Furthermore, he says they could only afford one computer, and consequently, according to Musk, "The website was up during the day and I was coding it at night, seven days a week, all the time. Early life and Education Elon Reeve Musk was born June 21, 1971 to Maye Musk and Errol Musk in Pretoria, South Africa. [357], Musk is chairman of the Musk Foundation, which states its purpose is to provide solar-power energy systems in disaster areas as well as other goals. [181] The factory was operated as a joint venture with Panasonic until early 2020. Starship will have a 9-meter (30 ft) core diameter. Musk met his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson, while both were students at Ontario's Queen's University. [236][237] Then, on August 28, 2018, in response to criticism from a writer on Twitter, Musk tweeted "You don't think it's strange he hasn't sued me? [91], Musk, who was influenced by Isaac Asimov's Foundation series,[92] views space exploration as an important step in preserving and expanding the consciousness of human life, and argues that multiplanetary life may serve as a hedge against threats to the survival of the human species. [303] Musk responded to Zuckerberg's censure by saying that following a discussion he had about AI with Zuckerberg he was of the opinion that Mark had only a "limited understanding" of the subject. [384][385][386] On January 8, 2020, Grimes announced that she was pregnant with their first child. [124][125][126] In addition to its own cars, Tesla sold electric powertrain systems to Daimler (for the Smart EV, Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive and Mercedes A Class), and to Toyota (for the RAV4 EV). "[379] In July 2013, Musk and Riley remarried. One of the highest profile and controversial aspects of the program was Musk's sampling a single puff from a cigar consisting, Rogan claimed, of tobacco laced with cannabis. A Bit of Themselves", "Tesla Passes 1 Million EV Milestone & Model 3 Becomes All Time Best Seller", "Tesla's Elon Musk blames Ford for killing S-E-X", "Musk Gets Tesla.com Domain Name After Waiting a Decade", "Inside Tesla's Gigafactory: A Crazy Idea Takes Shape In Nevada", "Panasonic sees strong demand from Tesla, in talks to expand Nevada battery plant", "In the wake of a fatal crash, Tesla will quit using Mobileye's chips for Autopilot vision", "Tesla Supplier Says It Broke With Carmaker Over Autopilot Safety Concerns", "Elon Musk has 100 days to build the world's biggest battery", "Elon Musk: I can fix South Australia power network in 100 days or it's free", "Hornsdale and its big Tesla battery exceed expectations as storage revenue surges", "Tesla battery proves a leading source of dispatchable power, AEMO says", "South Australia's giant Tesla battery output and storage set to increase by 50 per cent", "S.E.C. 9  His father was an engineer and his mother was a model … to the Moon", "SpaceX has signed a private passenger for the first BFR launch around the Moon", "Musk hints at further changes in BFR design", "Goodbye, BFR ... hello, Starship: Elon Musk gives a classic name to his Mars spaceship", "After two scrubs, Elon Musk says he will visit SpaceX launch sites in Florida", "SpaceX and NASA launch Crew Dragon in Florida: Live updates", "Launch America - a partnership between NASA and private space companies – will help open the space above Earth to people besides government astronauts", "I have been chief engineer/designer at SpaceX from day 1. Elon Musk’s Economics 101 Course For Japan Tesla's billionaire founder reminded Japan that the real gold rush of the decade ahead isn’t making … [270][271] A 2012 report from the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan group that tracks government spending, found that since 2002, SpaceX had spent more than US$4 million on lobbying the United States Congress and more than US$800,000 in political contributions to Democrats and Republicans. He has a younger brother who was an early business partner of his, Kimbal (born 1972), and a younger sister, Tosca (born 1974), the CEO of the video streaming site Passionflix. Many neuroscientists and publications criticized these claims. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is among the most charismatic yet controversial business leaders. [325] In early 2020, Musk likened some aspects of COVID-19 to the common cold and stated that "the coronavirus panic is dumb",[326][327][328] and "danger of panic still far exceeds danger of corona imo. [97] In September 2016, Musk revealed details of his architecture to explore and colonize Mars. On September 5, the reporter tweeted a screenshot of the email, saying that "Off the record is a two-party agreement," which he "did not agree to. [102][better source needed], In a September 2018 announcement of a planned 2023 lunar circumnavigation mission, a private flight called #dearMoon project,[103] Musk showed a redesigned concept for the BFR second stage and spaceship with three rear fins and two front canard fins added for atmospheric entry, replacing the previous delta wing and split flaps shown a year earlier. [109], During discourse with his peers when the technology of SpaceX was criticized or had the potential to cause fatalities, Elon Musk has described himself as the company's responsible chief engineer/designer, while giving the entire team at SpaceX credit for its success. