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Life and Achievements of Elon Musk

Apr 26, 2025

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