Elon Reeve Musk is a Canadian-American billionaire, inventor and philanthropist. Born June 28, 1971 in South Africa, later moved to Canada and then to the United States.
This is the perfect embodiment of the seemingly long lost american dream: Arriving in the US with a few dollars in his pocket, he became a billionaire.
Received a college degree and a bachelor's degree in physics and economics.
Made his fortune in the creation and development of many innovative companies (X.com, PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla Motors, etc.). He is engaged in active entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities, maintains a political lobby in the US Congress, reads a lot, acts in feature films("Iron Man 2", "Machete Kills", etc.).
He became the prototype for the character of Tony Stark in the film Iron Man. He is twice married and has five sons from his first marriage. Esquire magazine has included Musk in the list of 75 most influential people of the 21st century.
From the Editor: An amazing person. While preparing his biography, we faced many conflicting opinions: for some he is a genius, for others he is a PR man who is devouring budget money. Doesn't leave you indifferent. A dreamer who embodies the most daring and unrealizable dreams into reality. An amazing person.
Major achievements
Elon Musk is known primarily as a successful businessman and innovator. Almost all of his projects are highly profitable, have brought him substantial income and widespread popularity.
His first company was Zip2, which he founded with his brother using his father's money ($ 20,000). The company was engaged in the development of the Internet for the media industry, entered into contracts with the popular newspaper publications The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, and after 4 years was sold for a huge sum of about 350 million dollars, from which Musk got about 22 million.
Just a month later, Musk co-founded X.COM, an online payments company. A year later, his company merges with Confinity and takes the name PayPal. In 2002, the company will be sold at a price of $ 1.5 billion, and Musk's stake was about $ 170 million.
There is a legend that after the sale of PayPal, Musk came to Russia in order to finance the creation of a private space company based on Russian developments. But not a single official took his idea seriously. Samples in Moscow for several days, he bought several books by Tsialkovsky and decided that he could create a rocket on his own. The principles are well known. I don't know if this legend is true, but ...
In 2001, Musk took up the space industry, creating the concept of "Oasis on Mars" - a settlement on Mars that would grow food on the "Red Planet" and independently provide for its own needs. According to him, this was done in order to draw public attention to the study of outer space.
In 2002, he founded Space Exploration Technologies, or Space X, with a $ 100 million investment. The company was engaged in the development and production of launch vehicles, and for seven years developed the Falcon family of launch vehicles, creating the Dragon spacecraft.
In September 2009, a Falcon 1 rocket became the first private launch vehicle to launch a satellite into Earth orbit. In 2006, Space X was awarded a $ 1.6 billion contract with NASA and also received significant government orders.
In 2011, Musk announced that he hoped to send people to colonize Mars in 10-20 years and create the first colony there.
In 2004, Musk also invested in Tesla Motors, a company that designs and manufactures electric vehicles. The businessman entered the board of directors, becoming the chairman of the board. Took Active participation in the development of the company's product - the Roaster sports car, which gained wide popularity, and Musk himself was awarded the prestigious "green" award "Global Green" for the development of an environmentally friendly car.
Musk's financial flexibility and tenacity, his subsequent investments in the project, allowed the company to survive the financial crisis of 2008, while replenishing the company's lineup with new successful models (Model S, Model X, etc.). The company's profit is growing day by day, amounting to many tens of millions of dollars a year.
Musk has also invested in SolarCity, a private power plant for households and organizations, and has invested in the Hyperloop project, which he envisions could become the foundation for the transportation system of the future. Hyperloop will allow passenger capsules to reach speeds of more than a thousand kilometers per hour, at a distance of up to one and a half thousand kilometers.
Elon Musk's secrets of success
Musk believes that the reason for his success is his critical mind, escape from stereotypes and stereotypes of thinking, endless enthusiasm and energy. “I have always been critical of what my parents told me. I never took their word for it and always asked why? Then I tried to understand the meaning and logic of their answer "
Also, according to the entrepreneur, you need to be completely immersed in the business, without any distractions. Only full dedication, seven days a week without interruptions, full focus on business - this kind of perfectionism is one of the roots of a person's success.
The main obstacle in innovation activities Musk sees in people's penchant for analogies. Therefore, instead of doing something qualitatively new, people try to improve the old. The businessman calls to throw out all the limitations and frames of stereotypes, and start building concepts and projects from scratch, from the very beginning. This is the only way to create exceptional and first-class items.
Opinion: Musk's secret of success lies in the US logistics base and in the enormous resources the government provides him. There are no miracles. Innovation is very expensive. We need personnel, not only engineers, but also managers, lawyers, financiers. Look at attempts in other countries to create innovative products, for example, the same electric vehicles: where there is no base, this idea fails.
Quotes by Elon Musk
- I would like to die thinking that humanity has a bright future
- I think that people today are somehow too carried away by all kinds of Internet, finance and law. This is one of the reasons why we have little innovation.
- Maybe I read too many comics as a child. After all, they are always trying to save the world. Everything there looked like everyone should try to improve this world, it simply could not be otherwise.
- The only thing that should be done is to contribute to the general enlightenment of mankind.
- I really love computer games, but if I create the coolest games, how will this affect earthly affairs, the world in general?
- I like to bring to life technologies that, in my opinion, are important for the future and bring some kind of benefit.
- While we are throwing away rockets and ships, we are not really exploring space.
- As a samurai, I would rather die than surrender.
Elon Musk's ideas and goals
Musk sets global goals: he wants to save the human race from voluntary or accidental destruction.
