If you know Elon Musk only from memes, then you do not know anything about Elon Musk.
By the age of 48, he has become one of the 50 richest people on the planet, developed a spacecraft for flights to Mars, created the safest electric car in the world, provided energy to an entire island and drilled a high-speed tunnel under Las Vegas. He also plans to make cyborgs out of people.
In this article, we will tell you about the ambitious billionaire Elon Musk. We are sure you will be interested.
Surprisingly, Musk was not just an inquisitive and intelligent boy, but also a young entrepreneur. At the age of 12, he programmed the first computer game. And I figured out how to sell it. Together with his brother, Elon decided to open a game room. They reached an agreement with the equipment supplier, found a lease. The last stage was the approval of the local authorities, which the brothers never received, since only adult citizens could engage in entrepreneurial activity.
At the age of 17, Musk left his home and went to the land of opportunities - America. He earned two bachelor's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania: engineering and business. Next was Stanford. But Musk didn't really care about his studies. He dreamed of changing the world and told the administration of his desire to quit his studies and create an Internet company with the condition: if the venture does not succeed, he will be admitted to Stanford again.
At 24 years old, together with his brother, Musk created the Zip2 company. They had nothing but $ 2,000 and a strong desire to take action. The firm's vision was to digitize newspapers. Considering that the cyber era was just beginning, Musk's idea was groundbreaking. He wrote a simple computer program and created the first online city directory. Most people did not take the brothers' idea seriously. Moreover, some newspaper owners were furious, trying to prove that converting newspapers from print to digital is crazy.
But the Musk brothers didn't stop. As a result, they were able to make their clients such media giants as The New York Times and Hearst Corporation. And in 1999, Computer Corporation Compaq bought Musk's startup for $ 307 million in cash and $ 34 million in stock.
At the age of 28, Elon Musk became a millionaire.
In 2002, eBay Inc., at that time the main competitor of Musk's new company, bought PayPal for $ 1.5 billion. Musk received $ 180 million from this deal.
The venture did not inspire confidence among investors, so Musk invested in the company almost all of his earned money - $ 100 million. He was to build a missile system. And he went to Russia to buy back the decommissioned rocket for experiments.
Musk understood that going into space was not a problem. The problem is the unaffordable flight costs. Therefore, his main goal was to reduce costs. Musk dealt with her too. He was able to improve the technology of entering orbit, reducing costs by several points compared to other space corporations.
The main brainchild of SpaceX is the Starship starship. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a reusable spacecraft. Moreover, it will fly not only to Mars and the Moon, but also within the Earth, delivering goods and people to distant parts of the planet in half an hour. The Starship transport system is the most powerful of all existing and planned space rockets. Its diameter is 9 meters, height - 118 meters. Starship is capable of transporting up to 150 tons of cargo.
Musk plans to send the first working expedition to Mars in 2022 to survey the red planet for water and danger, as well as create the basic infrastructure for colonization work. The second phase of the space mission is scheduled for 2024.
Musk's project is very ambitious. Even NASA (the US federal space agency) is going to first master the moon, sending astronauts there in 2024, and only then begin to colonize Mars.
In 2018, Musk publicly announced that his company's first private space tourist would be billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, curator of the Contemporary Art Foundation. Maezawa's flight around the moon will take place in 2023.
Elon Musk continues to work to reduce the cost of interplanetary travel. He dreams of making a flight to another planet equal to the price of an airplane flight to a neighboring city.
The company has set itself the goal of delivering a complete, coveted and compelling electric car, breaking the stereotype that tiny electric cars are only for golf.
With an electric propulsion system, Tesla's first Roadster was able to cover a distance of 300 km without recharging. Developed a speed of 200 km / h and accelerated to 100 km / h in 4 seconds. Actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio became the "star" buyers of the Roadster .
Skeptics have argued that Tesla will not be able to mass-produce low-cost cars for ordinary people. Indeed, the production costs were colossal. Investors refused to help a young and unreliable startup. When the cost of one car was $ 140,000, Musk was faced with a choice: either to close the company, or to invest in it all his income from the sale of PayPal.
The entrepreneur chose the latter. He took control of Tesla. Fired a quarter of employees, including one of the founders of the company. To save the firm, Musk convinced automotive giant Daimler to buy electric batteries from Tesla to make smart cars. To do this, the Tesla team had to completely convert a gasoline smart car into an electric one in just 4 weeks.
Next, the production of the Model S family sedan was launched. It became the first electric car to receive the title of car of the year according to the popular US magazine Motor Trend in 2013. But Musk's joy was short-lived. Soon, media tycoon The New York Times published an article reporting that the Model S's battery did not match the declared capacity, and the only way to move the electric car was a tow truck.
