Short Biography of Elon Musk
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| Elon Musk-Star and Celebrity |
Full Name : Elon Reeve Musk
Nationality :
American, Canadian, South African
Date of
Birth :
June 28, 1971
Place of
Birth :
Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Current
Location : Bel
Air, Los Angeles, California, United States
Residence House Address : Bel
Air, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height :
1.88 Meter
Religion : Christian
Profession :
Scientist, Technology Entrepreneur,
Investor and engineer.
Father’s
Name :
Errol Musk
Mother’s
Name :
Maye Musk
Spouse Name :
i) Talulah Riley (m. 2013–2016)
ii) Talulah Riley (m. 2010–2012)
iii) Justine Musk (m. 2000–2008)
Children :
i) Nevada Alexander Musk,
ii) Kai Musk,
iii) Xavier Musk,
iv) Griffin Musk,
v) Saxon Musk,
vi) Damian Musk
Brothers :
Kimbal Musk
Sisters : Tosca
Musk
Education :
Queen's University
Wharton
School of the University of
Pennsylvania (BS-Economics)
University
of Pennsylvania School of
Arts and Sciences (BA-Physics)
Years
Active :
1995 to Present
Chosen Political Party : Independent
Awards won :
Fellow of the Royal Society (2018)
Company :
Tesla Motors and Space X
Details Biography of Elon Musk
He has been called the real-life Tony Stark. He runs a
private space travel corporation, the world's leading electric car company, and
recently a tunnel boring company that gained attention for manufacturing a flamethrower.
It is hard not to have heard about Elon Musk these days, so here is the story
of Elon, Tesla, Space-X, and beyond. Elon Reeve Musk was born June
twenty-eighth, nineteen seventy-one to Maye Musk and Errol Musk in Pretoria,
South Africa. His mother, Maye, was, and is still a model originating from
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
His father, Errol, was a South African born
electromechanical engineer, sailor, and pilot. He also has a younger brother
and sister. At the age of seventeen, Elon left South Africa to attend Queens
University in Ontario, Canada. This was in part to avoid mandatory service in
the South African military as required after high school.
As a child, Elon accelerated quickly in learning and
reading. By the age of ten, he was learning basic computing and at the age of
twelve, he developed and sold a game for the Commodore VIC-20 called
"Blastar" for five-hundred dollars.
Elon has also cited Isaac Asimov's "Foundation"
series of sci-fi novels as a strong childhood influence. In the novels, author
Isaac Asimov illustrates the story of a scientist and a form of science called
psychohistory in which the researcher predicts future societal events and
catastrophes by studying patterns of the past.
He was quoted on the topic of the book while speaking with
Rolling Stone, saying "Asimov certainly was influential because he was
seriously paralleling Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, but he
applied that to a sort of modern galactic empire."
He also said, "The lesson I drew from that is you
should try to take the set of actions that are likely to prolong civilization,
minimize the probability of a dark age, and reduce the length of a dark age if
there is one."
During this time and up until Musk reached the age of
fifteen, he was bullied severely by many of his classmates and peers. He was
quoted on the subject saying, "For the longest time, I was the youngest
and the smallest kid in the class because my birthday just happens to fall on
almost the last day.
That they will accept you into school, June 28th. And I was
a late bloomer. So, I was the youngest and the smallest kid in class for years
and years. The gangs at school would hunt me down - literally hunt me down. It
didn't take him long to step away from his studies and begin to pursue Karate,
wrestling and Judo in order to defend himself.
Eventually, he was fighting back against his aggressors and
they soon left him alone. His relationship with his father was also in poor
shape at this time. Elon has recalled his father verballing berating him in the
time leading up to his departure from college to go to Canada.
He would call him an idiot and telling him that he would
never make it. His parents divorced in nineteen eighty. When Elon did
eventually move, however, it wasn't long before things started to look better
for him.
He arrived in Canada in nineteen-eighty-nine and began
classes at Queens. After his time in Canada, Musk left to study Business and
Physics at the University of Pennsylvania in nineteen-ninety-two. After raduating
with an undergraduate degree in Economics and staying for a second bachelor's in
physics, he moved on for further education.
He enrolled in and began classes at Stanford University in
California but after only two days, decided to drop out. His move to California
had been timed perfectly with the internet boom of the mid to late nineties and
in nineteen-ninety-five he and his brother Minbal Musk founded tech startup, Zip2.