The idea of making humanity an interplanetary species originated in Musk a long time ago. And first of all, we are talking about the settlement of Mars. At the SpaceX headquarters, at the entrance hangs an inspiring picture with two states of Mars - current and planned:
And if you pay attention, all of his current projects are subordinated to this goal. To get to Mars, you need to make space flights an order of magnitude cheaper than they are now - this is being successfully implemented by SpaceX. There is no suitable fuel on Mars, so electric vehicles will come in handy there, which will be charged from solar panels (and there are hundreds of stations where any Tesla owner can charge their car for free throughout the United States).
And this is not just a waste of money - all three companies are profitable, they are commercially successful and are at the forefront of technology.
Elon Reeve Musk (June 28, 1971) is an American and Canadian billionaire. Known as a talented engineer and inventor, founder and owner of SpaceX. Chief Designer at Tesla Motors. Forbes estimates he has a net worth of over $ 12 billion.
Childhood
Elon was born in South Africa in the city of Pretoria. The boy's mother was Canadian and worked as a nutritionist. Father, native South Africa, worked as an engineer. Relationships in the family did not work out, so the parents soon separated. The boy stayed with his father, which was no longer the best choice... The man was distinguished by his irascibility and a tough disposition.
Elon did well in school and was an introverted boy. For these or some other reasons, his classmates disliked him. The child was constantly bullied, it even came to systematic beatings.
However, at home, Elon was a completely different person. At the age of 10, his big dream came true - the boy received a personal computer for his birthday. Unlike most of his peers, who used cars solely for entertainment, he became interested in programming. Having mastered it on his own, Elon decided that the knowledge gained should pay dividends. As a result, the boy created a video game that was a success and went off like hot cakes. And this despite the serious cost of $ 500.
The earnings plan did not end there. In fact, it has just started. With the money raised, the boy bought shares in a pharmaceutical company.
He picked it up by analyzing information from newspapers. And he made the right decision. Soon he had enough money on hand to make his dream come true.
Studies
Elon has always dreamed of getting to the United States. It was this country that he considered an ideal place for all those who have a sharp mind and a desire to apply it. However, he could not simply come to a foreign country. At the same time, a real prospect loomed in front of the young man soon to put on a military uniform. Therefore, he decided to take advantage of his mother's citizenship and the fact that she had relatives in Canada.
Despite the protests of his parents, the young man packed his things and went to another continent. In Canada, he entered the University of Kingston. Thanks to excellent study Elon received a scholarship from the University of Pennsylvania and soon crossed the cherished border.
Among university subjects, he gave preference to physics and business. Needless to say, he succeeded in the chosen directions. Now it was possible to determine the future. After analyzing the situation, the young man realized that there are three things that interest him.
In those years, the development of the Internet was just beginning. In him, Elon saw an inexhaustible source of opportunity. He was also attracted by alternative energy sources and space.
In 1995, the young man went to Stanford. He intended to continue his education, but soon gave up this venture.
Career
Instead of studying, Elon teamed up with his brother and created the Zip2 company. She was focused on developing software for news companies. After 4 years, the brothers sold it, as a result Musk became richer by $ 22 million.
Elon's next brainchild was PayPal, an internet payment service that eBay acquired, paying Musk $ 1.5 billion in person.
He now had sufficient funds to devote time and effort to his own projects. Since Musk has already mastered the Internet, he turned his gaze to space and alternative energy sources.
Space
Elon has always been obsessed with the idea of colonizing Mars. He was interested in the project of placing greenhouses there, in which plants could be grown automatically. Since the cost of implementing this plan did not fit into any framework, the businessman decided to start small. From your own rocket.
In 2002, he created SpaceX, and already in 2006, the Falcon9 launch vehicle made its maiden flight. Then the Dragon spacecraft was born, making flights to the World Space Station.
Energy
Elon Musk did not forget about alternative energy sources. He has invested a large sum of money in solar installation company SolarSity.
TeslaMotors develops and manufactures electric vehicles.
Personal life
Elon Musk's personal life interested journalists after his first divorce. Despite the fact that the couple separated peacefully, the press was attracted by the fact that the family had five young sons. Elon met his first wife in Canada when he was a simple student.
The second wife of the billionaire was the young actress Talulah Riley. Their relationship did not last long and ended in divorce.
Criticism and scandalous incidents
Rescue operation at Thamluangnangnon cave
Elon Musk's attempt to take part in the rescue operation carried out in the Thamluangnangnon cave and the events that followed caused a great public outcry. The American businessman said that he was discussing options for saving people together with speleologists. On July 10, 2018, after 8 children were rescued, he brought to the place rescue operations he created a mini-submarine, using elements of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, which was supposed to help children unprepared for diving. However, rescuers considered that it was inappropriate to use it.
Caver Verne Unsworth, who played a key role in the rescue operation, criticized the proposal, calling it a publicity stunt. According to him, this plan had no chance of success: a submarine with a rigid frame would not have passed even the first 50 meters, along the way he spoke rudely to Musk. In response, Elon posted a tweet in which he called the British diver a pedophile. Musk quickly erased this tweet, but he already managed to cause a wave of negative reaction and numerous articles in various media, the situation caused a short-term drop in the value of Tesla's shares. A few days later, Elon apologized to Unsworth.
Joe Rogan's podcast
In September 2018, Musk attended a show by American comedian Joe Rogan. During the conversation, the entrepreneur smoked a mixture of marijuana and tobacco, having previously asked Rogan if it was legal. Elon said that he rarely smokes marijuana, explaining that the drug has no effect on him.
Allegations of violation of the securities law
In the fall of 2018, a number of Tesla traders and shareholders sued Musk and accused the head of the company of violating the securities law. The investigation into this administrative case was taken up by the US Federal Securities Commission (SEC). The lawsuit alleged that Musk deliberately leaked false information on his Twitter account in order to influence Tesla's share price. In his personal account, the head of the company announced the decision to make Tesla a private company and that he had already found the finance to buy back shares. In the messages, he also indicated that he plans to buy back the securities at the rate of $ 420 per share, that is, above their market value.
