Elon Musk
Elon Musk is known for his role in the early start up of PayPal, and his current role of CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
Elon was a book nerd growing up South Africa, but at the age of 10 he started computer programming, creating and selling games. He moved to Canada when he turned 18 and attended University and graduated with a Bachelor in economics and physics.
- At age 22 he moved to the US, to Silicon Valley. He researched ultracapacitors for an energy storage start-up company.
- Aged 23, Musk and his brother (Kimbal) started a yellow pages style business called Zip2, which they coded on a personal computer. They later sold the business for $307 million.
- At age 27, he formed and online financial service which later became PayPal. He received $165 million from its sale to eBay.
- At age 29, he conceived a rocket company which became SpaceX. SpaceX is now a major NASA’s partner.
- At age 31, he joined Tesla motors which he became CEO in 2008. In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity with the idea of adding solar to the rooftop of Tesla cars.
Update
- In 2013, Musk unveiled his version of a vac-train, a ultra high-speed train, which become known as hyperloop.
- In 2015, SpaceX started development on its own communication satellite network called StarLink.
- Later in 2015, he created an AI research company called OpenAI with aims of developing AI is a safe way.
- In 2016, Musk co-founded a neuro technology company called Neuralink, with the aim of integrating AI with the human brain/
- Late 2016, he created the ‘Boring Company’, for transport tunnelling operations.
- In 2018, Musk announced he will be flying people around the Moon on a newly designed rocket.
Musk goal is to “change the world and help humanity”. He feels that the human race has a high probability of extinction, so wants to help with better sustainable energy, and in establishing a human colony on Mars.
He also predicts that AI will become very dangerous and has spoke with president Obama and the whole of the US congress about his concerns.