Musk was furious that The New York Times statement was untrue. He issued an angry response, although many believed that arguing with the media mogul was a deliberately failed idea. But Musk won this battle. The New York Times admitted that the article was inaccurate.
After the Model S, the Tesla line was replenished with the Model 3 and Model X electric cars.Together, the letters of the three models form the abbreviation S3X, where, according to Musk's idea, 3 is an inverted letter E. Thus, Musk wanted to show that an electric car is not only environmentally friendly and modern, but also sexy.
In 2012, the first Tesla Superchargers appeared. At the moment, Elon Musk's charging stations are open in more than 50 countries around the world.
In 2015, Tesla launched the production of large-size multipurpose batteries. After another 2 years, Musk built a backup electrical storage facility in the United States, capable of powering 30,000 homes for an hour.
SolarCity offered people to install solar panels on their rooftops. In fact, I rented out panels. The buyers benefit was that the solar panel rent was lower than the government's electricity bill. A year later, SolarCity took the lead in solar energy providers in the United States.
SolarCity later began partnering with commercial firms. In 2008, the company covered over 18,000 square meters of eBay office building rooftops with solar panels . SolarCity's clients also include British Motor Car, the world's largest trader Walmart, computer giant Intel, and even the US Army.
In 2016, solar panels SolarCity and Tesla batteries covered one of the islands of the Samoa archipelago. Local residents (about 600 people) were fully provided with renewable energy.
The only salvation for homo sapiens, according to Musk, is to merge with AI. Another billionaire company, Neuralink, is developing cyborgization. Its activities are focused on research in the field of medicine. Musk claims that Neuralink's developments are capable of restoring sensory and motor functions in cases of paralysis, as well as curing neurological diseases, incl. schizophrenia and autism.
Scientists from Neuralink have created a special technology. Microfibers with electrodes, which are much thinner than a human hair, are planned to be implanted into the brain. The operation will be performed by a specially designed robotic surgeon. Its high-precision optics help avoid vascular damage and inflammation. The technology requires breaking the integrity of the skull (drilling), but in the future Neuralink wants to use lasers and make the operation less traumatic.
The implanted neurons will be connected to special chips. The chips will transmit signals wirelessly from the brain to a receiver - a small box located behind the ear. And the receiver, in turn, is for a computer or smartphone. Thus, a person with the help of the power of thought will be able to type text and use the Internet.
The technology is called "neural lace". It is assumed that the implanted filaments will be able to find problem areas in the brain, improve cognitive function and heal damage. Over time, the "lace" will take root, becoming an integral part of the brain. And it will allow a person to compete with a highly developed AI.
The problem of ground traffic, according to Musk, can be solved in two ways: use the air by building flying machines, or go underground, digging tunnels. The first option is unsafe, noisy and dependent on weather conditions. The second option is devoid of these disadvantages.
Musk's idea is not new. However, it is he who is going to bring it to life, having solved the main problem: high costs. Musk plans to use special electric skateboards (sleds) with which the car will move through the tunnel. Thus, the diameter of the tunnel will be reduced, which means that costs will be reduced.
Musk already has a customer. By the end of 2021, The Boring Company will build the first commercial high-speed tunnel for the Las Vegas City Convention Center. Passengers will move through the tunnel in unmanned Tesla electric cars at a speed of 200-250 km / h.
Elon Musk is not just looking to the future. He makes the future. Eco-friendly, renewable energy at the service of humanity. Humanity itself is like an interplanetary species. For Elon Musk, these are not just fantasies and dreams. These are the goals to which he confidently goes and intends to achieve during his lifetime.
Friends, learn confidence from people like Elon Musk. Believe in yourself unconditionally. And strength on your way to achieving your goals!
By the age of 48, he has become one of the 50 richest people on the planet, developed a spacecraft for flights to Mars, created the safest electric car in the world, provided energy to an entire island and drilled a high-speed tunnel under Las Vegas. He also plans to make cyborgs out of people.
In this article, we will tell you about the ambitious billionaire Elon Musk. We are sure you will be interested.
Briefly about biography
Elon Musk was born in South Africa in 1971. He was a typical nerd kid. He had an impeccable memory and read all the books in the house. When the older members of the family had questions, they turned to schoolboy Elon for an answer. His head seemed to be an encyclopedia.Surprisingly, Musk was not just an inquisitive and intelligent boy, but also a young entrepreneur. At the age of 12, he programmed the first computer game. And I figured out how to sell it. Together with his brother, Elon decided to open a game room. They reached an agreement with the equipment supplier, found a lease. The last stage was the approval of the local authorities, which the brothers never received, since only adult citizens could engage in entrepreneurial activity.