This company created and sold city guides to newspaper
publishers, including The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune. In February
of nineteen ninety-nine, Zip2 was sold to Compaq for three hundred and seven
million dollars and thirty-four million in stocks. At twenty-four
years old, with seven percent of the sale, Elon Musk had just made twenty-two
million.
Four years later in nineteen-ninety-nine Elon founded
'X.com'. The website offered an online money transfer service via email. Not
long after, in two-thousand, 'X.com' merged with 'Confinity' another online
money transfer service.
Under the 'Confinity' umbrella was a service they called
'PayPal' which the company was later renamed to. Elon was pushed out of his CEO
position in two thousand dues to internal disagreements. This turned out not to
be so bad for Elon as Ebay later acquired 'PayPal' for one point five billion
dollars in stock.
Elon Musk was the company's largest shareholder with over
eleven percent, allotting him roughly
one hundred and sixty-five million alone. Utilizing his new
found fortune, Elon proceeded to found another venture, this time closer to his
heart.
Space-X, or Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, was
founded in two thousand and two. By two thousand and eight, the company was
awarded a contract for cargo transportation to the International Space Station
by NASA.
And in two thousand and twelve Space-X did just that. Their
fledgling rocket, the Falcon Nine, was launched from Cape Canaveral early that
year. The rocket contained half a ton of cargo for the astronauts on board,
making history as the first ever private company to send a rocket to the ISS.
Since then, Space-X has launched over sixty more rockets
privately and commercially. But we will get back to that soon. One year later,
in two thousand and three, after founding Space-X, Elon set his sights on the
motor industry and hopped on board with Tesla Motors during their series A
financing
round.
The company was originally incorporated by Martin Eberhard
and Marc Tar penning. Martin was later pushed off of the board of directors
following the two thousand and eight financial crisis which lead to internal
conflict at Tesla.
Elon took the chair as the company's CEO and Product
Architect following Martins Departure. He laid off twenty five percent of
Tesla's employees, and borrowed almost half a billion dollars from the US
government in order to save the company from bankruptcy.
Tesla went public in two thousand and ten with sales for
their yet to be built 'Roadster' already in the thousands. They were the first
American car company to have gone public since the Ford Motor Company in
nineteen fifty-six. But again, we will get back to this.
Musk either personally or through these companies has been
involved in a great deal more ventures as well. In two thousand and six, he
conceptualized and funded 'Solar City' which was then run by his cousins Peter
and Lyndon Rive.
In less than eight years, SolarCity was the second largest
provider of solar tech in the US. Tesla has since absorbed the company which
operates as a subsidiary under them. In two thousand and thirteen, Elon
announced that he intended to build a high-speed transportation system that he
called "the Hyperloop." He wanted to have his first underground
pressurized super train run from the Greater Los Angeles area to the San Francisco
Bay area.
Musk has also been involved in the creation of two
artificial intelligence-based companies, 'Open AI' in twenty fifteen, and
'Neura link' in twenty sixteen. The former of which is a not-for-profit. Later
on, in twenty sixteen, Elon announced "The Boring Company". The
intent of the company was to create new industrial tunnel boring technology
because the current cost per mile of drilling made his Hyper Loop tunnel
economically unfeasible.
He tweeted on December seventeenth, twenty sixteen, that he
was "going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging." Elon
Musk is many things: he's been called a genius, compared to Marvel's "Tony
Stark", and has claimed to dream of living on Mars one day.
But evidently, above all, he is someone who gets things
done. Let's jump back to Space-X. Following their first government contract,
Space-X continued to launch its rockets out of our atmosphere. They soon also
successfully launched a satellite into geosynchronous orbit. But this wasn't the
only intent of Space-X. Musk has a vision of colonizing Mars and part of his
initial reasoning behind founding Space-X was to do just that.
In September of two thousand and sixteen, Space-X published
a video of 3D renderings depicting their intended mission to Mars. Elon was
quoted as saying, "I think that a future where we are a space bearing
civilization and a multi-planet species is very exciting."
