reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on an air
cushion driven by linear induction motors and air compressors.[192] The alpha design for
the system was published in a whitepaper posted to the Tesla and SpaceX blogs. [193][194]
[195]
 The document scoped out the technology and outlined a notional route where such a
transport system might be built: between the Greater Los Angeles Area and the San
Francisco Bay Area,[196] at an estimated total cost of $6 billion.[197]
Musk's proposal, if technologically feasible at the costs he has cited, would make
Hyperloop travel cheaper than any other mode of transport for such long distances.[198]
Musk had envisioned the system in approximately 2011, and assigned a dozen
engineers from Tesla and SpaceX who worked part-time for nine months, establishing
the conceptual foundations and creating the designs which resulted in the 2013
whitepaper.[199][200]
In June 2015, Musk announced a design competition for students and others to build
Hyperloop pods to operate on a SpaceX-sponsored mile-long track in a 2015–
2017 Hyperloop pod competition. The track was used in January 2017, and Musk also
started building a tunnel.[201]
In July 2017, Musk claimed that he had received "verbal government approval" to build
a hyperloop from New York City to Washington, D.C., stopping in
both Philadelphia and Baltimore.[202]
OpenAI
Main article: OpenAI
In December 2015, Musk announced the creation of OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial
intelligence (AI) research company. OpenAI aims to develop artificial general
intelligence in a way that is safe and beneficial to humanity.[203]
By making AI available to everyone, OpenAI wants to "counteract large corporations
who may gain too much power by owning super-intelligence systems devoted to profits,
as well as governments which may use AI to gain power and even oppress their
citizenry."[204] Musk has stated he wants to counteract the concentration of power. [26] In
2018 Musk left the OpenAI board to avoid possible future conflicts with his role as CEO
of Tesla as Tesla increasingly became involved in AI through Tesla Autopilot.[205]
In an interview with Joe Rogan in September 2018, Musk expressed his concerns about
the dangers of developing artificial intelligence indiscriminately. In January 2019, Mark
Harris of The Guardian noted that the Musk foundation had "added a line to its website,
stating its support for the "development of safe artificial intelligence to benefit humanity".
[206]

Tham Luang cave rescue and defamation case

Further information: Tham Luang cave rescue
Workers position pipes to pump water from the Tham Luang cave

In July 2018, Musk arranged for employees of his to build a small rescue pod to assist
rescuers during the Tham Luang cave rescue. Musk, responding to requests for help
from Twitter users,[207] offered help and his The Boring Company contacted the Thai
government.[208]
Named "Wild Boar" after the children's soccer team, [209] its design, based on dive team
feedback, was a five-foot (1.5 m)-long, twelve-inch (300 mm)-inch wide sealed tube
weighing about 90 pounds (41 kg) propelled manually by divers in the front and back
with segmented compartments to place diver weights to adjust buoyancy,[210][211] intended
to solve the problem of safely transporting the children who might have had difficulty
learning the scuba skills required to exit the cave on their own without panicking. In
case the mini-submarine could not fit through the cave system, Elon Musk also
requested Wing Inflatables, a California-based inflatable boat manufacturer, to build
inflatable escape pods. Engineers at Musk's companies SpaceX and The Boring
Company built the mini-submarine out of a Falcon 9 liquid oxygen transfer tube[212] in 8
hours and personally delivered it to Thailand. [210] However, by this time, eight of the
twelve children had already been rescued using full face masks and oxygen under
anesthesia[213] and Thai authorities decided not to use the submarine. [214]
Elon Musk was one of 113 foreigners recognized for the rescue by the King of
Thailand in March 2019 with various awards, with Musk receiving an Order of the
Direkgunabhorn.[215][216]
Device viability and backlash
The supervisor of the rescue operation Narongsak Osatanakorn stated that the
submarine was "technologically sophisticated, [but] it doesn't fit with our mission to go in
the cave".[217][218] Vernon Unsworth, a recreational caver who had been exploring the cave
for the previous six years and who had played a key advisory role in the rescue,
criticized the submarine on CNN as amounting to nothing more than a public relations
effort with no chance of success, and that Musk "had no conception of what the cave
passage was like" and "can stick his submarine where it hurts". Musk asserted on
Twitter that the device would have worked and referred to Unsworth as "pedo guy",
causing backlash against Musk.[219][220] He subsequently deleted the tweets, along with an
earlier tweet in which he told another critic of the device, "Stay tuned jackass." [220] On
July 16, Unsworth stated that he was considering legal action in relation to Musk's
comments.[221][222]
Two days later, Musk issued an apology for his remarks.[223][224] Then, on August 28, 2018,
in response to criticism from a writer on Twitter, Musk tweeted "You don't think it's
strange he hasn't sued me?"[225] The following day, a letter from L. Lin Wood, the
rescuer's attorney, dated August 6, emerged, showing that he had been making
preparations for a libel lawsuit.[226][227]
Around this time, James Howard-Higgins emailed Musk claiming to be a private
investigator and with an offer to "dig deep" into Unsworth's past, which Musk accepted;
Higgins was later revealed to be a convicted felon with multiple counts of fraud. [228][229] On
August 30, using details produced during the alleged investigation, [230] Musk sent
a BuzzFeed News reporter who had written about the controversy an email prefaced
with "off the record" and claimed that Unsworth is a "single white guy from England
who's been traveling to or living in Thailand for 30 to 40 years... until moving to Chiang
Rai for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time." On September 5, the
reporter tweeted a screenshot of the email, saying that "Off the record is a two-party
agreement," which he "did not agree to." [231]
In mid-September, Unsworth filed a defamation suit in Los Angeles federal court. [232][233] In
his defense, Musk argued that in slang usage "'pedo guy' was a common insult used in
South Africa when I was growing up... synonymous with 'creepy old man' and is used to
insult a person's appearance and demeanor." [234] The defamation case began on
December 4, 2019, in Los Angeles, with Unsworth seeking $190 million in damages.
[235]
 During the trial Musk apologized to Unsworth again for the initial tweet. On December
6 the jury found in favor of Musk and ruled he was not liable; Musk commented: "My
faith in humanity is restored."[236][237]
2018 Joe Rogan podcast appearance

Musk takes a puff of a cigar laced with cannabis on The Joe Rogan Experience in September 2018