Due to criticism from users social network and shareholders, Musk decided to keep Tesla a public company. In September 2018, the US Department of Justice, in parallel with the administrative case, opened a criminal case against Tesla. According to the SEC lawsuit, Musk faces a ban on holding managerial positions in public companies.
In response to the accusations, Elon Musk stated the following:
I am deeply disappointed with the SEC's unfounded accusations. I have always acted in the best interest of investors and honesty is the most important value in my life. The facts will prove that I have never put anyone in jeopardy.
On September 29, 2018, Musk and the SEC settled these charges out of court. According to the agreement, Musk will remain the head of Tesla, but will not be able to serve as chairman of the board of directors for three years. In addition, he must pay a $ 20 million fine. The same fine was imposed on Tesla.
Philanthropy
Elon became chairman of the board of the Musk Foundation. In January 2015, the foundation donated $ 10 million to the Institute for the Future of Humanity for research into the control of artificial intelligence.
In July 2018, an entrepreneur offered his help in an operation to rescue children from the flooded Tham Luang cave. Four engineers from Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company were sent to help the rescuers. A mini-submarine designed specifically for this operation was delivered to Thailand, but Thai rescuers refused to use it. Speleologist Verne Unsworth, who played one of the key roles in the rescue operation, criticized Musk's proposal - according to him, a submarine with a rigid frame "could not swim even the first 50 meters from the beginning of the cave."
Politics
In December 2016, he became a member of the President's Forum on Strategy and Policy under President Donald Trump, a group of 16 American entrepreneurs whose task is to advise the 45th President of the United States on issues related to economic growth and job creation. and increased productivity, but in 2017 withdrew from further participation in the forum in protest against Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.
Cinema
According to Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man (2008), Elon Musk served as the inspiration for the film incarnation of Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr.
In 2010, Musk appeared in the film "Iron Man 2" as himself (according to the plot, Elon is Tony Stark's friend). In 2013, he also played himself in an episode of the movie Machete Kills. Musk is visible among the audience who came to the presentation artificial intelligence in the sci-fi movie Supremacy (2014, at 00: 07: 39-41), and his name is in the credits.
Elon Musk made a cameo appearance in The Simpsons, Season 26, Episode 12, which was released on January 25, 2015.
In episode 9 of season 9 of "The Big Bang Theory" he plays a cameo.
In 2017, he starred in the comedy Why Him? in the role of himself.
Also at the end of episode 6 of season 1 of Sheldon's Childhood, Musk sits at a table and reads a synopsis of young Sheldon.
Condition assessment
In 2015, unofficial data appeared on the Internet, according to which Elon Musk's fortune is 13.1 billion US dollars.
The following year, the official information provided by the Forbes edition also appeared. According to the American financial and economic magazine, Musk owns an amount equal to $ 10.7 billion.
Elon Musk now
The main goal of Elon Musk remains the creation of a human colony on Mars. In a 2011 interview, he stated that the first settlers would travel to the Red Planet over the next two decades. By 2040, Musk predicts, there will be 80,000 people living on Mars.
Work continues on the BFR - Big Falcon Rocket - a launch vehicle and spacecraft with a payload of 150 tons. The BFR is expected to replace previous generations of Falcon and become the primary vehicle for transporting goods and people to Mars.
Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur and engineer. He took part in the creation of the PayPal payment system, which was sold to EBay in 2002 for $ 1.5 billion. Chairman of the Board of Directors of SolarCity and Tesla Motors. According to Forbes, Musk is worth $ 2.4 billion.
short biography
Musk was born in Pretoria in 1971. The place where Elon Musk was born is an administratively developed scientific city. His father was an engineer and his mother, a former Canadian model who later worked as a nutritionist, lived there. The family had three children.
At the age of 10, Musk is given his first computer, and at the age of 12 he sells his first game for $ 500. The teenager invests the money in a pharmaceutical company, which he followed in the newspapers. He later sold the shares for several thousand dollars. At the age of 17, Musk moved to Canada with this money, where he learned what poverty is. For example, he tried to live on $ 1 a day without getting an upset stomach.
In 1992, Musk moved to the United States and entered the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied physics and business. He writes his doctorate at Stanford University, but does not attend lectures. Together with his student friends, the future entrepreneur founds the Zip2 company. In 1999, it was bought by Compaq Computer for $ 307 million, of which Musk receives $ 20 million. With this he buys a McLaren F1 jet and moves to a condominium.
Solar power station for everyone
Elon Musk, whose biography is full of amazing events, founded X.com in 1999. In 2001, the company was renamed PayPal, which was sold a year later for $ 1.5 billion. The entrepreneur owned 11.7% of the shares.
In 2006, Musk opens SolarCity, a company he still owns and engineer. The company is engaged in the installation of small power plants for personal use on the roofs of houses and companies. but main idea not to create power plants on their own, but to lease them on a long-term basis. The client can calculate the benefits of using such a power plant and receives a personal solar power plant almost free of charge. The buyers are usually ordinary Americans.
Elon Musk, whose biography contains both ups and downs, hit the mark with an innovative idea. Nowadays, the company is growing faster than its competitors. It has more than 30 operating centers in the US, a new customer every five minutes and a huge queue of people looking to use solar power. SolarCity has already installed such panels in tens of thousands of buildings and is considered the largest company in this segment.
The path to colonization of Mars
Elon Musk, whose biography teaches us not to give up, opens the SpaceX rocket company in 2002, main goal which is reducing the cost of space travel and the Company has already developed several space rockets and the Dragon spacecraft.