He went on, "In order for that to happen, we've got to
dramatically improve the cost of space flight." The concept he envisioned
required reusable rockets. And because Space-X is private, they do not have to
adhere to the same level of red tape that government organizations generally
have to follow. Space-X also manufactures around ninety percent of their parts
in house.
To put it in perspective, on average, for NASA to launch a
comparable rocket it would cost between one hundred and two hundred and sixty
million dollars. Space-X can manufacture and launch a Falcon Nine rocket for
under three hundred thousand dollars.
The fuel alone per launch costs two hundred thousand
dollars. Space-X hasn't slowed down either. On February sixth, twenty eighteen,
they successfully launched the 'Falcon Heavy' rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space
Center. In a glamorous display streamed live on YouTube, Space-X showed off
their larger than one hundred and forty thousand
pound payload capability by unveiling a Tesla Roadster in earth orbit.
This stunt instantly bolstered the Falcon Heavy's status to
that of the most powerful operational rocket on the planet. They've also
announced plans to build a new rocket, which they've called the 'BFR' for 'Big
Falcon Rocket.' It's intended to stand at over one hundred meters tall and
carry over five hundred and fifty thousand pounds.
Today Space-X is the largest private producer of rocket
engines in the world and holds the world record for thrust to weight ratio in a
rocket. Tesla meanwhile is also making great strides in the motor industry. Following
their fledgling vehicle, the Roadster, Tesla released the 'Model S' sedan type
car in two thousand and twelve.
The announcement of the 'Model X' SUV style vehicle came
shortly after. However, its release was delayed until two thousand and fifteen.
Tesla revolutionized the entire world of electric cars when they entered the
market. Other companies in the past have tried and failed to do what Tesla has
achieved in recent years.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome that their
predecessors hadn't been able to leap was the car's range on a charged battery.
Tesla's offer a two-hundred-and-fifty-mile range per charge which helped
consumers begin to wrap their minds around the concept of electric cars. On top
of that, the Model S is a desirable sports car boasting an acceleration rate of
zero to sixty in two point five seconds.
Its electric engine gives the car a torque advantage over
most traditional engines allowing the Model-S to outperform many cars far
beyond its price. Musk also has plans to create a car for the masses. The
'Model 3' is intended to have a base price of thirty-five thousand dollars
according to Tesla's blog.
Even more interestingly, Elon stated in two thousand and
fourteen that Tesla would provide any of its technology patents in good faith
to corporations with the intent of creating more affordable electric car
solutions for the world.
He has an agenda to shift the status quo in the motor
industry. They also have plans to double the amount of charge stations
currently in place in both the east and west coasts of the US. And it doesn't
stop there, Tesla has also expressed a
keen interest in tackling the semi-truck and trucking industry.
It has conceptualized and tested electric shipping trucks
and is taking the idea further with the intent of introducing antonyms driving
systems in them as well as their other vehicles. One of the larger hurdles that
Tesla had to overcome when they started the company was the immense cost of
lithium ion batteries which are used to power their vehicles.
In response, Musk announced plans to build an enormous
lithium ion battery factory called the 'Gigafactory' in twenty thirteen. The
end goal; to make electric cars more economically viable than fossil fuel
powered cars.
After the beginning of production on the 'Gigafactory,'
Tesla also revealed the 'power wall,' which
was devised as a wall mounted lithium ion battery that
could power your home through solar and other clean energy integration. By the
end of twenty seventeen, Tesla had surpassed Ford's market value after only
seven
years of being public.
Elon Musk has also derived a great deal of attention around
himself as a person, both negative and positive. Many of the videos and posts
about him that are abundant on the web herald him as a genius with a plan to
save humanity, and in many ways, it can seem that way. He has an obviously
strong motivation to push for more green forms of transportation, both on the
road and in space.
Combined with his home battery initiative, the future can
feel greener. Interestingly, despite being involved in numerous AI based or
related companies, Elon has been a strong opponent of developing hyper
intelligent artificial intelligence. He has been interviewed and has spoken
about his fears of robotic uprising multiple times.
He's not been free of controversy either. In two thousand
and eighteen, Musk appeared on the very popular 'Joe Rogan' podcast, which is
streamed live on youtube. During the two-and-a-half-hour-long interview, Musk
puffed on what was described as a combination of tobacco and marijuana offered
to him by host, Joe Rogan.