On September 6, 2018, Musk appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and

discussed various topics for over two hours. One of the highest profile and controversial
aspects of the program was Musk's sampling a single puff from a cigar consisting,
Rogan claimed, of tobacco laced with cannabis. To Rogan's inquiry on how often he
smoked cannabis, Musk replied: "Almost never. I know a lot of people like weed and
that's fine, but I don't find that is very good for productivity... not for me." The
Washington Post observed that, "In the media's hands, it became a story about Musk's
growing instability."[238]
Tesla stock dropped after the incident, which coincided with the confirmation of the
departure of Tesla's Vice President of Worldwide Finance earlier that day. [239]
[240]
 Fortune wondered if the cannabis use could have ramifications for SpaceX contracts
with the United States Air Force, though a USAF spokesperson told The Verge that
there was no investigation and that the Air Force was still processing the situation. [241]
[242]
 In a 60 Minutes interview, Musk said of the incident: "I do not smoke pot. As anybody
who watched that podcast could tell, I have no idea how to smoke pot." [243][244]
Music ventures
On March 30, 2019, Musk released a rap track, "RIP Harambe", on SoundCloud under
the name "Emo G Records".[245] The track was performed by Yung Jake, written by Yung
Jake and Caroline Polachek, and produced by BloodPop.[246][247] On January 30, 2020,
Musk released an EDM track, "Don't Doubt Ur Vibe", featuring his own lyrics and vocals.
  Guardian critic Alexi Petridis described it as "indistinguishable... from umpteen
[248]

competent but unthrilling bits of bedroom electronica posted elsewhere on

Soundcloud"[249] and TechCrunch said it was "not a bad representation of the genre". [248]

Views
Politics

Musk speaking alongside former Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny in 2013

Political parties and the US in general

Politically, Musk has described himself as "half Democrat, half Republican" and "I'm
somewhere in the middle, socially liberal and fiscally conservative." [250] In 2018, he stated
that he was "not a conservative. I'm registered independent [and] politically
moderate."[251] Prompted by the emergence of artificial intelligence, Musk has voiced
support for a universal basic income;[252] he additionally backs direct democracy and has
stated he thinks the government on Mars will be a direct democracy. [253][254] He has
described himself as a "socialist", but "not the kind that shifts resources from most
productive to least productive, pretending to do good, while actually causing harm"—
arguing instead, "true socialism seeks greatest good for all." [255] He supports targeting an
inclusive tax rate of 40%, prefers consumption taxes to income taxes, and supports
the estate tax, as the "probability of progeny being equally excellent at capital allocation
is not high."[256]
In an interview with The Washington Post, Musk stated he was a "significant (though not
top-tier) donor to Democrats," but that he also gives heavily to Republicans. Musk
further stated that political contributions are a requirement in order to have a voice in the
United States government.[257][258] A 2012 report from the Sunlight Foundation, a
nonpartisan group that tracks government spending, found that since 2002, SpaceX had
spent more than $4 million on lobbying the United States Congress and more than
$800,000 in political contributions to Democrats and Republicans. As for Musk
specifically, the same report said that "SpaceX's campaign to win political support has
been systematic and sophisticated," and that "unlike most tech-startups, SpaceX has
maintained a significant lobbying presence in Washington almost since day 1." and that
"Musk himself has donated roughly $725,000 to various campaigns since 2002. In 2004,
he contributed $2,000 to President George W. Bush's reelection campaign, maxing out
(over $100,000)[259] to Barack Obama's reelection campaign and donated $5,000 to
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who represents Florida, a state critical to the space
industry. [...] All told, Musk and SpaceX gave out roughly $250,000 in the 2012 election
cycle."[257][260]
Musk has described the United States as "[inarguably] the greatest country that has
ever existed on Earth," describing it as "the greatest force for good of any country that's
ever been." Musk believes democracy would not exist any longer if not for the United
States, saying that it prevented this disappearance on three occasions through its
participation in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Musk also stated that he
thinks "it would be a mistake to say the United States is perfect, it certainly is not. There
have been many foolish things the United States has done and bad things the United
States has done."[261]

Musk with Vice President Mike Pence in 2020

President Trump and support of 2020 presidential candidates

Before the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, Musk criticized
candidate Trump by saying: "I feel a bit stronger that he is probably not the right guy. He
doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United
States."[262] Following Donald Trump's inauguration, Musk expressed approval of Trump's
choice of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State and accepted an invitation to participate in
two councils advising President Trump.[263][264] Regarding his cooperation with Trump,
Musk has subsequently commented: "The more voices of reason that the President
hears, the better."[265] He subsequently resigned from both business advisory councils in
June 2017, in protest at Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris
Agreement on climate change, stating: "Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not
good for America or the world".[266][267] In May 2020, amidst Musk's restarting of Tesla
assembly plant production during the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump tweeted in support of
Musk, which Musk welcomed and publicly thanked him for on Twitter. [268][269]
In August 2019, Musk came out on Twitter in support of the 2020 Democratic
presidential candidate Andrew Yang, whose platform revolves around the ongoing
problem of job displacement through technological automation and artificial intelligence.
Musk said in a tweet that universal basic income, which Yang supports, is "obviously
needed."[270] Musk went on to voice support for Kanye West's independent run for
president in July 2020.[271]
Short-selling and subsidies
Musk, a longtime opponent of short-selling, has repeatedly criticized the practice and
argued it should be illegal.[272] He has engaged with short-selling critics via social media
and used Tesla merchandise as a means of mocking those who short the Tesla stock.
[273]
 In lighter moments, Musk has openly joked with well-known short-seller David
Einhorn using puns on "short" and arranged to sell commemorative short shorts on
Tesla's website for $69.42.[274][275]
On the topic of subsidizing companies, Musk has stated that he does not believe the
U.S. government should provide subsidies to companies but should instead use
a carbon tax to price in the negative externality of climate change and discourage poor
behavior. Musk says that the free market would achieve the best solution, and that
producing environmentally unfriendly vehicles should come with its own consequences.
[276]

