Elon Reeve Musk (born ) is a South African-born American business magnate, inventor and investor. He is the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), and one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Musk is known for his ambitious vision to revolutionize transportation, both on Earth (electric vehicles) and in space (reusable rockets), as well as his work in artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and neural technology. He has been named Time Person of the Year and is consistently ranked among the most influential people in the world.
Early life and education
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He showed early talent in technology, teaching himself computer programming at age 10 and selling his first software at age 12. After his parents divorced, he lived primarily with his father.
At age 17, Musk moved to Canada to attend Queen's University. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Physics and a Bachelor's degree in Economics. He moved to California in 1995 to attend Stanford University but dropped out after two days to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
Career
Zip2 and PayPal
Musk co-founded Zip2, a web software company, in 1996 with his brother Kimbal. The company provided business directories and mapping software. Compaq acquired Zip2 in 1999 for $307 million.
In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online payment company. X.com merged with Confinity in 2000 and became PayPal. eBay acquired PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion, earning Musk $165 million.
SpaceX
In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX developed the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets, as well as the Dragon spacecraft. In 2020, SpaceX became the first private company to send astronauts to the International Space Station.
Tesla
Musk joined Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.) in 2004 as chairman of the board, becoming CEO in 2008. Under his leadership, Tesla launched the Roadster, Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, and energy products. Tesla became the world's most valuable automaker in 2020.
X (Twitter)
In October 2022, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion and took the company private. He rebranded it as X in 2023, implementing major changes to the platform's features, moderation policies, and business model.
Other ventures
Musk co-founded Neuralink (brain-computer interface technology) in 2016, founded The Boring Company (tunnel construction) in 2016, and co-founded OpenAI in 2015. He also led the acquisition of SolarCity through Tesla in 2016.
Net worth and recognition
Elon Musk became the wealthiest person in the world in 2021, with a net worth peaking at over $300 billion. He has received numerous honors including Time Person of the Year (2021), Forbes CEO of the Decade, and the Royal Society's Fellowship. He has been awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the IEEE Honorary Membership.
Personal life
Musk has been married three times and has multiple children. He has been open about having Asperger's syndrome and has discussed his views on artificial intelligence, space colonization, and the future of humanity. He is known for his active presence on X (Twitter) and his sometimes controversial statements.
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