Most billionaires would spend their wealth in cars, yachts and mansions. Elon Musk isn’t one of them. He thinks big. He wants to go to Mars.
Born on the 28th of June 1971 in South Africa, Musk is an entrepreneur and inventor. He founded PayPal and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). He is currently the CEO/CTO of Tesla Motors and SolarCity.
At the early stage of his life, Musk already showed his brilliance and ingenuity by teaching himself computer programming. At the age of 12, he sold his first video game for $500.
He finished his bachelor’s degree both in economics and physics at the University of Pennsylvania. He enrolled in a PhD in Applied Physics at Stanford University, but left the program to venture into the world of start-ups.
In 1995, Musk teamed up with his brother, Kimbal, to start his first company called Zip2 Corporation, an internet software company.
In 1999, Musk sold Zip2 to Compaq for $307 million in cash. He earned $22 million from the sale.
In the same year, he spent $10 million to start a new company named X.com, an online bank using the customer’s email address. The company was later renamed PayPal. Two years later, he sold PayPal to eBay for $1.5 billion.
In June 2002, Musk founded his third company which made him famous. Moving out from the internet industry, Musk ventured into rocket technology which would move him closer to his dream of going to Mars. He founded SpaceX. The idea was to reduce the cost of building rockets using current technology. In 2008, SpaceX made a significant breakthrough as the company was awarded a contract with NASA to transport cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). In 2012, SpaceX became the first private company to dock a space shuttle in the ISS.
In 2004, Musk joined Tesla Motors, where he is the CEO and product architect. He still holds this position today. Tesla Motors is into electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. The company has released into production the Tesla Roadster and Model S. Both electric cars won various awards. Tesla is set to begin production of Model X in 2015.
In 2006, Musk co-founded SolarCity, a provider of solar power systems in the U. S. He remains as the largest shareholder of the company.
Moreover, Musk is a trustee of the X Prize Foundation and the chairman of the Musk Foundation. Both organizations promote renewable energy and environmentally friendly energy technologies.
With his creative mind and endeavors, Musk is the inspiration for the character Tony Stark, the main protagonist in the “Iron Man” franchise.
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