Musk's statements have been criticized, with Stanford University Professor Fred

Turner noting that "if you're an entrepreneur like Elon Musk, you will take the money
where you can get it, but at the same time believe as a matter of faith that it's
entrepreneurship and technology that are the sources of social change, not the state. It
is not quite self-delusion, but there is a habit of thinking of oneself as a free-standing,
independent agent, and of not acknowledging the subsidies that one received. And this
goes on all the time in Silicon Valley."[277] Author Michael Shellenberger argued that "in
the case of Musk, it is hard not to read that as a kind of defensiveness. And I think there
is a business reason for it. They are dealing with a lot of investors for whom subsidies
are not the basis for a long-term viable business, and they often want to exaggerate the
speed with which they are going to be able to become independent." Shellenberger
continues, "we would all be better off if these entrepreneurs were a bit more grateful, a
bit more humble." While journalist and author Jim Motavalli, who interviewed Musk
for High Voltage, his 2011 book about the electric vehicle industry, speculated that "Elon
is now looking at it from the point of view of a winner, and he doesn't want to see other
people win because they get government money—I do think there is a tendency of
people, once they have succeeded, to want to pull the ladder up after them." [278]
In 2015, Musk's statements were subject to further scrutiny when an Los Angeles
Times article claimed that SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity, and buyers of their products had or
were projected to receive together an estimated $4.9 billion in government subsidies
over twenty years. One example given is New York state, which is spending
$750 million to build a solar panel factory in Buffalo which will be leased to SolarCity for
$1 a year. The deal includes no property taxes for a decade, an estimated $260 million
valuation.[279][280]
Pronouns
In July 2020, Musk tweeted "Pronouns suck" to significant backlash on Twitter, including
from Musk's partner Grimes, who responded that she "cannot support hate" in a since-
deleted tweet.[281][282][283][284][285] The tweet has been perceived by some as transphobic and an
attack on non-binary identities.[286] In a series of December 2020 tweets, Musk again
mocked the use of pronouns. The Human Rights Campaign, which had previously given
Tesla the number one ranking on its Corporate Equality Index, criticized his tweets and
called for him to apologize.[287][288][289]
Artificial intelligence
Musk has frequently spoken about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, calling
it "the most serious threat to the survival of the human race". During a 2014 interview at
the MIT AeroAstro Centennial Symposium, Musk described AI as humanity's
largest existential threat, further stating, "I'm increasingly inclined to think that there
should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just
to make sure that we don't do something very foolish." Musk described the creation of
artificial intelligence as "summoning the demon". [290][291]
Despite this, Musk invested in DeepMind, an AI firm, and Vicarious, a company working
to improve machine intelligence.[292] In January 2015, he donated $10 million to the
nonprofit Future of Life Institute, an organization focused on challenges posed by
advanced technologies.[293] He was previously the co-chairman of OpenAI, a nonprofit
artificial intelligence research company.[294]
Musk has said that his investments are "not from the standpoint of actually trying to
make any investment return... I like to just keep an eye on what's going on with artificial
intelligence. I think there is potentially a dangerous outcome there. There have been
movies about this, you know, like Terminator. There are some scary outcomes. And we
should try to make sure the outcomes are good, not bad." [292]
Musk's opinions about artificial intelligence have provoked controversy. [295] He
and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have clashed, with the latter calling his
warnings "pretty irresponsible".[296][297][298][299][300] In 2016, when asked whether he
thinks humans live in a computer simulation, perhaps controlled by a vast AI, Musk
stated that "the odds that we're in 'base reality' is one in billions." [301] Harvard physicist
Lisa Randall disputes this and has argued the probability of us living in a simulation is
"effectively zero".[302]
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington D.C. think-
tank, awarded its Annual Luddite Award to "alarmists touting an artificial intelligence
apocalypse"; its president, Robert D. Atkinson, complained that Musk and others say AI
is the largest existential threat to humanity. Atkinson stated "That's not a very winning
message if you want to get AI funding out of Congress to the National Science
Foundation."[303][304][305] Nature, referring to the award said that "concerns over AI are not
simply fear-mongering" and concluded: "It is crucial that progress in technology is
matched by solid, well-funded research to anticipate the scenarios it could bring
about ... If that is a Luddite perspective, then so be it."[306] Facebook's AI head, Jerome
Persati, said that Musk has "no idea what he is talking about when he talks about AI",
with CNBC reporting that Musk is "not always looked upon favorably" by the AI research
community.[307][308]
Public transport
At a Tesla event on the sidelines of the Conference on Neural Information Processing
Systems in December 2017, Musk stated that:
I think public transport is painful. It sucks. Why do you want to get on something with a
lot of other people, that doesn't leave where [sic] you want it to leave, doesn't start
where you want it to start, doesn't end where you want it to end? And it doesn't go all
the time. [...] It's a pain in the ass. That's why everyone doesn't like it. And there's like a
bunch of random strangers, one of who might be a serial killer, OK, great. And so that's
why people like individualized transport, that goes where you want, when you want. [309]
Afterwards, he dismissed an audience member's response that public transportation
functioned effectively in Japan.[310][311]
His comment sparked widespread criticism from both public and transit experts. Urban
planning expert Brent Toderian started the hashtag
#GreatThingsThatHappenedonTransit which was widely adopted by Twitter users in
order to dispel Musk's notion that everybody hated public transport. [310][312][313] Yonah
Freemark, an urbanist and journalist specializing in planning and transportation,
summarized Musk's views on public transport as "It's terrible. You might be killed.
Japanese trains are awful. Individualized transport for everyone! Congestion? Induced
demand? Climate change impacts? Unwalkable streets? Who cares!" [309]
Jarrett Walker, a public transport expert, said that "Musk's hatred of sharing space with
strangers is a luxury (or pathology) that only the rich can afford", referring to the theory
that planning a city around the preferences of a minority yields an outcome that usually
does not work for the majority.[314][315] Musk responded with "You're an idiot", later saying
"Sorry ... Meant to say 'sanctimonious idiot'." [316][315] The exchange received a significant
amount of media attention and prompted Nobel laureate Paul Krugman to comment on
the controversy, saying that "You're an idiot" is "Elon Musk's idea of a cogent
argument".[314][317]
COVID-19 pandemic

The Los Angeles Convention Center converted into a COVID-19 field hospital (March 2020)