In 2010, Dragon was the first spacecraft to be successfully launched, placed into orbit, and returned. Later, in 2015, it became the first spacecraft docked to the International Space Station.
In 2006, the company won a NASA competition for the delivery of cargo to space stations and received a prize fund of $ 278 million. this moment there have already been five successful flights.
Other achievements and awards
In 2010, Tesla Motors, which has never shown a profit since its inception, was listed for public sale. However, the offer was so successful that on the first day of trading, the share price soared 41%. Forbes named them the most profitable stock of the year.
Many awards have been given for being invented by Elon Musk. In 2008, Musk was named one of the 75 Most Influential People of the Year by Esquire magazine. In 2011 he received the Heinlein Prize for Excellence in the Commercialization of Space. In the same year, Forbes added him to the list of 20 Most Influential Young CEOs.
Elon Musk is the second businessman to have created three companies worth more than $ 1 billion. Many have tried to repeat this success. It seems that the entrepreneur lives by different rules. However, the businessman does not hide the fact that there are several simple points that he follows.
Ask the right questions
As a teenager, Musk read a lot of philosophical and religious literature. but greatest influence he was influenced by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. According to the entrepreneur, he realized that he needed to ask the right questions. When Musk entered college, he wondered exactly how he wanted to influence the fate of humanity. There he decided that he would be engaged in the resettlement of people from Earth to other planets. The businessman decided that he would do his best to contribute to this industry. And he started looking for money.
Dissect reality
Elon Musk, whose biography teaches us not to be like everyone else, believes that innovation is hampered by the ability of people to think in analogies. Therefore, they do not create something new, but try to improve the existing one. The entrepreneur believes that it is necessary to dissect reality to the ground and create something fundamentally different.
For example, space seems out of reach for business. To master it, you need a huge budget. However, Musk is confident that costs can be greatly reduced if a new flight goal is set. So he founded SpaceX, which aims to colonize. The businessman says that if you need to relocate the population of the Earth to another planet, you need to do it economically.
I don’t think he’s lying, but I don’t believe him.
In 2012, Musk expressed confidence that all cars would be electric in a few decades. He started working in this direction and in 2008 released the first electric car, which went into mass production. Analysts, however, are skeptical about Musk's claim that the entrepreneur is not at all embarrassed.
The mask is often compared to Steve Jobs. The latter used the term "reality distortion field", convincing himself and others that the impossible is possible. Musk's colleagues assure that he selects the facts so that they correspond to his reality. Many people say that the entrepreneur does not seem to be lying, but it is impossible to believe him.
His company Tesla Motors has often found itself on the brink of bankruptcy, although it has achieved admirable success in Elon Musk's business. The biography of Tesla, the creator, shows that the entrepreneur tried in every way to keep the company afloat. Things got better over time. According to the businessman, the world is too dependent on oil. This is driving climate change, and Musk believes using electricity will fix the situation.
One of the company's accomplishments is Gemeral Motors' decision to create the Chevy Volt. It is a small car with electric charging capability. In electric vehicle mode, it can travel 65 km. At the time of graduation, 33 thousand people signed up for the purchase of this car.
Elon Musk, whose photos are always cheerful, became successful, embodying ideas that seem crazy at first glance. He not only became independent and provided for his family, but also went down in history. The entrepreneur strives to change life for the better and works on projects that can save humanity in the future.
However, at the moment, he is pleased that with his help many changes have occurred in the field of energy, automotive and rocketry.
Musk even acted in films. In 2008, the film "Iron Man" was released, the prototype of which was Elon Musk. Later, in 2013, he played a small role in Machete Kills, but his name is not in the credits. He also played himself in episode 9 of season 9 of The Big Bang Theory.
This person evokes admiration, respect and envy. His success is natural: talent, charisma and business flair are complemented by efficiency, the ability to correctly prioritize. Major milestones: computer company Zip2, PayPal, TeslaMotors, SolarCity, SpaceX.
The story of Elon Musk is interesting in that, upon birth, he was not a contender to become a famous billionaire. He was born in South Africa, in the family of an engineer and nutritionist. Despite the fact that the boy was smart and developed from childhood (he went to school a year earlier than his peers), even his parents admitted the fact that his son's contacts with peers did not go well. Subsequently, he himself will say: "I was a little nerd child, smart enough ... so during school time I just read a lot of books and tried not to get in the way of people."
The guy compensated for the lack of friends by constantly reading everything that came into his hands: from comics about Spider-Man to encyclopedias. At the age of 17, after graduating from high school in Pretoria, the future billionaire makes the bold decision to start an independent life in the United States.
In 1989, he boarded a plane to Canada, realizing that his parents would not be able to help financially, and he would have to rely on himself. For a whole year, Elon lived a difficult life: he worked wherever he could, earning a living. Admission to Quins University in Ontario changes this. A talented student attracted attention, and in 1992, the dream of getting to the United States is fulfilled thanks to a scholarship to study in Pennsylvania. At the University of Pennsylvania, Elon becomes a bachelor of business in a year, devotes his second year to studying physics and also receives a bachelor's degree.
The story of serial businessman Elon Musk
The term appeared relatively recently, it is used to refer to entrepreneurs who apply talent, giving rise to various, sometimes unrelated, projects.
Elon's first project - computer game Blastar, which earned 500 in 12 years. Originally, Elon and his brother were going to rent the development in the game room. They did almost everything for this:
- found a room for rent;
- agreed with a vending machine provider who could supply the equipment.
However, it was not possible to get the approval of the city: the parents did not know about the idea of their sons, and the young entrepreneurs were under 18 years old.
