Elon Musk, like many who grew up in the wake of the Space Race, was a futurist from the start, dreaming of things like flying cars and spaceships, artificial intelligence and biological engineering.
His parents put him in school early because of his thirst for knowledge. The school bullies in South Africa taught him how to press on through hardship. His wealthy and accomplished family gave him the pride of heritage. The writer and philosopher Douglas Adams gave him some idea of fundamental meaning in the universe. His keen mind, hunger for knowledge, and ability to make things happen would guide his journey to come.
Later in life he would take these ingredients and become a superstar.
After gaining a fortune of his own, he would take the world of technology by storm, as many in Silicon Valley had done before him. With Tesla Motors, he proved that electric cars not only worked, but had the potential to be superior to gasoline vehicles in performance, maintenance, environmentalism, and economics. When his cars became popular and he later released his patents, he not only forced but also enabled other car companies to develop electric vehicles of their own, and inspired at least one other car start-up. With the help of SolarCity and the Tesla Powerwall, he wants to see the power of the sun made more readily available to everyone. His rocket company would prove not only that he could economically build great rockets and spacecraft mostly in-house and offer space-bound customers, including NASA and satellite companies, one of the best deals in the industry, but he would ultimately prove that it is possible to land a rocket. As he moves SpaceX forward, he is doggedly determined to accomplish the absurd notion of building huge rockets that will be used to begin the process of colonizing Mars, within the next few decades.
One way or another, it's sure to be a wild ride. It already has been. Join me (and please excuse a little excited hyperbole) in my exploration of the world of Elon Musk.
His parents put him in school early because of his thirst for knowledge. The school bullies in South Africa taught him how to press on through hardship. His wealthy and accomplished family gave him the pride of heritage. The writer and philosopher Douglas Adams gave him some idea of fundamental meaning in the universe. His keen mind, hunger for knowledge, and ability to make things happen would guide his journey to come.
Later in life he would take these ingredients and become a superstar.
After gaining a fortune of his own, he would take the world of technology by storm, as many in Silicon Valley had done before him. With Tesla Motors, he proved that electric cars not only worked, but had the potential to be superior to gasoline vehicles in performance, maintenance, environmentalism, and economics. When his cars became popular and he later released his patents, he not only forced but also enabled other car companies to develop electric vehicles of their own, and inspired at least one other car start-up. With the help of SolarCity and the Tesla Powerwall, he wants to see the power of the sun made more readily available to everyone. His rocket company would prove not only that he could economically build great rockets and spacecraft mostly in-house and offer space-bound customers, including NASA and satellite companies, one of the best deals in the industry, but he would ultimately prove that it is possible to land a rocket. As he moves SpaceX forward, he is doggedly determined to accomplish the absurd notion of building huge rockets that will be used to begin the process of colonizing Mars, within the next few decades.
One way or another, it's sure to be a wild ride. It already has been. Join me (and please excuse a little excited hyperbole) in my exploration of the world of Elon Musk.
