The Musk Era: How One Man Changed the Space and Green Tech Industry Forever
The world’s most notorious genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist: Elon Musk. Although he has been involved in massive layoffs at Twitter, rumored affairs, and even workplace abuse allegations, it is undoubted that he has been a driving force in the modern green tech industry. So who exactly is Elon Musk, and how did he single-handedly revive the green energy sector: a seemingly once-forgotten industry?
Elon Reeves Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28, 1971. At the ripe age of eight, his parents divorced, leaving him to decide which household to stay in. He opted for his father, Errol Musk, because he thought he was lonely and needed companionship. However, this was a choice that he deeply regrets to this day. Errol Musk was quite the disciplinarian, and physical and verbal abuse colored Elon’s days. As if this wasn’t bad enough, he was also ruthlessly bullied in school due to his introverted character, which others found weird. In 2013, Musk had to get a nose job because of the lingering effects of his childhood bullying. Looking back, however, Elon credits his thick skin and high-stress tolerance to his tough childhood.
All of this, however, didn’t stop him from gaining an avid interest in programming. Musk developed his first videogame when he was 12, a game called Blastar, which was bought for $500. Fast-forward five years, he finally got around to moving to America due to the excellent education and economic potential, and he also wasn’t able to tolerate apartheid and the political turmoil going on in South Africa at the time. He attended Queen’s College in Ontario for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with top marks, obtaining bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics. Musk then enrolled in graduate school at Stanford for physics but dropped out after realizing the potential of an internet business. He founded Zip2, a company that provided city guide software to newspapers, in 1995, and after four years of hard work, it sold for $307 million. This money was then used to invest in and create X.com; a financial service company operated entirely on the web. This company eventually went on to become what we know today as PayPal. However, Musk was abruptly removed from the CEO position in 2000 and replaced by Peter Thiel because the board felt he could no longer lead the company. While sour about this, Musk still held on to his shares, and in 2002, eBay bought PayPal for $1.5 billion. Elon personally gained around $180 billion from this deal, and with this newfound fortune, Musk began to see how he could use his money to build a better future for humanity: a brighter, greener one.
He began materializing his vision with SpaceX. Elon felt like humanity needed to become a multi-planetary species to survive. Doing so would require cheaper, more efficient rockets than the conventional ones made by NASA, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. Initially, he tried to buy rockets from the Russians; however, after hearing the ridiculous prices they proposed with no room for negotiation, he decided that any attempts to buy from them would be futile. He studied rockets for days, and after looking at them from the bare bones, he realized he could manufacture the parts in-house, drastically lowering costs. Many thought he was insane for doing this; however, he soon assembled a team of talented engineers determined to make this happen. Musk and his team worked day and night, and on March 24, 2006, the first Falcon I rocket was ready for launch. All looked well; however, 25 seconds into takeoff, the engineers soon noticed a tiny spark, which turned into a fire. The rocket suddenly exploded in a giant fireball and came crashing down to the launch pad in a spectacle. While this was quite depressing for the SpaceX team, Musk was determined to make his vision happen. The following two launches also failed, and Elon was continuously burning through cash. Everything depended on this fourth launch; on September 28, 2008, Falcon I had its first successful takeoff. Everyone was ecstatic; however, Elon was swift to move on to his next project that would change the world: Tesla.
Tesla was initially founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon saw this company as an opportunity to revolutionize the electric automobile industry and made an initial investment of $30 million, making him the company’s largest shareholder. At this time, the green tech industry was not exactly a lucrative business, and automobile makers and investors alike viewed it as something to stay away from. These men, however, had a completely different vision and believed that they could change the electric car from boring and dangerous to being fashionable, popular, and trendy. Tesla first released its first all-electric car in 2008: The Roadster. This sleek new sports car could go from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds and had efficiency ratings similar to that of a gasoline-powered automobile. This luxury item cost around $109,000, making it highly trendy among the upper class. Unfortunately, in late 2007, Eberhard resigned as CEO, and then in 2008, both he and Tarpenning left the company for good. Elon took over, and now he could make his wildest dreams come true.
In 2012, Musk began to set his sights on building a new all-electric sedan: The Model S. Several changes were made, including altering the battery pack so that it is on the bottom of the car instead of the back. This gave the vehicle a lower center of gravity and much more storage space. In 2012, Tesla introduced all-new superchargers: stations where you could plug in and charge your car for free. Following this release, the Model X and Model 3 were unveiled to the public, with the Model 3 being the best-selling electric car of all time. In 2016, Tesla acquired the company SolarCity, allowing the superchargers to become completely solar-powered.
So what does the future hold for SpaceX, Tesla, and beyond? Both companies have drastically transformed their respective industries through innovative technologies, reducing costs, and more. Thanks to Musk, the private space industry has become a genuine possibility for millions of people around the globe. As for green tech, Elon is still working toward creating a more sustainable environment. While nobody knows precisely what Elon’s plans are, you can bet he’s working toward the one vision that unifies all his companies: the future.
