Lecture Notes: Elon Musk

Early Life

• Born: June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa
• Parents: Maye Musk (model/dietitian) and Errol Musk (electromechanical engineer)
• Education: Attended Pretoria Boys High School, later moved to Canada for higher education

Education

• University of Pretoria (briefly attended)
• Queen's University, Ontario
• Transferred to the University of Pennsylvania (BA in Physics, BS in Economics)

Business Career

Zip2

• Co-founded with brother Kimbal Musk in 1995
• Sold to Compaq for $307 million in 1999

X.com and PayPal

• Founded X.com in 1999, merged with Confinity to become PayPal
• PayPal sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002

SpaceX

• Founded in 2002 with the goal of reducing space transportation costs
• Achieved milestone of first commercial spacecraft to dock with ISS
• Starlink initiated for satellite internet services

Tesla Motors

• Joined Tesla in 2004 as a major investor
• Became CEO and product architect, leading innovation in electric vehicles

SolarCity and Tesla Energy

• Inspired and provided financial backing
• Acquired by Tesla in 2016, forming Tesla Energy

Neuralink

• Co-founded in 2016 to develop brain-machine interface technology

The Boring Company

• Founded in 2017 to develop tunneling and infrastructure projects

Acquisition of Twitter

• Acquired in 2022 and rebranded as X Corp.

Other Ventures

• Co-founded OpenAI in 2015, left due to strategic disagreements
• Founded xAI in 2023

Political Involvement

• Senior Advisor in Trump’s second presidency
• Led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
• Supported various political candidates and causes, including Trump in 2024

Personal Life

• Has multiple children from various relationships
• Known for controversial statements and actions, especially on social media

Wealth

• Recognized as the wealthiest person globally, net worth around $345 billion

Public Image

• Controversial figure due to his outspoken nature and influence
• Criticized for political activism and misinformation spread

Accolades

• TIME Person of the Year 2021
• Fellow of the Royal Society