Following the interview, Tesla stocks dropped and worries
of a United States Air Force investigation in regards to his ties with Space-X
started circulating the web. Following that, on the seventh of August that year
Elon allegedly tweeted while driving, "Am considering taking Tesla private
at $420. Funding secured."
This shocked many people, namely the company's shareholders
and by August twenty fourth Elon abandoned the plan. He was also criticized in
media for his attempted involvement in the crisis of the trapped children in a
Thai cave system in June, twenty eighteen. Musk tweeted about creating a
submersible tube to assist in the evacuation of the children but when his plans
were presented to the divers at the scene, they were quick to dismiss its viability.
Musk's response was to personally attack the diver in
question with an unwarranted accusation. The diver in question has since filed
a lawsuit against Mr. Musk following further battery on twitter. Elon has spoken
a great deal about his ideas of the future.
From a colony on Mars to mechanical implants in humans to
interface with computers. The future of both Tesla and Space-X also both seem
bright, not to mention the boring company. Only time will tell what is in
store. From rocket ships in space to high performance electric sports cars,
Elon Musk has gotten the world's attention.
He seems to have an innate ability to do whatever he sets
his mind to. What do you think about Musk and his plans for the future?
Frequently Asked Questions About Elon Musk:
1. How is Elon Musk famous for?
Ans: Elon Musk is famous for several reasons, primarily for his accomplishments and leadership in the fields of technology, entrepreneurship, and space exploration. Here are some key areas in which he has gained prominence:
Tesla: Elon Musk co-founded Tesla, an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, and has served as its CEO since 2008. Tesla revolutionized the automotive industry by producing high-performance electric cars and accelerating the adoption of sustainable transportation. Musk's vision and relentless pursuit of innovation have propelled Tesla into becoming one of the most valuable and influential companies in the world.
SpaceX: Musk is the founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.), a private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company. SpaceX has made significant strides in the space industry, developing advanced rockets and spacecraft such as the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon. The company has successfully launched and landed reusable rockets, reducing the cost of space travel and aiming to make humans a multiplanetary species.
Neuralink: In 2016, Musk founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company focused on developing implantable brain-machine interfaces. The goal of Neuralink is to merge artificial intelligence (AI) with the human brain to enhance human capabilities and potentially address neurological conditions.
The Boring Company: Musk created The Boring Company with the aim of revolutionizing tunneling and transportation. The company focuses on building underground tunnels to alleviate traffic congestion and enable high-speed transportation systems, such as the Hyperloop concept.
SolarCity and Renewable Energy: Elon Musk played a significant role in SolarCity, a solar energy services company co-founded by his cousins. SolarCity aimed to promote clean and renewable energy solutions. Tesla later acquired SolarCity in 2016, furthering Musk's vision of sustainable energy production and consumption.
Hyperloop: Although Musk is not directly involved in the development of Hyperloop technology, he proposed the concept in 2013. Hyperloop is a high-speed transportation system that uses low-pressure tubes to transport passengers or cargo at near-supersonic speeds.
Elon Musk's bold ideas, ambitious projects, and charismatic personality have made him a prominent figure in the business and technology worlds. He often attracts media attention through his outspokenness on various topics and his use of social media platforms like Twitter.
2. What is Elon Musk company name?
Ans: Elon Musk is associated with several companies. Here are some of the notable ones:
1. Tesla, Inc.: An electric vehicle and clean energy company that designs, manufactures, and sells electric cars, energy storage products, and solar energy systems.
2. SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.): A private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company focused on developing advanced rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX aims to make space travel more accessible and enable the colonization of Mars.
3. Neuralink Corp.: A neurotechnology company that develops implantable brain-machine interface (BMI) devices. Neuralink's goal is to create a high-bandwidth link between the human brain and computers, with the potential to enhance cognitive abilities and treat neurological conditions.
4. The Boring Company: A tunnel construction and infrastructure company that aims to revolutionize transportation by constructing underground tunnels for high-speed transportation systems, such as Hyperloop, and alleviating urban congestion.
5. Solar City (now part of Tesla, Inc.): A solar energy services company that provided solar energy systems for homes, businesses, and governments. It was acquired by Tesla in 2016 and is now integrated into Tesla's energy division.
Please note that this information is accurate as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021. Elon Musk may have started or been involved with additional companies since then.
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