Second start-up more successful. To open the Internet company Zip2, Elon leaves graduate school at Stanford University, having been there for only two days! He explains the decision as follows: “I realized that nothing was happening at Standford, so I called the teachers, said that I wanted to start my own company and agreed that if nothing worked out, there would be an opportunity to go back.”
As part of Zip2 activities:
- a platform was developed that allowed newspapers to provide customers with commercial services;
- there is a transfer of many printed publications, including reputable ones, into the digital era;
- the first on-line city directory is being created.
The success of the idea is easily quantified: Zip2 was sold to Compaq for $ 307 million and $ 34 million in securities. Musk joined Silicon Valley millionaires when he was only 28, receiving $ 22 million.
This transaction went down in history as the largest financial transaction carried out for cash.
The third part of the business story of Elon Musk- PayPal electronic payment system. Initially, the startup was named X.com, after merging with the competing company Confinity on a parity basis, it is named PayPal. Musk's contribution to the development of the company is invaluable:
- development of a fundamentally new business model;
- competent, talented advertising, close to viral;
- bringing the payment system to the first positions.
All this has changed the principle of shopping: today we no longer imagine how it is possible to carry out them without the help of the Internet. Previously, it took a week to make a purchase with a card, PayPal makes a payment in a few seconds. The value of the idea is evidenced by the purchase of the company by a competitor - Ebay - for $ 1.5 billion. Musk sold his stake in the company for $ 180 million.
The fourth billionaire project- TeslaMotors - can rightfully be considered one of the most ingenious. Starting with the fact that Musk invested all the available savings in the project and ending with the fact that he personally participated in the development, proving that he is not only a businessman, but also an inventor. Everything went great at first:
- the release of the debut model of the Roadster sports car, in the development and design of which Musk personally took part (the development of the battery module was often carried out in his garage, the design of the headlights, as well as the body material - the merits of the billionaire inventor);
- Received a GlobalGreen Award for Contribution to Sustainable Production;
- a change in the image of an electric car: uncomfortable, small cars after working on them by Musk's teams turned into prestigious high-speed sports cars;
- attracting new investors, such as Larry Page, Sergey Brin, etc.
The situation escalated in 2007, when it came to the opening of the conveyor line. It turned out that the management's miscalculations led to the fact that the cost of the electric car would be twice as high as that included in the estimate - 92 thousand dollars. Technical flaws were also identified (the transmission concept proposed by CEO Eberhard turned out to be erroneous and requiring serious improvements).
There were several weeks with zero bank accounts. I had a choice: take all the capital left over from the PayPall sale and invest in Tesla, or Tesla dies. (Quote from the 2014 film Billionaire Elon Musk, How I Became a Real Iron Man).
The entrepreneur takes the situation into his own hands, saving the company from bankruptcy:
- fires Eberhard and top managers who made big mistakes;
- invests in Tesla all the money he had at that time - $ 20 million;
- ruthlessly reduces the number of company employees, leaving only those who are needed;
- negotiates with suppliers, bargaining for every cent;
- attracts investors in traditional and non-traditional ways (fortunately, there are many of them, you just need to competently look for options);
- seeks any means, even sells his favorite McLaren F1 car.
Soon the whole world started talking about a fundamentally new means of transportation, environmentally friendly, stylish and almost perfect. More information about the sources of investment is in table 1. In 2016, it became known that in America there was a fatal accident with the participation of the innovative Tesla sedan. This reduced the share price by 3%, but everyone is sure that the development of the company cannot be stopped.
The company's profits until 2015 inclusive had a negative trend, that is, the company was operating at a loss. According to the billionaire, profitability will increase significantly when sales reach one million cars a year in 2020. So far, the increase in losses is associated with a decrease in prices in key regions for the company: Europe, China, and the United States. Model S and Model M electric vehicles are currently available for sale.
A logical continuation was the opening of gas stations for electric vehicles from Tesla Supercharger. The idea is that they will be available worldwide, making electric vehicles more affordable.
Fifth project: SpaceX.
In the long run, I would really like to go to Mars. This is SpaceX's primary goal. (Quote from the 2014 film Billionaire Elon Musk, How I Became a Real Iron Man).
The most ambitious project supported by the US at the state level. The company was founded in 2002, its goal is the ability to travel to other planets using modern high-tech rockets. The starting point is Mars.
Achievements in this area are already colossal:
- reduction of costs by 10 times;
- creation from scratch of a rocket and three types of liquid-propellant engines;
- a change in the concept of space flights, from now on the goal is the colonization of space, and not episodic flights there.
Today, Musk's "crazy" idea is not only generally recognized, but also supported at the state level. NASA has signed a contract with SpaceX for 12 missions to deliver cargo to the ISS.
How did Musk manage to reduce the cost of flights? When a theodolite was needed to level the surface of the rocket, Musk did not order it from government agencies, he bought it on eBay, while saving $ 25,000.
The delivery of a man to Mars is planned for 2026.
"Personal style" by Elon Musk and the success story
Elon Musk never had a choice whether to do it or not to do it. The question was: what to do next? (Quote from the 2014 film Billionaire Elon Musk, How I Became a Real Iron Man).
Elon Musk is not a man with a business acumen. He is a dreamer who works to make his projects, even the most fantastic, come true. Nevertheless, in difficult situations, he acts like a tough businessman, not looking back at personalities. An incomplete list of situations where the actions of an entrepreneur, which seemed to the rest of the madness, led to tremendous success:
- investing money not just in innovative, but in revolutionary projects;
- the ability to see one step ahead where others did not see the prospects;
- striving not just to make money, but to change the world.
To make the idea of an electric car attractive, Musk changed the mindset of people. From now on, driving an electric car is easy, convenient and prestigious! A whole network of gas stations was also built, serving this type of machine.