Musk has received criticism over his views on and actions related to the COVID-19
pandemic.[318] He has been accused of spreading misinformation about the
virus by Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and associate research scientist at the Center
of Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University School of Public Health. [319] In early
2020, Musk likened some aspects of COVID-19 to the common cold and stated that "the
coronavirus panic is dumb",[320][321][322] and "danger of panic still far exceeds danger of
corona imo. If we over-allocate medical resources to corona, it will come at expense of
treating other illnesses".[323][324] Musk has additionally been criticized for tweeting
contentious claims on the disease, including that "Kids are essentially immune, but
elderly with existing conditions are vulnerable", which he accompanied with a graphic
showing that no children had died in Italy by March 15 [325][326][327] and for saying "Based on
current trends, probably close to zero new cases in US too by end of April." [318][328][329][330] In
addition, he promoted articles which suggested that healthcare companies were
inflating COVID-19 case numbers for financial reasons, promoted a paper on the
benefits of chloroquine that was subsequently widely discredited and pulled down by
Google, and retweeted a video calling for an immediate end to social distancing
measures, adding "[d]ocs make good points".[331][332]
When the Alameda County Sheriff ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down,
Musk and Tesla initially refused to comply, arguing that vehicle manufacturing and
energy infrastructure are critical sectors, citing the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security.[333][334] Musk called the lockdown 'fascist' on a Tesla earnings call stating:
So, the extension of the shelter-in-place, and frankly I would call it forcibly imprisoning
people in their homes against all their constitutional rights — my opinion — and erasing
people's freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong, and not why people came to
America or built this country.[335]
Musk later sent out numerous tweets opposing mandatory lockdowns such as "FREE
AMERICA NOW."[336] On May 11, Musk reopened Tesla's Fremont production line in
defiance and violation of Alameda County's orders and tweeted that "Tesla is restarting
production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else.
If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me." [337] Musk also announced that Tesla would
be moving headquarters to Texas or Nevada and that Tesla had filed a lawsuit against
Alameda County challenging its "shutdown" of the Fremont factory; the suit was
subsequently withdrawn.[338][339] The Alameda County Public Health Department explained
it was waiting on a plan that Tesla had promised to provide on May 11 that would walk
through how it would protect workers' health during the coronavirus pandemic. [340] An
opening date of Monday, May 18 had been penciled in for Tesla pending approval —
the same date that Fiat Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors were also
due to restart production.[340]
In March and April 2020, Musk offered to donate ventilators built by Tesla to third-world
countries: "We will give away all our ventilators, whether we buy them or build
them."[341] He received widespread requests from dignitaries around the world,
[342]
 including the Ukrainian Health minister,[343] Bolivia's Ambassador for Science and
Technology to Silicon Valley,[344] and Nigeria's Ministry of Finance.[345] When asked about
what they received from Musk, California hospital representatives noted that they
received CPAP machines made by ResMed instead and not "full ventilators," though
they expressed gratitude nonetheless. [346][347]
On November 16, 2020, the phrase "Space Karen" began to trend on Twitter after a
scientist referred to Musk as such over comments he made questioning the
effectiveness of COVID-19 testing and suggested he "didn't read up on the test" before
complaining.[348][349][350] Several days earlier, Musk said he had "most likely" contracted
COVID-19.[351] In December 2020, Politico named Musk's prediction that there would be
"close to zero new cases" of COVID-19 by April one of "the most audacious, confident
and spectacularly incorrect prognostications about the year". [352]

Personal life
Family, relationships, and residence
Musk is currently in a relationship with Canadian musician Grimes.

Musk met his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson, while both were students at
Ontario's Queen's University. They married in 2000 and separated in 2008. [353] Their first
son died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at the age of 10 weeks.[2][354] They later
had five sons through in vitro fertilization[355]—twins in 2004, followed by triplets in 2006.
They share custody of all five sons.[356][357][358]
In 2008, Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley, and in 2010, the couple
married. In January 2012, Musk announced that he had ended his four-year relationship
with Riley,[21][359] tweeting to Riley, "It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever.
You will make someone very happy one day." [360] In July 2013, Musk and Riley
remarried. In December 2014, Musk filed for a second divorce from Riley; however, the
action was withdrawn.[361] The media announced in March 2016 that divorce proceedings
were again underway, this time with Riley filing for divorce from Musk. [362][363] The divorce
was finalized in late 2016.[364]
On May 7, 2018, Musk and Canadian musician Grimes revealed that they were dating.
[365][366][367]
 On January 8, 2020, Grimes announced that she was pregnant with their first
child. [368][369]
 Grimes gave birth to a son on May 4, 2020.[370][371] According to Musk and
Grimes, his name was "X Æ A-12" (pronounced /ˈɛks.æʃˌeɪ.twɛlv/ EKS-ash-AY-twelv[372]);
however, the name was deemed illegal under California law, because it contained
characters that are not in the modern English alphabet, [373][374] and was then changed to "X
Æ A-Xii". This drew more confusion, as Æ is not a letter in the modern English alphabet.
[375]
 The child was eventually named "X AE A-XII", with "X" as a first name and "AE A-
XII" as a middle name.[376]
Musk resides in Texas, something publicly revealed in December 2020 when he stated
that he had moved from California to Texas.[377][378][379] Earlier in 2020, he had promised to
sell his "physical possessions" and subsequently signed letters of intent to sell several
of his California residences.[380][381] From the early 2000s until late 2020, he resided in
the Los Angeles area of California where both Tesla and SpaceX were founded and
where their headquarters are still located.[377]
Philanthropy
 Musk is chairman of the Musk Foundation, which states its purpose is to provide solar-
power energy systems in disaster areas as well as other goals. [382][206] Since 2002, the
foundation has made over 350 contributions. Around half were to scientific research or
education nonprofits. Notable beneficiaries include the Wikimedia Foundation, his alma
mater the University of Pennsylvania, and his brother Kimball's Big Green. [383]
Musk is also a trustee of the X Prize Foundation.[384][385] In 2012, he signed The Giving
Pledge, promising to give at least half of his fortune to charity. [386][383]
In July 2014, Musk was asked by cartoonist Matthew Inman and William Terbo, the
grandnephew of Nikola Tesla, to donate $8 million toward the construction of the Tesla
Science Center at Wardenclyffe.[387] Ultimately, Musk agreed to donate $1 million toward
the project and additionally pledged to build a Tesla Supercharger in the museum car
park.[388] In January 2015, Musk donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institute to run a
global research program aimed at keeping artificial intelligence beneficial to humanity.[389]
[293][390]

