Early Life
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He showed an early interest in computers and entrepreneurship, teaching himself programming at age 12 and selling a video game called Blastar for $500. In 1988, he emigrated to Canada and later obtained a U.S. citizenship in 2002.
Rise to Success
Musk's career began with the founding of Zip2, a company that provided maps and business directories to online newspapers, which he sold in 1999 for $307 million. He then co-founded X.com, an online financial services company, which later became PayPal. After PayPal was acquired by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion, Musk received $176 million. In 2002, he founded SpaceX. Musk became an early investor in Tesla in 2004 and became its CEO and product architect in 2008. In 2022, Musk acquired the social media platform Twitter, which was later rebranded as X.
Key Business Strategies
Musk's business strategies include a focus on vertical integration, technological innovation, and a willingness to take on ambitious projects. He has pursued aggressive goals in electric vehicles (Tesla), space exploration (SpaceX), and artificial intelligence (xAI). Musk's approach involves a strong emphasis on first principles thinking and a drive to disrupt established industries. He is known for his hands-on approach and his active presence on social media.
Philanthropy
Musk's philanthropic efforts are channeled through the Musk Foundation, which focuses on initiatives in education, technology, and the environment.