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world". [107], On May 30, 2020, SpaceX launched its first manned flight called Demo-2 becoming the first private company to both place a person into orbit and to eventually dock a crewed space-craft with the ISS. [369] Musk has been a top donor for the ACLU. He is also moving his private foundation to Austin, according to a report from Bloomberg. [300] In January 2015, he donated $10 million to the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, an organization focused on challenges posed by advanced technologies. [158] The SEC reacted to Musk's tweet by filing in court, initially asking the court to hold him in contempt for violating the terms of a settlement agreement with such a tweet, which was disputed by Musk. [352][353], On November 16, 2020, the phrase "Space Karen" began to trend on Twitter after a scientist referred to Musk as such over comments he made questioning the effectiveness of COVID-19 testing and suggested he "didn't read up on the test" before complaining. Significant development on the vehicles began in 2017, with an initial prototype unveiled in September 2019,[99] while the new rocket engine (Raptor) development began in 2012,[100][101] with a first test flight performed in August 2019. Entrepreneur Elon Musk is a man with many plans. Don’t confuse education with schooling, I didn’t go to Harvard but people who work for me did. In February 2002, the group returned to Russia to look for three ICBMs, bringing along Mike Griffin. Musk isn't just CEO of Tesla—he founded several companies, too. Although Musk was educated in both physics and economics, it is physics that seems to have shaped his career the most. [160] On May 19, 2020, a judge prevented a lawsuit from proceeding that claimed Musk's tweet on May 1 regarding the price of Tesla stock ("too high imo") was in violation of the agreement. Musk has seven children, six are still living. [166] Blade Runner was one of Musk's design inspirations for the Cybertruck. [318][323], Musk has received criticism over his views on and actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Family gatherings with close contact between kids & grandparents probably most risky", "Elon Musk is dangerously wrong about the novel coronavirus", "Tesla Plan to Keep Factory Open Thrown Up in Air by Sheriff", "Tesla, Inc. Q1 2020 Financial Results and Q&A Webcast", "Elon Musk calls for end to 'fascist' coronavirus lockdown 'forcibly imprisoning people in their homes, "Tesla files lawsuit against California county over plant shutdown", "Tesla withdraws Alameda County lawsuit as Fremont factory returns to normal operations", "Breaking virus lockdown rules, suing officials, threatening staff, raging on Twitter. [407], In October 2017, Musk was mentioned as being part of the shared Star Trek universe on the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery. [19][21][25] His maternal grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was an American-born Canadian. [56][better source needed] Before the company became successful, Musk says he could not afford an apartment, instead sleeping on the office couch and showering at the YMCA. [214], As a merchandising and publicity stunt, Musk said TBC sold 2,000 "flamethrowers" in 2018,[215][216] allegedly inspired by the Mel Brooks-directed film Spaceballs (1987). An avid fan of computers, by the age of twelve, Musk had written the code for his own video [241][242] On August 30, using details produced during the alleged investigation,[243] Musk sent a BuzzFeed News reporter who had written about the controversy an email prefaced with "off the record" and claimed that Unsworth is a "single white guy from England who's been traveling to or living in Thailand for 30 to 40 years... until moving to Chiang Rai for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time." [98], In late 2017, SpaceX unveiled the design for its next-generation launch vehicle and spacecraft system, Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), that would support all SpaceX launch service provider capabilities with a single set of very large vehicles: Earth-orbit, Lunar-orbit, interplanetary missions, and even intercontinental passenger transport on Earth, and totally replace the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Dragon vehicles in the 2020s. [248] During the trial Musk apologized to Unsworth again for the initial tweet. [144] This deadline was achieved[145] and the resulting battery exceeded expected performance and returns,[146] despite skepticism from Australian federal politicians. "[269], In an interview with The Washington Post, Musk stated he was a "significant (though not top-tier) donor to Democrats," but that he also gives heavily to Republicans. The entire launch stack has also been called Starship since September 2019. [287][288], On the topic of subsidizing companies, Musk has stated that he does not believe the U.S. government should provide subsidies to companies but should instead use a carbon tax to price in the negative externality of climate change and discourage poor behavior. While journalist and author Jim Motavalli, who interviewed Musk for High Voltage, his 2011 book about the electric vehicle industry, speculated that "Elon is now looking at it from the point of view of a winner, and he doesn't want to see other people win because they get government money—I do think there is a tendency of people, once they have succeeded, to want to pull the ladder up after them. [32] At the age of 10, he developed an interest in computing while using the Commodore VIC-20. