Every Insane Fact You Never Knew About Elon Musk
Every Insane Fact You Never Knew About Elon Musk
Here are some crazy facts about Elon Musk!
Here are some crazy facts about Elon Musk!
1. He's Not From Here
Elon Musk may be famous for starting American businesses, but he actually hails from South Africa. He moved to Canada as a teenager and then came to the US for college.
2. He Always Had Potential
After dropping out of grad school, he started his first company, Zip2. After working tooth and nail, he sold it for over $300 million in 1999.
3. He's A Self-Starter
Musk taught himself how to program at age 12. One of his first projects was a game called "Blastar." He sold it for $500.
4. Not Everyone Believed In Him
When he was shopping around for funding, Musk couldn't muster any investment capital into SpaceX. So, instead of giving up, he put his own money into the startup. He's clearly proven those investors wrong since.
5. He's Been Around Longer Than You Think
Musk isn't just known for Tesla and SpaceX. Before either of those ventures, he co-founded X.com. It was soon renamed to PayPal.
6. Where No Man Has Gone Before
Elon Musk is known for founding the electric automaker, Tesla. It was the first automaker to successfully market an electric sports car. Before him, all previous attempts had failed.
7. He's Made Space Cheaper
Musk is living his dreams, both innovating and creating the outer space industry. Beforehand, it took cost $1 billion to reach the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has reduced that cost to just $60 million.
8. He's A Family Man
Musk has five sons. A set of twins and a set of triplets. He's even named one of them after Professor X of the X-Men. A true nerd.
9. A Comic Book Man
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most successful franchises in history. It all kicked off with Tony Stark whom Elon Musk was the real-life inspiration for. Elon Musk is literally Tony Stark.
10. Musk, The Climate Warrior
Elon Musk is committed to combating climate change. He believes it to be the single greatest threat to human civilization. He's also cited it as his main prerogative behind starting Tesla and SpaceX.
11. Award-Winning Space Man
Elon is a real innovator in the outer space sector. He was awarded the Federation Aronautique Internationale Gold Space Medal in 2010 for developing the first private rocket to reach orbit. A massive achievement for humanity!
12. He Had Immigrant Status
Musk has firsthand experience with U.S. immigration, being an immigrant himself. In fact, Despite going to college in the U.S., Musk didn't become and American citizen until he was 31.
13. The Drop Out
Elon Musk dropped out of graduate school after only two days of attendance. The way he tells it, he thought it wasn't worth it anymore. He decided to get into the booming internet technology industry.
14. Safety First
Tesla isn't just a clean car, it's a safe car. The Tesla Model S was given the highest safety rating ever awarded to a vehicle. The National Highway Administration gave it a 5.4 out of 5.
15. Failure Was An Option
It's no secret that SpaceX and Tesla had numerous false starts. But after launch failures and production plagues, both Tesla and SpaceX came extremely close to failing. But Musk pulled himself up by his bootstraps and made them a success.
16. On and Off and On and Off Again
Elon Musk has a complicated romantic history. He has been married three times. Twice to the same woman, Talulah Riley.
17. A Man Of The Future
There's a new word going around to describe Elon Musk and his ilk. A "thrillionaire." It's a club of high-tech entrepreneurs bent on birthing our sci-fi fantasies.
18. A Man Of His Word
Elon Musk has signed a prestigious pledge. He's has signed "The Giving Pledge." A promise from the extremely wealthy to use the majority of their fortune to better humanity through charity.
19. It's Runs On Water, Man!
Elon Musk went all super fanboy and had a submarine car called "Wet Nellie" custom built for him. It's based on the Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me." It's good to have money.
20. He's In On Solar, Big Time
Space and Cars aren't the only industries Musk is involved in. Elon is the chairman and largest single shareholder of SolarCity, a company that provides solar powered products founded by his cousin.
21. Always The Jokester
Elon Musk isn't afraid of humor. He guest starred on an episode of "The Simpsons" playing himself. He seemed to have a great time poking fun at himself.
22. The Musk Foundation
Elon Musk created the Musk Foundation. A non-profit organization which is committed to advancing clean energy and space exploration. Musk believes these two causes are of paramount importance.
23. A New Way To Travel
Elon Musk is always looking to innovate. He's now set his eye on land travel. Musk's planned Hyperloop could hypothetically get you from Los Angeles to San Francisco in just 30 minutes.
24. What's In A Name
Elon Musk was inspired by many inventors throughout history. But he always had an affinity for one. That's why he named Tesla Motors after Nikola Tesla.
25. A Literal Hero
Buzz Aldrin, Neal Armstrong; they're considered space heroes. Now, according to a Space Foundation survey, Elon Musk has earned that title. He was named Most Popular Space Hero.
26. Recognized Expertise
Elon holds many degrees and doctorates due to his accomplishments. He was notably awarded honorary doctorates in Aerospace Engineering and Design by the University of Surrey and Art Center College of Design in California, respectively.
27. When In Need He Gives Help, Indeed
Hurricanes can do massive damage to area. Years after Katrina, some areas were still struggling. Musk donated solar power systems in 2010 that helped meet these people's needs.
28. He Puts His Pillow Where His Mouth Is
Sometimes, Tesla or SpaceX faces a serious issue. At these times, Musk is known to sleep at the office, even sometimes living at Tesla plants. All in order to meet deadlines and keep the plant running.
29. He Has A Dream
Elon Musk's ultimate dream is to get people to Mars. In fact, he's taken it even further. Musk has gone so far as saying, "I'd like to die on Mars, just not on impact."
30. He Seriously Puts The Time In
Musk has a ton on his plate. He seems to be very hands on. Those insights are validated knowing that he has a 100+ hour work week between Tesla Motors and SpaceX.
31. It's Not For The Money
Ever wonder why Musk has so many projects? It's because that's where he puts his money. According to Musk, he doesn't build wealth for wealth's sake. He views money as a means to fulfill a purpose.
32. First Hand Experience
Being an immigrant entrepreneur himself, Musk supports fairly liberal immigration policies. He thinks that open and peaceful borders promotes the kind of ingenuity we need right now. Especially if we are to tackle the issues we face as a species.
33. The Fifth Mode
There are four modes of transportation. Planes, trains, automobiles, and boats. But Musk wants to create a fifth mode. He want to create the Hyperloop. It's a land travel system that dramatically increases speeds.
34. Playful Payback
Elon Musk's first shuttle at Space X was named "The Dragon." The name was a reference to "Puff The Magic Dragon." It was meant as a jab at those who thought his goals outlandish.
35. A Heavy Reference
Upon the first successful shuttle launch, Musk put a wheel of cheese as a stow away. It was in honor of Monty Python's John Cleese. Musk is known to have an affinity for the comedy group and Cleese himself.
36. His Name Game Is On Point
The SpaceX Falcon rockets have proven themselves quite an achievement. Believe it or not, they're legitimately named after the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. The man has fine taste.
37. Failure Is The Best Option
According to Musk, failure is always a valid option. He believes that's integral to the progress of humanity. "If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."
38. Humble Beginnings
Musk wasn't given a handout like other billionaires. He's a self-made man. In the early years of Zip2, Elon only had enough money to rent out a bedroom, which also served as his office and headquarters for the company.
39. The Devil Is In The Details
Musk doesn't actually like being a CEO. He doesn't feel super comfortable making the big decisions. He's an engineer at heart. He likes getting down in the details.
40. He'll Never Stop!
Elon Musk doesn't plan on retiring. According to the accomplished billionaire, he'd just get bored. That's not a bad thing, we need him to keep innovating!