Key Messages
Discovering Elon Musk’s Mission To Save Mankind: A Look At His Unique Passion
Elon Musk is one of the most successful entrepreneurs on the planet, and everyone wants to know what drove him to such heights.
In these sections of the book, you’ll get an inside look into his interests and passions that pushed him forward.
Motivated by a deep desire to save humanity from destruction, Musk devoted himself to various projects like solar energy, electric cars and space exploration.
You’ll learn why he married (and divorced) twice as well as discover how a experiment involving fornicating mice ignited his passion for space travel.
Finally, understand how Elon Musk made electric cars desirable with his pioneering work in this field.
Reading these sections will give you an insight into what drives the man behind some world-changing ideas.
Elon Musk’S Unshakeable Determination And Sense Of Mission Pave The Way For His Success In Sustainability
What drives Elon Musk to success is his greater goal of saving the human race.
Unlike most Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, he’s not only in it for the money; he has a deep concern for humanity, and wants us all to relocate to Mars in order to make sure our species survives.
This compassion shapes every aspect of how he does business.
It also drives him to set incredibly ambitious goals and expect constant hard work from his employees – even if it means cutting into their personal lives sometimes.
He demands that they dedicate themselves fully or not at all, and although this surely rubs some the wrong way, Musk gets respect from those who can recognize his passion.
His own commitment is obvious in his weekly schedule: spending Monday through Tuesday in LA with SpaceX and then Wednesday and Thursday in Silicon Valley with Tesla before flying back again on Friday.
It’s clear that Elon Musk approaches everything he does with mission-driven determination – something we can all take inspiration from.
From Bullied To Billionaire: How Elon Musk Turned His Tragedies Into Motivation And Success
Elon Musk’s difficult childhood was instrumental in shaping the innovative and ambitious character he is today.
Raised in South Africa under difficult household conditions with an estranged relationship with his father, Errol Musk, Elon was often bullied and harassed by his peers.
In spite of this adversity, Musk found refuge in reading, allowing him to sharpen his already-exceptional photographic memory.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy served as a sort of guiding light for Musk’s future perspective; it opened Musk’s mind to not only answering questions, but asking the right ones in order to improve human civilization.
By 12 years old, budding entrepreneur Elon had already sold one of his video game creations, showcasing his enterprising spirit even at such a young age.
His early experience thus set him up for success towards achieving enormous scientific accomplishments—all thanks to a less than fortunate upbringing that made him into the ambitious trailblazer he is today.
Elon Musk’s Determination And Ambition Lead To Success
During his college years, Elon Musk’s confidence and determination flourished!
When he first enrolled at Queen’s University, his self-confidence began to soar as his character started to take shape.
He was more ambitious than ever before, competing in public speaking contests and studying business.
Musk even managed to woo the woman of his dreams – Justine Wilson – who eventually became his wife and the mother of their 6 sons.
Even though she initially had no interest in him, he wouldn’t take no for an answer; when they had their first date, he went out of his way by tracking down her favorite ice cream in order to make a good impression.
By attending the University of Pennsylvania after two years of studies at Queen’s University, Musk continued to grow more comfortable with other physics students and make valuable friends that paid off financially too!
Through house parties held in a 14-bedroom house they rented, Musk and one of his mates managed to gather considerable profits from admission fees charged – even enough money one night which could be used to pay an entire month’s rent!
Musk’S Ambition To Become A Successful Ceo Drives Him Despite Setbacks And Resistance
At the turn of the millennium, Elon Musk was already a millionaire and a rising star in Silicon Valley tech.
His first start-up, Global Link Information Network (later renamed Zip2), had earned him money beyond his imagination.
When he and his brother founded the Zip2 in 1995, their aim was to make it easier for businesses to get online by surfing the dotcom bandwagon.
Many Small business owners were unfamiliar with the internet and had little idea how to navigate it, or value in having an online presence.
Musk and his brother faced many rejections, but persevered with dogged determination until finally Mohr Davidow Ventures took interest in them.
After being impressed with Musk’s energy and drive, they invested enough money for them to hire better engineers who miraculously shortened bulky coding blocks.
The refined structure put into place along with realistic goals allowed for Zip2’s valuation to spike over time until Compaq Computer bought it out at a staggering $307 million.
This ignited Elon’s passion even more as he was already looking ahead towards is next big project before completing this one – becoming a successful CEO.
Musk Overcomes Another Setback To Reach Business Success With Paypal
Elon Musk was no stranger to losing a war and he experienced it again after merging X.com and Confinity’s payment system, Paypal.
It wasn’t long before established executives from Confinity began pressuring the board of directors at X.com and pushing for Max Levchin to be promoted to CEO above Musk.
Still, despite his demotion, Elon Musk was left with a sizable amount of money after the company changed its name to PayPal and was sold for $1.5 billion to eBay in July 2002.
He personally gained $250 million from this transaction which provided him with enough capital to make his wildest dreams come true.
Elon Musk’s Resilience And Passion Leads To Unparalleled Success In The Space Industry
Elon Musk has always been determined to take on life’s challenges and his 30th birthday in 2001 was no different.
In an effort to escape the rat race, he relocated with his family to Los Angeles.
It just so happened that this move put them right by the hub of space exploration.
Musk had long been interested in the space industry and saw an opportunity to contribute when he heard about The Mars Society’s plan to test the feasibility of putting living organisms into space.