In addition to the fact that this man is an inventor and a successful businessman, he also became the prototype of the famous character in comics and movies - Iron Man. By the way, he starred in Iron Man 2 as a friend of the protagonist. They talk and talk about his phenomenon!
Elon Musk's story is both impressive and instructive. It gives hope to those who dream of success and are willing to work for it day and night.
They call him Tony Stark the real world, a worthy heir to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs rolled into one. The entrepreneur who made his fortune from internet startups has become a visionary who thinks about a better future for humanity. With little knowledge of internet banking, rocketry and electric vehicles, Elon Musk has repeatedly burst into a new industry with the confidence that he knows better than anyone what customers want. And it turned out that he really knows!
African childhood
Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. His father Errol was a successful engineer from a respected family. May's mother was a model in her youth and then a successful nutritionist. Elon was the first child in the family. Next came brother Kimbal and sister Tosca (future director and producer). Although Elon's parents had known each other since childhood and Errol had been seeking May's hand for many years, their marriage was not happy. When Elon was seven, the couple filed for divorce.
At first, the children stayed with their mother, but then Elon moved to his father. As he himself later recalled, his mother was left with three children, and his father had no one, he looked lonely and sad. Soon Kimbal also moved to his father. Subsequently, the brothers more than once doubted their decision: Errol turned out to be strict and demanding, it was difficult for him to please. Nevertheless, he gave his sons a good education and instilled a love for the exact sciences.
Elon was different from other children. He was smarter than his peers and did not share their interest in sports and entertainment. The boy often "disconnected" from the outside world, plunging into himself. Classmates hounded him. Musk changed several schools, but never made real friends.
Problems at school and at home led Musk to seek refuge in books from an early age. In his youth, he read the novels of Verne, Asimov, Heinlein and Tolkien. The Academy and The Harsh Mistress Moon sparked his interest in space, and Douglas Adams' novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy helped cope with an identity crisis at age fourteen. Since then, Musk has been guided by the principle "The main thing is to ask the right questions."
Computers became Musk's second hobby. Hardly faced with this miracle of technology, he begged his father for his first computer - the Commodore VIC-20, a model popular in the early eighties with as many as five kilobytes of memory. Musk learned programming on his own and, at the age of twelve, wrote the video game Blastar, which he sold to a local magazine for five hundred dollars.
Although Errol bought his son a computer, he himself was skeptical about Elon's hobby, considering computers to be just expensive toys. He wanted Elon to become an engineer, like himself. The lack of support and prospects made Elon think about emigration. He dreamed of America, which seemed to him a country of unlimited possibilities for the smart and resourceful. Taking advantage of the fact that his mother was a native of Canada, Musk received Canadian citizenship and, at the age of seventeen, went to conquer America.
The American Dream: Zip2
At first, the new place was not easy. In the first years, Elon constantly moved, interrupted by rough work, until he settled on a farm with relatives. May and Kimbal soon moved to Canada. Elon enrolled at Queens University in Ontario, where he continued to study programming. According to him, he chose Queens because there were the most girls among his listeners. The calculation was justified one hundred percent - at the university, Elon met his future wife, Justine.
After graduating, Musk enrolled in a graduate program in physics and economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Then he was already interested in space, alternative energy and Internet startups. After Pennsylvania, Musk went to Stanford, California, to pursue a doctorate, but dropped out two days later and, together with his brother, opened their first business in Silicon Valley.
In the mid-nineties, shares of Internet companies were growing by leaps and bounds, and Musk simply could not stand aside. Ilona came up with the idea to create Zip2, a digital analogue of the Yellow Pages, which, as he put it, allowed him to find the nearest pizzeria in any area of San Francisco and find out how to get there.
At first, the Masks faced a problem: no one wanted to invest money in their venture. Most of the companies still had no idea why they needed their own website and why did they give up advertising on the Internet. The brothers were helped by their father by sending twenty-eight thousand dollars. This was enough for renting a small office, purchasing equipment and the necessary licenses. For the first three months, Ilon and Kimbal lived in an office: they had nothing to rent a house for. They only had a couple of mattresses from the furniture.
The brothers shared powers: Elon almost never left the office, spending all his time on improving products, while Kimbal was looking for clients. At first, he simply walked around the district and offered his services to hairdressers, car dealerships, restaurants and shops. Someone managed to interest. They started talking about Zip2, the company had investors, and things went uphill.
But the new shareholders doubted the young entrepreneur's ability to lead his own venture and invited a more experienced manager, Rich Sorkin. Sorkin decided to set the stage differently: now Zip2 mainly supplied software for newspapers, while Musk himself wanted to focus on working with consumers. He tried to dismiss Sorkin and take his place, but the board of directors did not support Ilon.
The sense of fighting soon disappeared. Compac, a large firm, acquired Zip2 for $ 307 million, of which Elon himself went to $ 22 million. At twenty-seven, he became a millionaire. Of course, he bought an apartment and a fancy car, but most I spent money on a new project.
If you have millions of dollars, it changes your lifestyle - those who say otherwise are blatantly lying. I no longer need to work to survive. But I work every day, even on weekends, and I haven't been on vacation for several years.
Elon Musk
X.com and PayPal
Working on Zip2 taught Elon a lesson. He gained self-confidence and turned from a timid programmer to a confident businessman. But most importantly, Musk realized that he should no longer lose control over his projects. After selling Zip2, he was attracted to an industry that had tons of money and problems that could be fixed using the internet. It was about the banking sector, which at that time was cumbersome, awkward and short-sighted and did not understand the possibilities of the digital era.