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018. [403][404] Later that year, Musk appeared as himself in the romantic comedy film Why Him? Use that money to build an even more affordable car. [73] Ultimately, Musk founded SpaceX with the long-term goal of creating a true spacefaring civilization. "[201] Musk has stated he wants to counteract the concentration of power. [128][129] As of March 2020[update], the Tesla Model 3 is the world's best-selling electric car in history, with more than 500,000 units delivered. In 2014, Slate's Adam Elkus argued that current AIs were as intelligent as a toddler, and only in certain fields, going on to say that Musk's "summoning the demon" analogy may be harmful because it could result in significant cuts to AI research budgets. In May 2002, Musk founded SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, of which he is CEO and lead designer. Musk has also received substantial criticism for his views on artificial intelligence, public transportation, and the COVID-19 pandemic. [29] They housed the venture at a small rented office in Palo Alto. "[29] He also has a half-sister[30] and a half-brother on his father's side. [58] Musk's attempts to become CEO were thwarted by the board. [130] Musk originally intended to name the Model 3 as the Model E but was blocked by Ford which held the trademark, with Musk concluding that "Ford was killing SEX". [171] The grant was also meant to end speculation about Musk's potential departure from Tesla to devote more time to his other business ventures. [33] He learned computer programming using a manual and, by the age of 12, sold the code of a BASIC-based video game he created called Blastar to PC and Office Technology magazine for approximately $500. His fans see him as an innovator and disruptor who is redefining the automotive industry. "[264] Prompted by the emergence of artificial intelligence, Musk has voiced support for a universal basic income;[265] he additionally backs direct democracy and has stated he thinks the government on Mars will be a direct democracy. In 2006, he helped create SolarCity, a solar energy services company (now a subsidiary of Tesla). Musk attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and in 1992 he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, where he received bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics in 1997. The group had another meeting with Kosmotras and were offered one rocket for US$8 million. [381][382] The divorce was finalized in late 2016. [180] Tesla accepted $750 million in public funds from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of the Buffalo Billion project—a plan to invest money to help the economy of the Buffalo, New York area—to build the factory and infrastructure. "[290] Author Michael Shellenberger argued that "in the case of Musk, it is hard not to read that as a kind of defensiveness. Construction on the factory started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. Flights to ISS and collaboration with NASA, Product line expansion and master plan part two, Tham Luang cave rescue and defamation case, President Trump and support of 2020 presidential candidates, Musk speaks of his early business experience during a 2014 commencement speech at USC. "[39] Musk knew it would be easier to get to the United States from Canada and moved there against his father's wishes in June 1989, just before his 18th birthday,[40][41] after obtaining a Canadian passport through his Canadian-born mother. [351] When asked about what they received from Musk, California hospital representatives noted that they received CPAP machines made by ResMed instead and not "full ventilators," though they expressed gratitude nonetheless. [173] As of December 31, 2019[update], Musk owns 38,658,670 shares or 20.8% of all Tesla shares. [198], In July 2017, Musk claimed that he had received "verbal government approval" to build a hyperloop from New York City to Washington, D.C., stopping in both Philadelphia and Baltimore. He has called physics “a good framework for thinking,” and Tesla’s abilities in software and battery technology are admired by rival automakers. And it doesn't go all the time. [401] Musk also appeared in the Werner Herzog-directed documentary Lo and Behold (2016). Musk also stated that he thinks "it would be a mistake to say the United States is perfect, it certainly is not. Elon Musk has one of the most incredible minds around.How did he get so smart? Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa. The terms included a guarantee that it would be installed in 100 days or would be free. [29], Musk was severely bullied throughout his childhood and was once hospitalized after a group of boys threw him down a flight of stairs. He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania two years later, where he received dual bachelor's degrees in economics and physics. "[249][250], On March 30, 2019, Musk released a rap track, "RIP Harambe", on SoundCloud under the name "Emo G Records". Urban planning expert Brent Toderian started the hashtag #GreatThingsThatHappenedonTransit which was widely adopted by Twitter users in order to dispel Musk's notion that everybody hated public transport. "[283] Musk went on to voice support for Kanye West's independent run for president in July 2020. [153] Two days later, Musk settled with the SEC, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. In 1999, he founded X.com, which later became PayPal. [61] Musk received US$22 million for his 7 percent share from the sale. He has repeatedly criticized the practice and argued it should be illegal. It unveiled its third product, the Model X, aimed at the SUV/minivan market, on February 9, 2012; however, the Model X launch was delayed until September 2015. In July 2016, he co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company focused on developing brain–computer interfaces. Just Elon Musk things", "https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1243567346503094276", "Elon Musk's Offer to Donate COVID-19 Ventilators Draws Unexpected Interest", "Ukraine's Embassy in U.S. responds to Musk's initiative on ventilators", "Bolivia recibe donación de Alibaba y pide ayuda a Musk por coronavirus", "Just In: "Nigeria needs support" – FG begs billionaire Tesla founder, Elon Musk, for ventilators to contain Corona", "California hospitals say Elon Musk sent them biPAP, CPAP machines, not ventilators", "Elon Musk criticized for donating sleep apnea ventilators", "Scientist's "Space Karen" response to Elon Musk goes viral", "Why Elon Musk Is Being Called 'Space Karen' After Latest Launch", "Elon Musk says he "most likely" has moderate case of COVID, continues to question testing", Musk Relocates to Texas, Criticizes ‘Complacent’ California, "Elon Musk and SolarCity Donate Solar Power Project to Coastal Response Center in Alabama", "Elon Musk Donates Solar Power Project to Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan", "Meet The Winners Of Elon Musk's $15 Million XPRIZE To End Global Illiteracy", "Silicon Valley could help the last people you'd expect — and Elon Musk has given $15 million to a contest that will prove it", "The Giving Pledge Signs on 12 More Wealthy Americans Including Tesla's Elon Musk And Home Depot's Arthur Blank", "What it's like to own a Tesla Model S – Part 2", "Elon Musk Donates Million to the Oatmeal's Nikola Tesla Museum", "Elon Musk Donates M To Make Sure AI Doesn't Go The Way of Skynet", "Flint schools are getting safe water fountains thanks to Elon Musk", "Elon Musk Is Now Providing Water Filtration to Flint Michigan Schools", "ACLU Thanks Elon Musk for Being a 'Top Donor, "Musk Donates 1 Million Trees to Global Reforestation Campaign", "A Look at Elon Musk's Rocky Romantic History", "Elon Musk – In Photos: Forbes Life Elon Musk", "Elon Musk: Correcting The Record About My Divorce", "Elon Musk Divorce: Announces Split From Talulah Riley On Twitter", "Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorce for a second time", "Actor Talulah Riley files to divorce billionaire Elon Musk, again", "Billionaire Elon Musk's wife files for divorce", "Elon Musk and Talulah Riley Are Divorced for a Second Time", "Grimes talks new music, Elon Musk, plans to publicly execute her musical persona", "Elon Musk made a surprise appearance at one of the biggest gaming events of the year to support his girlfriend, Grimes", "Grimes Announces She's 'Knocked Up' and Shares Photo of Her Pregnant Belly", "Grimes and Elon Musk's Baby Has Arrived, Just As Legend Foretold", "Elon Musk shares first photo of his and Grimes' new baby boy: 'Mom and baby all good, "What Does Elon Musk and Grimes' Baby Name Actually Mean? [195][196], In June 2015, Musk announced a design competition for students and others to build Hyperloop pods to operate on a SpaceX-sponsored mile-long track in a 2015–2017 Hyperloop pod competition. [183] Tesla directors settled the lawsuit in January 2020, leaving Musk the sole remaining defendent. Was able to bring in both Daimler and Toyota as long-term investors in Tesla takeover! The long-term goal of creating a true spacefaring civilization business magnate than manual massive... Briefly attended the University of Pennsylvania Two years later, Musk co-founded Neuralink, nonprofit... And future missions or sites 176 ] by 2013, SolarCity was the second largest provider of solar systems! Brave pioneers Tesla began delivery of its four-door model s sedan on June 28, 1971 100 in. The Big Bang Theory spin-off prequel Series Young Sheldon deliveries began in January 2020, stated! Argued it should be illegal and CEO of Tesla—he founded several companies, too and! 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