In October 2018, in an effort to help solve the Flint water crisis, Musk and the Musk
Foundation donated over $480,000 to install new water fountains with filtration systems
for access to clean water at all Flint, Michigan schools.[391] As of 2019, approximately
30,000 children in all 12 area schools have free, safe drinking water from the water
filtration systems.[392] Musk has been a top donor for the ACLU.[393] In October 2019, Musk
donated $1 million to '#TeamTrees' a tree planting initiative to plant 20 million trees led
by the YouTube community and in collaboration with Arbor Day Foundation.[394][395]

Elon Musk Biography
(1971–)

UPDATED:
JAN 8, 2021
ORIGINAL:
APR 4, 2018





South African entrepreneur Elon Musk is known for founding Tesla
Motors and SpaceX, which launched a landmark commercial
spacecraft in 2012.
Who Is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is a South African-born American entrepreneur and businessman who founded
X.com in 1999 (which later became PayPal), SpaceX in 2002 and Tesla Motors in 2003. Musk
became a multimillionaire in his late 20s when he sold his start-up company, Zip2, to a division
of Compaq Computers. 

Musk made headlines in May 2012, when SpaceX launched a rocket that would send the first
commercial vehicle to the International Space Station. He bolstered his portfolio with the
purchase of SolarCity in 2016 and cemented his standing as a leader of industry by taking on an
advisory role in the early days of President Donald Trump's administration.

In January 2021, Musk reportedly surpassed Jeff Bezos as the wealthiest man in the world.

Early Life

Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. As a child, Musk was so lost in his
daydreams about inventions that his parents and doctors ordered a test to check his hearing.

At about the time of his parents’ divorce, when he was 10, Musk developed an interest in
computers. He taught himself how to program, and when he was 12 he sold his first software: a
game he created called Blastar.

In grade school, Musk was short, introverted and bookish. He was bullied until he was 15 and
went through a growth spurt and learned how to defend himself with karate and wrestling.

Family

Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, is a Canadian model and the oldest woman to star in a Covergirl
campaign. When Musk was growing up, she worked five jobs at one point to support her family.

Musk’s father, Errol Musk, is a wealthy South African engineer.

Musk spent his early childhood with his brother Kimbal and sister Tosca in South Africa. His
parents divorced when he was 10.

Education

At age 17, in 1989, Musk moved to Canada to attend Queen’s University and avoid mandatory
service in the South African military. Musk obtained his Canadian citizenship that year, in part
because he felt it would be easier to obtain American citizenship via that path.
In 1992, Musk left Canada to study business and physics at the University of Pennsylvania. He
graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics and stayed for a second bachelor’s degree
in physics.

After leaving Penn, Musk headed to Stanford University in California to pursue a PhD in energy
physics. However, his move was timed perfectly with the Internet boom, and he dropped out of
Stanford after just two days to become a part of it, launching his first company, Zip2 Corporation
in 1995. Musk became a U.S. citizen in 2002.

Companies

Zip2 Corporation

Musk launched his first company, Zip2 Corporation, in 1995 with his brother, Kimbal Musk. An
online city guide, Zip2 was soon providing content for the new websites of both The New York
Times and the Chicago Tribune. In 1999, a division of Compaq Computer Corporation bought
Zip2 for $307 million in cash and $34 million in stock options.

PayPal

In 1999, Elon and Kimbal Musk used the money from their sale of Zip2 to found X.com, an
online financial services/payments company. An X.com acquisition the following year led to the
creation of PayPal as it is known today.

In October 2002, Musk earned his first billion when PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5
billion in stock. Before the sale, Musk owned 11 percent of PayPal stock.

SpaceX

Musk founded his third company, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, in
2002 with the intention of building spacecraft for commercial space travel. By 2008, SpaceX was
well established, and NASA awarded the company the contract to handle cargo transport for the
International Space Station—with plans for astronaut transport in the future—in a move to
replace NASA’s own space shuttle missions.
Elon Musk poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, California, on July 25, 2008.
Photo: Dan Tuffs/Getty Images

Falcon 9 Rockets

On May 22, 2012, Musk and SpaceX made history when the company launched its Falcon 9
rocket into space with an unmanned capsule. The vehicle was sent to the International Space
Station with 1,000 pounds of supplies for the astronauts stationed there, marking the first time a
private company had sent a spacecraft to the International Space Station. Of the launch, Musk
was quoted as saying, "I feel very lucky. ... For us, it's like winning the Super Bowl."

In December 2013, a Falcon 9 successfully carried a satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, a

distance at which the satellite would lock into an orbital path that matched the Earth's rotation. In
February 2015, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 fitted with the Deep Space Climate
Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite, aiming to observe the extreme emissions from the sun that
affect power grids and communications systems on Earth.

In March 2017, SpaceX saw the successful test flight and landing of a Falcon 9 rocket made
from reusable parts, a development that opened the door for more affordable space travel.

A setback came in November 2017, when an explosion occurred during a test of the company's
new Block 5 Merlin engine. SpaceX reported that no one was hurt, and that the issue would not
hamper its planned rollout of a future generation of Falcon 9 rockets.

The company enjoyed another milestone moment in February 2018 with the successful test
launch of the powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. Armed with additional Falcon 9 boosters, the
Falcon Heavy was designed to carry immense payloads into orbit and potentially serve as a
vessel for deep space missions. For the test launch, the Falcon Heavy was given a payload of
Musk's cherry-red Tesla Roadster, equipped with cameras to "provide some epic views" for the
vehicle's planned orbit around the sun.

In July 2018, Space X enjoyed the successful landing of a new Block 5 Falcon rocket, which
touched down on a drone ship less than 9 minutes after liftoff.

BFR Mission to Mars

In September 2017, Musk presented an updated design plan for his BFR (an acronym for either
"Big F---ing Rocket" or "Big Falcon Rocket"), a 31-engine behemoth topped by a spaceship
capable of carrying at least 100 people. He revealed that SpaceX was aiming to launch the first
cargo missions to Mars with the vehicle in 2022, as part of his overarching goal of colonizing the
Red Planet.
In March 2018, the entrepreneur told an audience at the annual South by Southwest festival in
Austin, Texas, that he hoped to have the BFR ready for short flights early the following year,
while delivering a knowing nod at his previous problems with meeting deadlines.