At the age of 17, Musk left his home and went to the land of opportunities - America. He earned two bachelor's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania: engineering and business. Next was Stanford. But Musk didn't really care about his studies. He dreamed of changing the world and told the administration of his desire to quit his studies and create an Internet company with the condition: if the venture does not succeed, he will be admitted to Stanford again.
First business success
Don't eat, work all night long, and bathe in the gym, because your own apartment is so poor that there is no bathroom. What does this mean? About future success! This was confirmed by Elon Musk.At 24 years old, together with his brother, Musk created the Zip2 company. They had nothing but $ 2,000 and a strong desire to take action. The firm's vision was to digitize newspapers. Considering that the cyber era was just beginning, Musk's idea was groundbreaking. He wrote a simple computer program and created the first online city directory. Most people did not take the brothers' idea seriously. Moreover, some newspaper owners were furious, trying to prove that converting newspapers from print to digital is crazy.
But the Musk brothers didn't stop. As a result, they were able to make their clients such media giants as The New York Times and Hearst Corporation. And in 1999, Computer Corporation Compaq bought Musk's startup for $ 307 million in cash and $ 34 million in stock.
At the age of 28, Elon Musk became a millionaire.
An innovation that is used by the whole world
However, the monetary success did not make Musk any happier. He dreamed of creating a company whose activities will cause the "Wow!" And he did it. Elon Musk organized PayPal. The company has transformed the entire financial industry and has become the world's leading payment system.In 2002, eBay Inc., at that time the main competitor of Musk's new company, bought PayPal for $ 1.5 billion. Musk received $ 180 million from this deal.
When the whole planet is not enough
Musk was in no hurry to spend his millions on earthly pleasures. His innovative thinking took him far. Far beyond the planet. In 2002, Elon Musk created SpaceX and set himself the goal of colonizing Mars.The venture did not inspire confidence among investors, so Musk invested in the company almost all of his earned money - $ 100 million. He was to build a missile system. And he went to Russia to buy back the decommissioned rocket for experiments.
Musk understood that going into space was not a problem. The problem is the unaffordable flight costs. Therefore, his main goal was to reduce costs. Musk dealt with her too. He was able to improve the technology of entering orbit, reducing costs by several points compared to other space corporations.
The main brainchild of SpaceX is the Starship starship. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a reusable spacecraft. Moreover, it will fly not only to Mars and the Moon, but also within the Earth, delivering goods and people to distant parts of the planet in half an hour. The Starship transport system is the most powerful of all existing and planned space rockets. Its diameter is 9 meters, height - 118 meters. Starship is capable of transporting up to 150 tons of cargo.
Musk plans to send the first working expedition to Mars in 2022 to survey the red planet for water and danger, as well as create the basic infrastructure for colonization work. The second phase of the space mission is scheduled for 2024.
Musk's project is very ambitious. Even NASA (the US federal space agency) is going to first master the moon, sending astronauts there in 2024, and only then begin to colonize Mars.
In 2018, Musk publicly announced that his company's first private space tourist would be billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, curator of the Contemporary Art Foundation. Maezawa's flight around the moon will take place in 2023.
Elon Musk continues to work to reduce the cost of interplanetary travel. He dreams of making a flight to another planet equal to the price of an airplane flight to a neighboring city.
Electric car - a car not only for golf
Musk has always dreamed of ridding the world of fuel dependence. And I decided to start with the automotive industry. In 2004, he took over the electric car company Tesla, investing $ 6.3 million of his own funds in it. Musk's plan was to create a high-speed, state-of-the-art electric vehicle to draw attention to Tesla. And then set up the production of affordable electric cars for the general public.The company has set itself the goal of delivering a complete, coveted and compelling electric car, breaking the stereotype that tiny electric cars are only for golf.
With an electric propulsion system, Tesla's first Roadster was able to cover a distance of 300 km without recharging. Developed a speed of 200 km / h and accelerated to 100 km / h in 4 seconds. Actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio became the "star" buyers of the Roadster .
Skeptics have argued that Tesla will not be able to mass-produce low-cost cars for ordinary people. Indeed, the production costs were colossal. Investors refused to help a young and unreliable startup. When the cost of one car was $ 140,000, Musk was faced with a choice: either to close the company, or to invest in it all his income from the sale of PayPal.
The entrepreneur chose the latter. He took control of Tesla. Fired a quarter of employees, including one of the founders of the company. To save the firm, Musk convinced automotive giant Daimler to buy electric batteries from Tesla to make smart cars. To do this, the Tesla team had to completely convert a gasoline smart car into an electric one in just 4 weeks.
Next, the production of the Model S family sedan was launched. It became the first electric car to receive the title of car of the year according to the popular US magazine Motor Trend in 2013. But Musk's joy was short-lived. Soon, media tycoon The New York Times published an article reporting that the Model S's battery did not match the declared capacity, and the only way to move the electric car was a tow truck.
