- Elon Musk is the charismatic co-founder and CEO of electric car maker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX.
- Born and raised in South Africa, Musk spent time in Canada before finally moving to the U.S.
- Educated at the University of Pennsylvania in physics, Musk started getting his feet wet as a serial tech entrepreneur with early successes like Zip2 and X.com.
- He was instrumental in creating the company that became PayPal.
- Musk has behaved in eccentric ways from time to time and has identified himself as having Asperger's syndrome.
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In 2017, Musk purchased the X.com domain name back from PayPal, citing its sentimental value.21
Tesla
First, he contributed funding—about $70 million.7 Then, in 2004, Musk joined engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to help run Tesla Motors, where Musk was integral in designing the Tesla Roadster, an electric car. Although After Eberhard was ousted from the firm in 2007, following a series of disagreements, Musk seized management control as CEO and product architect. Under his watch, Tesla has become one of the world’s most popular and coveted car brands.22
In addition to producing electric vehicles, Tesla maintains a robust presence in the solar energy space, thanks to its acquisition of SolarCity.23Founded in 2006, this clean-energy-services company currently produces two rechargeable solar batteries, mainly used for stationary energy storage purposes.24 The smaller Powerwall was developed for home backup power and off-the-grid use, while the larger Powerpack is intended for commercial or electric utility grid use.2526
SpaceX
Musk used much of the proceeds of his PayPal sale to found Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, commonly known as SpaceX, an interstellar travel company. By his own account, Musk spent $100 million to found SpaceX in 2002.
With SpaceX, Musk landed several high-profile contracts with NASA and the U.S. Air Force to design rockets and conduct military missions. Musk has been vocal about his plans to send an astronaut to Mars by 2025 in a collaborative effort with NASA.27
Personal Eccentricities
On Sept. 7, 2018, Musk appeared to be smoking marijuana while being interviewed for a podcast.28 Coupled with the exit of two Tesla executives—its head of human resources and its chief accounting officer—that news saw the stock drop in trade. This was just another addition to the string of bad news for the company that year, which included a shareholder lawsuit against Musk and Tesla for his infamous tweet on Aug. 7, 2018.29 Musk had tweeted that he was considering taking Tesla private.30 The company later decided against the move.31
During his May 8, 2021 appearance on the TV show Saturday Night Live, Musk revealed that he has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism spectrum disorder. "I'm actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger's to host SNL. Or at least the first person to admit it," he said. How does neurodevelopment condition manifest itself? "I don't always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak, which I'm told makes for great comedy," Musk explained.
Who Is Elon Musk's Present Wife?
Elon Musk has had two wives but is currently unmarried. Since 2018, he has been in a relationship with the Canadian singer/songwriter Claire Elise Boucher,professionally known as Grimes, with whom he has a son.
How Rich Is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk's net worth is around $151 billion, as of 2021. He ranks as the second richest person on the planet on Forbes' World Billionaires List.2
What Does Elon Musk Do at Tesla?
Elon Musk is officially listed as the co-founder and CEO of Tesla on the company's website.32In a March 15, 2021 filing with the SEC, the company disclosed that Musk is also adopting the title "Technoking of Tesla."33
After PayPal slipped away, Musk turned his attention to an electric-car start-up called Tesla Motors.3
The Bottom Line
Musk’s early interests in philosophy, science fiction, and fantasy novels are reflected in his sense of idealism and concern with human progress—and in his business career. He works in the areas that he has identified as crucial to our future, specifically the Internet, the transition to renewable energy sources, and space colonization. He has defied critics, disrupted industries, and made advances in all three of these frontiers, via his creation of PayPal, Tesla Motors, SolarCity, and SpaceX—game-changers all, despite their sometimes rocky performance.
Who Is Elon Musk?
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