The following month, it was announced that SpaceX would construct a facility at the Port of Los
Angeles to build and house the BFR. The port property presented an ideal location for SpaceX,
as its mammoth rocket will only be movable by barge or ship when completed.

Starlink Internet Satellites

In late March 2018, SpaceX received permission from the U.S. government to launch a fleet of
satellites into low orbit for the purpose of providing Internet service. The satellite network,
named Starlink, would ideally make broadband service more accessible in rural areas, while also
boosting competition in heavily populated markets that are typically dominated by one or two
providers. 

SpaceX launched the first batch of 60 satellites in May 2019, and followed with another payload
of 60 satellites that November. While this represented significant progress for the Starlink
venture, the appearance of these bright orbiters in the night sky, with the potential of thousands
more to come, worried astronomers who felt that a proliferation of satellites would increase the
difficulty of studying distant objects in space.

Tesla Motors

Musk is the co-founder, CEO and product architect at Tesla Motors, a company formed in
2003 that is dedicated to producing affordable, mass-market electric cars as well as battery
products and solar roofs. Musk oversees all product development, engineering and design of the
company's products.

Roadster

Five years after its formation, in March 2008, Tesla unveiled the Roadster, a sports car capable
of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, as well as traveling nearly 250 miles between
charges of its lithium ion battery.

With a stake in the company taken by Daimler and a strategic partnership with Toyota, Tesla
Motors launched its initial public offering in June 2010, raising $226 million.

Model S
In August 2008, Tesla announced plans for its Model S, the company's first electric sedan
that was reportedly meant to take on the BMW 5 series. In 2012, the Model S finally entered
production at a starting price of $58,570. Capable of covering 265 miles between charges, it was
honored as the 2013 Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine.

In April 2017, Tesla announced that it surpassed General Motors to become the most valuable
U.S. car maker. The news was an obvious boon to Tesla, which was looking to ramp up
production and release its Model 3 sedan later that year.

In September 2019, using what Musk described as a "Plaid powertrain," a Model S set a speed
record for four-door sedan at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey County, California.

Model 3

The Model 3 was officially launched in early 2019 following extensive production delays. The
car was initially priced at $35,000, a much more accessible price point than the $69,500 and up
for its Model S and X electric sedans.

After initially aiming to produce 5,000 new Model 3 cars per week by December 2017, Musk
pushed that goal back to March 2018, and then to June with the start of the new year. The
announced delay didn't surprise industry experts, who were well aware of the company's
production problems, though some questioned how long investors would remain patient with the
process. It also didn't prevent Musk from garnering a radical new compensation package as CEO,
in which he would be paid after reaching milestones of growing valuation based on $50 billion
increments.

By April 2018, with Tesla expected to fall short of first-quarter production forecasts, news
surfaced that Musk had pushed aside the head of engineering to personally oversee efforts in that
division. In a Twitter exchange with a reporter, Musk said it was important to "divide and
conquer" to meet production goals and was "back to sleeping at factory."

READ NEXT
BUSINESS FIGURES
 Mark Zuckerberg

 (1984–)
 BUSINESS FIGURES

Steve Jobs

 (1955–2011)

ACTIVISTS

Greta Thunberg

 (2003–)

After signaling that the company would reorganize its management structure, Musk in June
announced that Tesla was laying off 9 percent of its workforce, though its production department
would remain intact. In an email to employees, Musk explained his decision to eliminate some
"duplication of roles" to cut costs, admitting it was time to take serious steps toward turning a
profit.

The restructuring appeared to pay dividends, as it was announced that Tesla had met its goal of
producing 5,000 Model 3 cars per week by the end of June 2018, while churning out another
2,000 Model S sedans and Model X SUVs. "We did it!" Musk wrote in a celebratory email to the
company. "What an incredible job by an amazing team."

The following February, Musk announced that the company was finally rolling out its standard
Model 3. Musk also said that Tesla was shifting to all-online sales, and offering customers the
chance to return their cars within seven days or 1,000 miles for a full refund.

Semi Truck

In November 2017, Musk made another splash with the unveiling of the new Tesla Semi and
Roadster at the company's design studio. The semi-truck, which was expected to enter into
production in 2019 before being delayed, boasts 500 miles of range as well as a battery and
motors built to last 1 million miles.

Model Y and Roadster

In March 2019, Musk unveiled Tesla’s long-awaited Model Y. The compact crossover, which
began arriving for customers in March 2020, has a driving range of 300 miles and a 0 to 60 mph
time of 3.5 seconds.

The Roadster, also set to be released in 2020, will become the fastest production car ever made,
with a 0 to 60 time of 1.9 seconds.

SolarCity

In August 2016, in Musk’s continuing effort to promote and advance sustainable energy and
products for a wider consumer base, a $2.6 billion dollar deal was solidified to combine his
electric car and solar energy companies. His Tesla Motors Inc. announced an all-stock deal
purchase of SolarCity Corp., a company Musk had helped his cousins start in 2006. He is a
majority shareholder in each entity.

“Solar and storage are at their best when they're combined. As one company, Tesla (storage) and
SolarCity (solar) can create fully integrated residential, commercial and grid-scale products that
improve the way that energy is generated, stored and consumed,” read a statement on Tesla’s
website about the deal.

The Boring Company

In January 2017, Musk launched The Boring Company, a company devoted to boring and
building tunnels in order to reduce street traffic. He began with a test dig on the SpaceX property
in Los Angeles.

In late October of that year, Musk posted the first photo of his company's progress to his
Instagram page. He said the 500-foot tunnel, which would generally run parallel to Interstate
405, would reach a length of two miles in approximately four months.

In May 2019 the company, now known as TBC, landed a $48.7 million contract from the Las
Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to build an underground Loop system to shuttle people
around the Las Vegas Convention Center.

DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S ELON MUSK FACT CARD

Musk’s Tweet and SEC Investigation

On August 7, 2018, Musk dropped a bombshell via a tweet: "Am considering taking Tesla
private at $420. Funding secured." The announcement opened the door for legal action against
the company and its founder, as the SEC began inquiring about whether Musk had indeed
secured the funding as claimed. Several investors filed lawsuits on the grounds that Musk was
looking to manipulate stock prices and ambush short sellers with his tweet.