He realized that, while sound, the plan could be improved simply by sending the “fornicating mice” straight to Mars rather than orbiting first.
It was then that Musk decided to create SpaceX with a mission to make space travel more cost-effective: 500-pound payload had previously cost $30 million, but Falcon 1 would carry a 1,400-pound payload for just $6.9 million.
His unrealistic timeline aimed for a completed rocket only 15 months after the company started but things took around 4 years before SpaceX launched their first successful rocket!
How Elon Musk Showed Us That Electric Cars Could Be Cool And Desirable
Before Elon Musk’s involvement with Tesla Motors, electric cars had a poor reputation and weren’t seen as desirable.
But, that all changed when Musk took the reins of the company.
Under his stewardship, Tesla Motors pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in electric car technology making them cool and desirable.
It all began when J.B Straubel and two other engineers were developing lithium-ion battery powered cars: the tzero.
Not many investors saw beyond the shoddy plastic finish so they formed Tesla Motors in 2003 to license their own technology with a goal to revolutionize electric cars.
All that changed though when Musk invested $6.5 million into the company, solely himself as its chairman determined to make electric cars popular and efficient for everyone’s benefit.
The hard work paid off because in mid-2012, Tesla Model S sedan completely changed transportation forever with its premium design, powertrain performance and continuous internet access accessible through sensors that allowed for no-touch engine starting – a “computer on wheels.” Its great success led Motor Trend to call it Car of The Year as well as Consumer Reports giving it an unprecedented highest rating ever (99/100) labeling it quite possibly “the best car ever built!” This was an incredible feat for such a young company never before seen since Chrysler emerged back in 1925!
Elon Musk’S Vision Of A Sustainable Future Unites His Diverse Business Ventures
Elon Musk has a master plan to ensure the survival of the human species, and his ventures SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity all contribute to his ultimate goal.
It was Musk who initially suggested that his cousins, the Rive brothers, use solar energy when they were brainstorming new businesses.
After two years of research and development, they came up with the idea for SolarCity: an easy to use service that would take care of solar panel installation from start to finish.
Thanks to Musk’s help in structuring the company and his investment into it as LLC (Limited Liability Company), SolarCity became a huge success.
The emergence of Tesla four years later furthered Musk’s mission by paving the way for innovation in batteries and electric vehicles.
It also created a strategic partnership between Tesla and SolarCity when Tesla began using batteries powered by SolarCity’s solar panels for charging stations across the globe.
Put simply: Elon Musk’s different companies are unified through his passion for providing sustainable sources of energy that will allow humans to thrive into the future.
Elon Musk’s Revolutionary Plans Aim To Revolutionize Transportation, Energy And Space Exploration
Elon Musk has always been a dreamer and he continues to dream big.
He has grand plans for the aerospace, automotive, and solar industries that are sure to transform them as we know them.
One such plan is the Hyperloop – a large-scale pneumatic tube designed to transport people and cars in pods at speeds of up to 800 miles per hour.
These solar-powered mechanisms are sure to revolutionize transportation, reducing trips from Los Angeles to San Francisco to less than half an hour.
Musk also has plans for Tesla and SpaceX.
Tesla will bring their Model X SUV to the market in 2015 before launching their Model 3 in 2017 at a price of only $35,000 – much lower than the typical Model S.
Then there’s SpaceX which aims for a manned test flight by 2016 and will fly astronauts for NASA in 2017.
They’re also likely to move into building and selling satellites which could potentially be very lucrative for SpaceX and Musk himself.
It’s clear that Elon Musk is determined to continue pushing the boundaries and transforming these three industries with ambitious projects like the Hyperloop and others he still has in store.
Despite His Tough Exterior, Elon Musk Is Reportedly A Loving And Caring Person At Heart
It’s no secret that Elon Musk has made a name for himself in the business world, but his success certainly comes with a turbulent personal life.
Married three times, twice to the same woman, Musk shares his fiery passion in both his work and love life; so much so that Justine recalls him responding to her reminiscence as his wife, not employee, with a reminder that if she were an employee he would have sacked her.
Things only got worse from there – just days after Justine asked for more time to fix their marriage, Musk filed for divorce.
But despite this heartache, Musk still suffered emotionally and was eventually taken by Bill Lee on an impromptu holiday to London where he would meet Talulah Riley who quickly became his second wife.
However even with Riley things weren’t always smooth sailing; they divorced stating that while he “would always love her but wasn’t in love with her anymore” before remarrying shortly afterwards.
Although sometimes thought of as mean or lacking empathy – evidenced through claims like when fired longtime assistant Mary Beth Brown despite practically doing everything for him- his closest friends and family attest that he is actually very loving and compassionate at heart.
Even Riley remarked how despite spending hours on end working or travelling, he always made sure to make it home in time for dinner with the family and play computer games with the kids.
Wrap Up
The final takeaway from Elon Musk’s book is to think big.
Don’t be afraid of dreaming up something crazy, because for Elon Musk the sky truly isn’t the limit.
He has pushed boundaries in aerospace, automotive, and solar technology that seemed unthinkable— namely developing electric cars faster than Ferraris and even proposing the idea of sending mice to Mars!
Through his determination and ambition he has proven time and time again that anything is possible if you just have faith in yourself.
So take a page out of Elon Musk’s book and start thinking the impossible – because with enough hard work, there will never be anything too absurd to make happen.
