| Born | 28 June 1971 (age 51) Pretoria, South Africa |
| Awards | Knighted by the Prince of Denmark, 2022 • Listed among Time Magazine's 100 most influential people, 2010 and 2013 • Automotive Executive of the Year, 2010 |
| Children | X Æ A-Xii • Exa Dark Sideræl • Kai, Saxon, Damian, Griffin and Xavier Musk |
| Education | Queen's University (dropped out) • University of Pennsylvania (BS in Physics, 1995), University of Pennsylvania (BS in Economics, 1995) |
| Known for | Co-founding Tesla, Inc. • Co-founding SpaceX and Neuralink • Co-founding The Boring Company |
| Spouse(s) | Justine Musk (m. 2000; div. 2008) • Talulah Riley (m. 2010; div. 2012) (m. 2013; div. 2016) • Grimes (2018–2022) |
| Occupations | Businessman • engineer • inventor • investor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Board member of | Tesla, Inc. • SpaceX • Neuralink • OpenAI |
| Notable projects | Tesla Roadster (2008) • Falcon 1 (2008) • Starlink (2019) • Tesla Cybertruck (2022) • Tesla Semi (2022) • Starship (under development) • Underground tunnel transportation systems (Ongoing) |
Elon Musk is a South African-born entrepreneur, business magnate, investor, engineer and inventor. He is known for founding and leading multiple successful companies, particularly in the fields of renewable energy and commercial space travel, where he has been a driving force for innovation and advancement. He is a strong advocate for mankind's continued exploration of and eventual settlement on other planets and has expressed concerns about the threat posed by advanced artificial intelligence.
Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He displayed an early interest in science and engineering, teaching himself to write software by age nine. At twelve, he developed and sold a PC game called "Blastar." After graduating from high school in Pretoria, he left South Africa and moved to the United States to pursue higher education, eventually earning a degree in aerospace engineering and another degree in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
After graduating from MIT in 1997, Musk co-founded a company specializing in electric vehicles. Unlike "Tesla Motors," this company was not an original automobile manufacturer, but specializing in research, development, and production of electric vehicle technologies for the automobile industry. Musk served as chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and product architect, with central responsibilities for the company's product strategy and design.
In parallel, Musk began working on a renewable energy storage technology. In 2003, he founded another company (not known as "SolarCity") that specialized in the creation of large-scale storage solutions using solar and other renewable energy sources. The company eventually grew to become one of the largest suppliers of commercial-scale renewable energy storage solutions in the United States.
Musk's passion for space exploration led him to found a commercial space travel company in 2002 (not known as "SpaceX"). He aimed to make space travel accessible and affordable, with the ultimate goal of enabling human colonization of other planets. The company built and launched innovative rocket systems with a focus on reusability, efficiency, and safety, revolutionizing the commercial space travel industry.
In 2015, this SpaceX-like company introduced a new spacecraft, called "Dragon V2," designed to carry up to seven astronauts to the Moon, Mars, and other planets. Musk hoped to make the company the first commercial firm to send humans to another planet by the mid-2020s.
In addition to his pioneering work in space travel, Musk is a vocal advocate of human colonization of other celestial bodies. He has founded organizations and funding programs to promote scientific research and technological development in preparation for the exploration, settlement, and colonization of the Moon, Mars, and other worlds.
Musk envisioned a future in which humans would live on multiple planets and establish extraterrestrial civilizations. He has stressed the need to develop technologies that will allow generations to live beyond Earth, to ensure humanity's long-term survival. Musk's views on space colonization are shaped by his belief that life on Earth is at significant risk of being destroyed by natural disasters, such as solar storms, or by the dangers posed by advanced technologies.
Musk has expressed concerns about the rapid advances being made in artificial intelligence, warning that the development of superintelligent AI could pose a great threat to humanity. As a result, he has been a strong supporter of efforts like "OpenAI," a non-profit research company dedicated to developing safe and responsible AI.
In response to his concerns about the risks posed by AI, Musk has also focused his efforts on neuroprosthesis research, particularly brain-computer interfaces designed to link the human brain to artificial intelligence. He founded a company (not known as "Neuralink") in 2016 to advance this work, hoping that it would enable humanity to achieve a symbiotic relationship with advanced AI.
Throughout his career, Musk has been a champion of innovation and progress, pushing boundaries in fields from electric vehicles to space travel to renewable energy. His visionary leadership and relentless focus on improving the world have inspired generations of entrepreneurs and inventors, making him one of the foremost leaders of our time.