Musk’s tweet initially sent Tesla stock spiking, before it closed the day up 11 percent. The CEO
followed up with a letter on the company blog, calling the move to go private "the best path
forward." He promised to retain his stake in the company, and added that he would create a
special fund to help all current investors remain on board.

Six days later, Musk sought to clarify his position with a statement in which he pointed to
discussions with the managing director of the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund as the source
of his "funding secured" declaration. He later tweeted that he was working on a proposal to take
Tesla private with Goldman Sachs and Silver Lake as financial advisers.

The saga took a bizarre turn that day when rapper Azealia Banks wrote on Instagram that, as a
guest at Musk's home at the time, she learned that he was under the influence of LSD when he
fired off his headline-grabbing tweet. Banks said she overheard Musk making phone calls to
drum up the funding he promised was already in place.

The news quickly turned serious again when it was reported that Tesla's outside directors had
retained two law firms to deal with the SEC inquiry and the CEO's plans to take the company
private.

On August 24, one day after meeting with the board, Musk announced that he had reversed
course and would not be taking the company private. Among his reasons, he cited the preference
of most directors to keep Tesla public, as well as the difficulty of retaining some of the large
shareholders who were prohibited from investing in a private company. Others suggested that
Musk was also influenced by the poor optics of an electric car company being funded by Saudi
Arabia, a country heavily involved in the oil industry.

On September 29, 2018, it was announced that Musk would pay a $20 million fine and step
down as chairman of Tesla's board for three years as part of an agreement with the SEC.

Inventions and Innovations

Hyperloop
In August 2013, Musk released a concept for a new form of transportation called the
"Hyperloop," an invention that would foster commuting between major cities while severely
cutting travel time. Ideally resistant to weather and powered by renewable energy, the Hyperloop
would propel riders in pods through a network of low-pressure tubes at speeds reaching more
than 700 mph. Musk noted that the Hyperloop could take from seven to 10 years to be built and
ready for use.

Although he introduced the Hyperloop with claims that it would be safer than a plane or train,
with an estimated cost of $6 billion — approximately one-tenth of the cost for the rail system
planned by the state of California — Musk's concept has drawn skepticism. Nevertheless, the
entrepreneur has sought to encourage the development of this idea.

After he announced a competition for teams to submit their designs for a Hyperloop pod
prototype, the first Hyperloop Pod Competition was held at the SpaceX facility in January 2017.
A speed record of 284 mph was set by a German student engineering team at competition No. 3
in 2018, with the same team pushing the record to 287 mph the next year.

AI and Neuralink

Musk has pursued an interest in artificial intelligence, becoming co-chair of the nonprofit
OpenAI. The research company launched in late 2015 with the stated mission of advancing
digital intelligence to benefit humanity.

In 2017, it was also reported that Musk was backing a venture called Neuralink, which intends to
create devices to be implanted in the human brain and help people merge with software. He
expanded on the company's progress during a July 2019 discussion, revealing that its devices
will consist of a microscopic chip that connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone. 

High-Speed Train

In late November 2017, after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked for proposals to build and
operate a high-speed rail line that would transport passengers from O'Hare Airport to downtown
Chicago in 20 minutes or less, Musk tweeted that he was all-in on the competition with The
Boring Company. He said that the concept of the Chicago loop would be different from his
Hyperloop, its relatively short route not requiring the need for drawing a vacuum to eliminate air
friction.

In summer 2018 Musk announced he would cover the estimated $1 billion needed to dig the 17-
mile tunnel from the airport to downtown Chicago. However, in late 2019 he tweeted that TBC
would focus on completing the commercial tunnel in Las Vegas before turning to other projects,
suggesting that plans for Chicago would remain in limbo for the immediate future. 
Flamethrower

Musk also reportedly found a market for The Boring Company's flamethrowers. After
announcing they were going on sale for $500 apiece in late January 2018, he claimed to have
sold 10,000 of them within a day.

Relationship with Donald Trump

In December 2016, Musk was named to President Trump’s Strategy and Policy Forum; the
following January, he joined Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. Following Trump’s
election, Musk found himself on common ground with the new president and his advisers as the
president announced plans to pursue massive infrastructure developments.

While sometimes at odds with the president's controversial measures, such as a proposed ban on
immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, Musk defended his involvement with the new
administration. "My goals," he tweeted in early 2017, "are to accelerate the world’s transition to
sustainable energy and to help make humanity a multi-planet civilization, a consequence of
which will be the creating of hundreds of thousands of jobs and a more inspiring future for all."

On June 1, following Trump's announcement that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris
climate accord, Musk stepped down from his advisory roles.

Personal Life

Wives and Children

Musk has been married twice. He wed Justine Wilson in 2000, and the couple had six children
together. In 2002, their first son died at 10 weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Musk and Wilson had five additional sons together: twins Griffin and Xavier (born in 2004) and
triplets Kai, Saxon and Damian (born in 2006).

After a contentious divorce from Wilson, Musk met actress Talulah Riley. The couple married in
2010. They split in 2012 but married each other again in 2013. Their relationship ultimately
ended in divorce in 2016.

Girlfriends

Musk reportedly began dating actress Amber Heard in 2016 after finalizing his divorce with
Riley and Heard finalized her divorce from Johnny Depp. Their busy schedules caused the
couple to break up in August 2017; they got back together in January 2018 and split again one
month later.
In May 2018, Musk began dating musician Grimes (born Claire Boucher). That month, Grimes
announced that she had changed her name to “c,” the symbol for the speed of light, reportedly on
the encouragement of Musk. Fans criticized the feminist performer for dating a billionaire whose
company has been described as a “predator zone” among accusations of sexual harassment.

The couple discussed their love for one another in a March 2019 feature in the  Wall Street
Journal Magazine, with Grimes saying “Look, I love him, he’s great...I mean, he’s a super-
interesting goddamn person.” Musk, for his part, told the Journal,  “I love c’s wild fae artistic
creativity and hyper intense work ethic.”

Grimes gave birth to their son on May 4, 2020, with Musk announcing that they had named the
boy "X Æ A-12." Later in the month, after it was reported that the State of California wouldn't
accept a name with a number, the couple said they were changing their son's name to "X Æ A-
Xii."