Musk was furious that The New York Times statement was untrue. He issued an angry response, although many believed that arguing with the media mogul was a deliberately failed idea. But Musk won this battle. The New York Times admitted that the article was inaccurate.
After the Model S, the Tesla line was replenished with the Model 3 and Model X electric cars.Together, the letters of the three models form the abbreviation S3X, where, according to Musk's idea, 3 is an inverted letter E. Thus, Musk wanted to show that an electric car is not only environmentally friendly and modern, but also sexy.
In 2012, the first Tesla Superchargers appeared. At the moment, Elon Musk's charging stations are open in more than 50 countries around the world.
In 2015, Tesla launched the production of large-size multipurpose batteries. After another 2 years, Musk built a backup electrical storage facility in the United States, capable of powering 30,000 homes for an hour.
Solar energy in every home
In 2006, Ilona Mask came up with the idea of creating a company in the field of solar energy. He invited his cousins to bring the idea to life. This is how the SolarCity company appeared, in which Musk became the main investor.SolarCity offered people to install solar panels on their rooftops. In fact, I rented out panels. The buyers benefit was that the solar panel rent was lower than the government's electricity bill. A year later, SolarCity took the lead in solar energy providers in the United States.
SolarCity later began partnering with commercial firms. In 2008, the company covered over 18,000 square meters of eBay office building rooftops with solar panels . SolarCity's clients also include British Motor Car, the world's largest trader Walmart, computer giant Intel, and even the US Army.
In 2016, solar panels SolarCity and Tesla batteries covered one of the islands of the Samoa archipelago. Local residents (about 600 people) were fully provided with renewable energy.
Elon Musk on artificial intelligence
The billionaire has repeatedly expressed the idea of the danger of artificial intelligence (AI). If nothing is done, then humanity will cease to be the dominant species, and the maximum that homo sapiens expects is the fate of the monkey in the cage. Musk thinks it foolish to deny the superiority of AI. The human brain, although it is able to accommodate petabytes (10 15 bytes) of data, which is comparable to the volume of the entire Internet, but the human speed of information reproduction is negligible.The only salvation for homo sapiens, according to Musk, is to merge with AI. Another billionaire company, Neuralink, is developing cyborgization. Its activities are focused on research in the field of medicine. Musk claims that Neuralink's developments are capable of restoring sensory and motor functions in cases of paralysis, as well as curing neurological diseases, incl. schizophrenia and autism.
Scientists from Neuralink have created a special technology. Microfibers with electrodes, which are much thinner than a human hair, are planned to be implanted into the brain. The operation will be performed by a specially designed robotic surgeon. Its high-precision optics help avoid vascular damage and inflammation. The technology requires breaking the integrity of the skull (drilling), but in the future Neuralink wants to use lasers and make the operation less traumatic.
The implanted neurons will be connected to special chips. The chips will transmit signals wirelessly from the brain to a receiver - a small box located behind the ear. And the receiver, in turn, is for a computer or smartphone. Thus, a person with the help of the power of thought will be able to type text and use the Internet.
The technology is called "neural lace". It is assumed that the implanted filaments will be able to find problem areas in the brain, improve cognitive function and heal damage. Over time, the "lace" will take root, becoming an integral part of the brain. And it will allow a person to compete with a highly developed AI.
Drilling company
At the end of 2016, exhausted by endless traffic jams, Elon Musk organized The Boring Company to drill underground tunnels. The billionaire bought a used drilling machine and said that the designers of The Boring Company will take it as a prototype and create a machine that can dig tunnels 10 times faster. After a while, it happened: a drilling machine called Godot was developed.The problem of ground traffic, according to Musk, can be solved in two ways: use the air by building flying machines, or go underground, digging tunnels. The first option is unsafe, noisy and dependent on weather conditions. The second option is devoid of these disadvantages.
Musk's idea is not new. However, it is he who is going to bring it to life, having solved the main problem: high costs. Musk plans to use special electric skateboards (sleds) with which the car will move through the tunnel. Thus, the diameter of the tunnel will be reduced, which means that costs will be reduced.
Musk already has a customer. By the end of 2021, The Boring Company will build the first commercial high-speed tunnel for the Las Vegas City Convention Center. Passengers will move through the tunnel in unmanned Tesla electric cars at a speed of 200-250 km / h.
Elon Musk is not just looking to the future. He makes the future. Eco-friendly, renewable energy at the service of humanity. Humanity itself is like an interplanetary species. For Elon Musk, these are not just fantasies and dreams. These are the goals to which he confidently goes and intends to achieve during his lifetime.
Friends, learn confidence from people like Elon Musk. Believe in yourself unconditionally. And strength on your way to achieving your goals!