Having spent his own 12 million, Elon created the first ever online banking service with the pornographic name X.com. The mask was not intimidated by the fact that many technologies had to be invented from scratch. He was confident that he would revolutionize the banking sector, and his confidence attracted investors to him, and then clients. The ability to transfer money in a couple of mouse clicks without filling out lengthy payment orders in just a few months attracted two hundred thousand people to the service.
Robert Downey Jr. admitted that Tony Stark in his performance was partially copied from Musk, and persuaded Elon for a cameo in Iron Man 2.
Soon, X.com had its first serious competitor in the face of the equally young and ambitious startup Confinity, run by Max Levchin and Peter Thiel. Companies spent a lot of effort and money fighting until they decided it was easier to join forces. The largest shareholder and manager of the new company was Elon Musk, who never learned to get along with people. Quarrels began between Ilon and Levchin with Til. The reason was the name of the merged company - everyone liked the name PayPal proposed by the founders of Confinity, and only Musk clung to X.com.
As a result of the conflict, Thiel left the company, and Levchin began to threaten that he would follow him. Technical problems also began: the servers could not cope with the influx of clients, "holes" were found in the programs, which threatened with fines from banks. Discontent with Musk was ripening in the company. Taking advantage of the absence of Elon, who finally married Justine and went on a honeymoon, the board of directors removed him from his post and appointed Peter Thiel to this place.
Musk interrupted the journey and tried to fight, but soon cooled down, realizing that Levchin and Til really know their business. He remained a shareholder in the company and continued to invest in it. When the largest online auction site, eBay, wanted to buy PayPal, no board member had any doubts about agreeing, but Musk advised to be patient and wait. Finally, after a series of rejections, in June 2002, eBay offered $ 1.5 billion. As the largest shareholder, Musk received $ 250 million.
The X.com story has had two effects on Musk's reputation. On the one hand, he earned the fame of a genius who created a unique product from scratch. On the other hand, he again could not get along with partners and made a number of mistakes in the management of the company. Some say that if Elon remained at the helm for a few more months, the company would collapse. Others argue that he did not have enough time - although many of Musk's ideas at first glance seem absurd, time proves him right.
SpaceX and Tesla Motors
After leaving PayPal, Musk resumed honeymoon. On the trip, he contracted a dangerous form of malaria and almost died. It took six months to fully recover, during which time Elon lost twenty kilograms.
Not long before the sale of PayPal, Elon and Justine had their first child. But the parents' happiness was short-lived - the child died from the so-called sudden infant death syndrome. Musk dealt with his grief in his typical manner - headlong into work. Later, colleagues recalled that work difficulties sometimes caused Elon to cry, but he endured this loss in silence. Musk did not like to flaunt his personal life.
Finally convinced of the dangers of rest, Musk returned to work. As his influence at PayPal dwindled, Elon remembered his childhood fascination with space. Musk felt that the world had lost faith in a better future, and wanted to inspire humanity to new achievements. At first, Musk's plans were very naive - he was going to buy an old Russian ballistic missile and with its help send the ship to Mars. The project was bent - Musk did not agree on the price with the sellers. Then he came up with the idea of \ u200b \ u200bbuilding small, economical rockets that could conquer the commercial transport market into orbit due to the low cost of launch.
In those days, Musk knew nothing about rocketry. He had a poor idea of the scale of the work, so he assigned himself overly optimistic deadlines that were unrealistic to meet. Critics often reproached Musk for lying, but Musk truly believed in what he said and worked tirelessly to bring it to life. He expected the same attitude from his employees, so people who were not ready to plow for twelve to sixteen hours a day did not stay long at Musk's.
In June 2002, he founded Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). At first, Musk wanted to make only engines, and buy the rest of the parts from third-party suppliers. But he quickly became convinced that an acceptable quality can only be achieved by himself.
In parallel, Musk became interested in electric vehicles. He was prompted by two acquaintances - first, Elon met a talented engineer Jeffrey Strobel, who was working on an economical battery for an electric car, and then crossed paths with Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpenning, founders of Tesla Motors, whose goal was to create a new generation of electric vehicles. Musk fell in love with the idea and invested seven million in Tesla, becoming the largest shareholder. At the same time, the operational management of the company remained in the hands of Eberhard and Tarpenning.
The first two Tesla Roadster prototypes were greeted with enthusiasm and orders began to flow into the company. But the attempt to switch from piece production to mass production almost led to collapse.
Musk financed both enterprises from his own pocket and therefore found himself on the verge of bankruptcy. The funds in Musk's accounts were dwindling, and work on SpaceX's first Falcon 1 rocket was four years behind schedule. The first three Falcon 1 launches ended in failure. Launch failures are not uncommon in the space industry, but SpaceX couldn't afford the luxury. The engineers fixed all the shortcomings and the fourth launch was successful, but there was no money left for the fifth.
NASA has a wacky principle that mistakes are unacceptable. In my company, failure is possible. If something doesn't fall apart, then you are not inventing well enough.
Elon Musk
Tesla founder Martin Eberhard (Nicki Dugan / Flickr)
Things were even worse at Tesla. Counterparties constantly disrupted the supply of parts, costs rose, and the public began to lose patience. The prime cost of one car, according to optimistic forecasts, was $ 170-200 thousand, and Tesla planned to sell the Roadster for 85 thousand. Musk became disenchanted with Eberhard's leadership and deposed him. Martin had a hard time getting fired and launched a media campaign against Musk. Their relationship remained tense, but Eberhard later admitted that without Musk, Tesla would have gone broke in the beginning.
Hard times have come in Ilona's life. No one seriously believed in the success of his endeavors, and the constant failures of SpaceX and Tesla did not solidify his reputation. Rumors about the companies' financial problems have leaked to the press.