Nonprofit Work

The boundless potential of space exploration and the preservation of the future of the human race
have become the cornerstones of Musk's abiding interests, and toward these he has founded the
Musk Foundation, which is dedicated to space exploration and the discovery of renewable and
clean energy sources.

In October 2019 Musk pledged to donate $1 million to the #TeamTrees campaign, which aims to
plant 20 million trees around the world by 2020. He even changed his Twitter name to Treelon
for the occasion.

Fact Check
We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Citation Information
Article Title
Elon Musk Biography

Author
Biography.com Editors

Website Name
The Biography.com website

URL
https://www.biography.com/business-figure/elon-musk

Access Date
January 17, 2021

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
January 8, 2021

Original Published Date

April 2, 2014

Elon Musk
American entrepreneur
Print Cite Share More

WRITTEN BY
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the
physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the
University of Chicago Press on the...
See Article History
RELATED TOPICS

Elon Musk (American entrepreneur)


 Alaungpaya | king of Myanmar

Musk | biological substance

marsh | Definition, Types, & Examples

Witness the successful launch of SpaceX Dragon capsule, May 25, 2012
Video released by spacecraft maker SpaceX celebrating its Dragon capsule, which on
May 25, 2012, became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International
Space Station.
SpaceX (A Britannica Publishing Partner)See all videos for this article

Elon Musk, (born June 28, 1971, Pretoria, South Africa), South

African-born American entrepreneur who cofounded the electronic-
payment firm PayPal and formed SpaceX, maker of launch vehicles
and spacecraft. He was also one of the first significant investors in, as
well as chief executive officer of, the electric car manufacturer Tesla.

TOP QUESTIONS
When was Elon Musk born?
How did Elon Musk become famous?
Where did Elon Musk go to college?
What did Elon Musk accomplish?
Early Life
Musk was born to a South African father and a Canadian mother. He
displayed an early talent for computers and entrepreneurship. At age
12 he created a video game and sold it to a computer magazine. In
1988, after obtaining a Canadian passport, Musk left South
Africa because he was unwilling to
support apartheid through compulsory military service and because he
sought the greater economic opportunities available in the United
States.

PayPal And SpaceX

Musk attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and in 1992
he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, where
he received bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics in 1997. He
enrolled in graduate school in physics at Stanford
University in California, but he left after only two days because he felt
that the Internet had much more potential to change society than work
in physics. In 1995 he founded Zip2, a company that provided maps
and business directories to online newspapers. In 1999 Zip2 was
bought by the computer manufacturer Compaq for $307 million, and
Musk then founded an online financial services company, X.com,
which later became PayPal, which specialized in transferring money
online. The online auction eBay bought PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion.

00:0003:02
Musk was long convinced that for life to survive, humanity has to
become a multiplanet species. However, he was dissatisfied with the
great expense of rocket launchers. In 2002 he founded Space
Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to make more affordable rockets.
Its first two rockets were the Falcon 1 (first launched in 2006) and the
larger Falcon 9 (first launched in 2010), which were designed to cost
much less than competing rockets. A third rocket, the Falcon
Heavy (first launched in 2018), was designed to carry 117,000 pounds
(53,000 kg) to orbit, nearly twice as much as its largest competitor, the
Boeing Company’s Delta IV Heavy, for one-third the cost. SpaceX has
announced the successor to the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy: the
Super Heavy–Starship system. The Super Heavy first stage would be
capable of lifting 100,000 kg (220,000 pounds) to low Earth orbit.
The payload would be the Starship, a spacecraft designed for providing
fast transportation between cities on Earth and building bases on the
Moon and Mars. SpaceX also developed the Dragon spacecraft, which
carries supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). Dragon can
carry as many as seven astronauts, and it had a crewed flight carrying
astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken to the ISS in 2020. Musk
sought to reduce the expense of spaceflight by developing a fully
reusable rocket that could lift off and return to the pad it launched
from. Beginning in 2012, SpaceX’s Grasshopper rocket made several
short flights to test such technology. In addition to being CEO of
SpaceX, Musk was also chief designer in building the Falcon rockets,
Dragon, and Grasshopper.

Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.Subscribe

Now

Tesla
Musk had long been interested in the possibilities of electric cars, and
in 2004 he became one of the major funders of Tesla Motors (later
renamed Tesla), an electric car company founded
by entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. In 2006
Tesla introduced its first car, the Roadster, which could travel 245
miles (394 km) on a single charge. Unlike most previous electric
vehicles, which Musk thought were stodgy and uninteresting, it was a
sports car that could go from 0 to 60 miles (97 km) per hour in less
than four seconds. In 2010 the company’s initial public offering raised
about $226 million. Two years later Tesla introduced the Model S
sedan, which was acclaimed by automotive critics for its performance
and design. The company won further praise for its Model X luxury
SUV, which went on the market in 2015. The Model 3, a less-expensive
vehicle, went into production in 2017.
 Musk, Elon
Elon Musk, 2010.
Bryan Mitchell—Getty Images/Thinkstock

Musk expressed reservations about Tesla being publicly traded, and

in August 2018 he made a series of tweets about taking the company
private, noting that he had “secured funding.” The following month
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Musk for
securities fraud, alleging that the tweets were “false and misleading.”
Shortly thereafter Tesla’s board rejected the SEC’s proposed
settlement, reportedly because Musk had threatened to resign.
However, the news sent Tesla stock plummeting, and a harsher deal
was ultimately accepted. Its terms included Musk stepping down as
chairman for three years, though he was allowed to continue as CEO.
Dissatisfied with the projected cost ($68 billion) of a high-speed rail
system in California, Musk in 2013 proposed an alternate faster
system, the Hyperloop, a pneumatic tube in which a pod carrying 28
passengers would travel the 350 miles (560 km) between Los
Angeles and San Francisco in 35 minutes at a top speed of 760 miles
(1,220 km) per hour, nearly the speed of sound. Musk claimed that the
Hyperloop would cost only $6 billion and that, with the pods
departing every two minutes on average, the system could
accommodate the six million people who travel that route every year.
However, he stated that, between running SpaceX and Tesla, he could
not devote time to the Hyperloop’s development.