The Road to PayPal: The Early Entrepreneurial Journey of Elon Musk

TommyB.
ILLUMINATION
Published in
5 min readMay 9, 2023

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Photo by mahaveer8 from Pixabay

Elon Musk is one of the most recognized and influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century. From his early days as a tech enthusiast in South Africa to his current role as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has made a significant impact on multiple industries. However, before he became a household name, he co-founded PayPal, a company that revolutionized the world of online payments. In this article, we will explore the life of Elon Musk leading up to the founding of PayPal, the challenges he faced during its journey, and the impact of PayPal on the Fintech industry.

Early Life and Education of Elon Musk

Childhood Years in South Africa

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He spent most of his childhood in Pretoria and had a difficult relationship with his father, who was a wealthy engineer. Musk’s parents divorced when he was ten, and he went to live with his father. Despite his difficult relationship with his father, Musk was an avid reader and showed an early interest in science fiction and technology.

Early Interests in Technology and Entrepreneurship

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