How many times have people said that it is mandatory that something changes, or that something needs to change about a certain issue? For example, car manufacturers need to do something about emissions in order to neutralize the threat of global warming. And time after time she who says "take action" sits back and expects somebody else to turn their words into something tangible. And I believe that is what makes Elon Musk's work so fascinating.
I'd like to start off by giving an overview of Musk's life story and where he has come to and from. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1971. Musk's parents became divorced when he was just nine years old. During early childhood, he would spend countless hours reading. Even to the point where he ran out of things to read so he had to read the Encyclopedia! He obtained an unseen willingness and passion to learn. He went through a six-month BASIC program in just three days at age 11, and at age 12 he wrote his first video game "Blastar". He ended up moving to Canada and obtaining citizenship due to his mother. In 1989 he started college in Ontario.
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He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania where he double majored in physics and economics and graduated in 1994. After working for a bit, he was enrolled at Stanford for his PhD, but he dropped out within two days. In 1999, he made his first big sale for $22 million dollars by selling Zip2, which was a company that licensed online maps and business directories to newspapers. In 2000, he merged his company X.com with Confinity to form the infamously known Paypal. In 2002, he founded SpaceX and sold Paypal for roughly $180 millions dollars. In 2004, he invested in Tesla which he is now well-known for.
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His first ever launch for SpaceX failed in 2006 as well as the second and the third in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The first production Tesla roadsters were delivered in 2008, unveiled the Model S in 2009, and the Model X in 2012. SpaceX landed their first reusable rocket in 2015 and most recently they have launched the Falcon-Heavy, the most powerful rocket since the Saturn-V.
Image SourceMusk has also started The Boring Company, where he initially started to dig tunnels underground in order to create a solution to traffic.
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Image SourceAnd most recently, out of the blue, decided to develop "not-a-flamethrowers" and sell them to the public.
Image SourceMusk has accomplished many other goals not listed above, but I think it is clear how much he has been able to do. Some may call it a mid-life crisis, but I like to view it as a stroke of genius. In my opinion, Elon Musk has surpassed what was thought of as the limitations of what one person can do. Who would have thought that a boy from Pretoria, South Africa would be able to have such a great impact on the world? He did. And when it comes down to the bone, I believe that is all that truly mattered. He has accomplished a variety of successes that may seem unfathomable to some people. From selling his own video game at age twelve, to founding Paypal, and launching chunks of metal to the Mars. He truly is an inspiration and someone that everybody should try to emulate to some degree. His picture should be placed next to the term "hardwork" in Webster's Pictorial Dictionary.
So to answer my question of "what in the world is Elon Musk doing?", I would respond by saying he is simply leaving the world as we know it behind. In a time where everything is exponentially changing, he fully understands that the current status of society, in every aspect, has not reached its peak, and that there is so much more out there that we must explore to great depths. However, as his life story goes to show, it will not be an easy task. It will be a gritty and enduring task in order to advance. But you must have good spirits about it and anticipate failure. "SpaceX Failed Landing Attempts"](
I vouch for people to support his goals and aspirations and really pay attention to what he is doing. Although it might seem as if some of his actions are a bit far-fetched, I believe that there is good reasoning behind it all. So let's join Starman and Elon Musk and continue to change the world in ways that were never thought to be possible and let's leave the world as we know it behind.
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