Personal life also went downhill. For Ilona, the family always came second after work. Although Elon and Justine had known each other for many years and raised five children, she always felt that she was something of an accessory for her husband. Their marriage came to a standstill, and Elon filed for divorce. Musk treated the divorce proceedings as a business project and sought the most convenient result for himself. The press wondered why the multimillionaire was arguing with the mother of his five children about the amount of compensation. But Elon could not afford to waste.
In December 2008, Musk ran out of money. If by January Elon had not found the necessary funds, Tesla could have been declared bankrupt, and SpaceX employees would have had nothing to pay their salaries to. Musk figured that he would have to sacrifice one of the companies to keep the other, but was unable to make a choice.
Breakthrough
Musk found the money at the very last moment. He invested the rest of his funds in Tesla and convinced investors to believe in it one more time. And with SpaceX, he was just lucky. Musk spent a long time trying to convince NASA that his company could become a contractor for the transportation of goods into orbit. And on December 23, 2008, the space agency signed a one and a half billion contract with SpaceX for twelve flights to the ISS.
And here Musk's undertakings began to work at full capacity, and from a man who promised, promised and promised again for many years, he turned into a man who began to do. Now SpaceX holds several records at once, and Musk does not intend to stop there.
Tesla is doing well, too. The Tesla Roadster sold well, but the model S, released in 2012, was a real hit. Tesla Motors is positioning it as an "iPhone on wheels." Even the distribution is based on the Apple model - Tesla sells cars via the Internet and special points of sale located in large shopping centers. Model S owners have little or no service fees. The programs are automatically updated via the Internet, and owners can charge their cars for free at any of Tesla's electric stations. Or, if they are in a hurry, they can change the battery, but for money. In addition to cars, Tesla makes batteries for other companies' electric vehicles, and the sale of batteries is even more profitable.
Even if a zombie apocalypse strikes, you can still travel thanks to gas stations and Tesla Supercharging.
Elon Musk
Another of Musk's endeavors is doing well - SolarCity, created by Elon and his cousins. SolarCity is one of the largest solar energy providers in America, with an estimated $ 7 billion in assets last year.
However, Musk's life cannot be called carefree. He says he has three goals: to provide humankind with clean transportation and energy sources, and to help build colonies on other worlds. Elon dreams of dying on Mars. And if the first two tasks are close to being completed, then the third is still to go and go.
Musk considers the main task of SpaceX to conquer other planets Solar system... He plans to start from Mars. The Dragon V2 spacecraft, which SpaceX is currently developing for NASA's needs, should ideally be the basis for flights to the Red Planet, but Musk's ambitions go much further. Recently, the tycoon recalled that to create a colony on Mars, the planet needs to be terraformed. For these purposes, Musk suggests using ... thermonuclear weapons. According to his calculations, the explosion of two thermonuclear bombs in the atmosphere near the poles of Mars will trigger a reaction to heat up the planet and ultimately turn it into a more favorable place for people.
I would like to die on Mars. Only, of course, not with a bad landing.
Elon Musk
According to Musk's calculations, Hyperloop will cost several times cheaper, the capsules will move at short intervals, and the road between cities will take only half an hour. However, Musk himself does not intend to engage in construction and plans to lay out the blueprints of the project in the public domain. Today, there are several teams at once ready to bring Elon's vision to life.
What is he like?
Despite all of his successes, Musk is often criticized. The press calculated that since the founding of SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity have received a total of $ 5 billion in government orders, subsidies and tax breaks. Musk is accused of having achieved nothing without Uncle Sam's help.
However, even with the help of the state, he achieved what no one could. And I could hardly have done it if it were not for the strength of character. Friends say that Musk is strict and sometimes cruel with employees and partners. He completely disregards the feelings of other people. However, SpaceX and Tesla employees are loyal to their boss and say that although he is an incorrigible asshole in communication, he knows what he wants and knows how to infect others with optimism. Elon does not tolerate excuses, excuses and delays, but when difficulties arise, he is the first to volunteer to help.
The working week of the Mask exceeds one hundred hours. He actually lives at work and constantly flies between the offices of companies on private jet to save time. He strives to be aware of all the problems of his subordinates, and it is normal for him to respond to emails from employees within half an hour, even if it came late at night.
* * *
Elon Musk's ideas seem crazy, but over and over again he turns out to be right, it's just that society does not keep up with his train of thought. In another world, Elon Musk would be perfect for the role of a villain in the next episode of Bond, but his passion for science, space and science fiction make it difficult to discern in him an unprincipled businessman. He remains a visionary, preoccupied with a better future for all of humanity, living in an era when the brightest minds are thinking how to cram more pictures of cats into a post on a social network.
I enjoy participating in projects that are changing the world. The internet did, and space is likely to change the world more than anything else. If humanity can go beyond the Earth, it is obvious that its future lies there.
Elon Musk
In our cynical and calculating age, there are few such ideological dreamers left. Therefore, I want to keep my fists for Elon Musk and believe that he will succeed.
If the article is not enough for you ...
In early 2015, a book by American journalist Ashley Vance “Elon Musk. Tesla, SpaceX and the road to the future. " While working on the book, Vance interviewed Musk's family and friends, former and current employees of Tesla, SpaceX, PayPal and Zip2.
At first, Musk himself did not want to help Vance with work, but then agreed - on condition that he could offer his own versions of the events described. Vance refused, but Musk suddenly accepted the reporter's terms and met him regularly throughout the work on the book. Vance himself believes that Musk was convinced by the journalist's decisiveness and his confidence in how to work.
There are many funny moments in the book - for example, Musk said that his family was afraid that representatives of the Russian space industry would hire killers to eliminate a competitor.
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