Celebrities Elon Musk, Birthday: 28 June 1971, Pretoria, South Africa

The lessons of history would suggest that civilisations move in cycles. You can track that back quit...Show more »

The lessons of history would suggest that civilisations move in cycles. You can track that back quite far - the Babylonians, the Sumerians, followed by the Egyptians, the Romans, China. We're obviously in a very upward cycle right now, and hopefully that remains the case. But it may not. Show less «

In the case of Apple, they did originally do production internally, but then along came unbelievably...Show more »

In the case of Apple, they did originally do production internally, but then along came unbelievably good outsourced manufacturing from companies like Foxconn. We don't have that in the rocket business. There's no Foxconn in the rocket business. Show less «

If you go back back a few hundred years, what we take for granted today would seem like magic - bein...Show more »

If you go back back a few hundred years, what we take for granted today would seem like magic - being able to talk to people over long distances, to transmit images, flying, accessing vast amounts of data like an oracle. These are all things that would have been considered magic a few hundred years ago. Show less «

Obviously Tesla is about helping solve the consumption of energy in a sustainable manner, but you ne...Show more »

Obviously Tesla is about helping solve the consumption of energy in a sustainable manner, but you need the production of energy in a sustainable manner. Show less «

The future of humanity is going to bifurcate in two directions: Either it's going to become multipla...Show more »

The future of humanity is going to bifurcate in two directions: Either it's going to become multiplanetary, or it's going to remain confined to one planet and eventually there's going to be an extinction event. Show less «

Land on Mars, a round-trip ticket - half a million dollars. It can be done.

Winning 'Motor Trend' Car of the year is probably the closest thing to winning the Oscar or Emmy of ...Show more »

Winning 'Motor Trend' Car of the year is probably the closest thing to winning the Oscar or Emmy of the car industry. Show less «

Biofuels such as ethanol require enormous amounts of cropland and end up displacing either food crop...Show more »

Biofuels such as ethanol require enormous amounts of cropland and end up displacing either food crops or natural wilderness, neither of which is good. Show less «

The space shuttle was often used as an example of why you shouldn't even attempt to make something r...Show more »

The space shuttle was often used as an example of why you shouldn't even attempt to make something reusable. But one failed experiment does not invalidate the greater goal. If that was the case, we'd never have had the light bulb. Show less «

I've actually not read any books on time management.

Yeah, well I think anyone who likes fast cars will love the Tesla. And it has fantastic handling by ...Show more »

Yeah, well I think anyone who likes fast cars will love the Tesla. And it has fantastic handling by the way. I mean this car will crush a Porsche on the track, just crush it. So if you like fast cars, you'll love this car. And then oh, by the way, it happens to be electric and it's twice the efficiency of a Prius. Show less «

Silicon Valley has evolved a critical mass of engineers and venture capitalists and all the support ...Show more »

Silicon Valley has evolved a critical mass of engineers and venture capitalists and all the support structure - the law firms, the real estate, all that - that are all actually geared toward being accepting of startups. Show less «

There are really two things that have to occur in order for a new technology to be affordable to the...Show more »

There are really two things that have to occur in order for a new technology to be affordable to the mass market. One is you need economies of scale. The other is you need to iterate on the design. You need to go through a few versions. Show less «

I would like to fly in space. Absolutely. That would be cool. I used to just do personally risky thi...Show more »

I would like to fly in space. Absolutely. That would be cool. I used to just do personally risky things, but now I've got kids and responsibilities, so I can't be my own test pilot. That wouldn't be a good idea. But I definitely want to fly as soon as it's a sensible thing to do. Show less «

I think a lot of the American people feel more than a little disappointed that the high-water mark f...Show more »

I think a lot of the American people feel more than a little disappointed that the high-water mark for human exploration was 1969. The dream of human space travel has almost died for a lot of people. Show less «

We're running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon di...Show more »

We're running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere... can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe. Show less «

Self-driving cars are the natural extension of active safety and obviously something we should do.

Tesla is here to stay and keep fighting for the electric car revolution.

It would take six months to get to Mars if you go there slowly, with optimal energy cost. Then it wo...Show more »

It would take six months to get to Mars if you go there slowly, with optimal energy cost. Then it would take eighteen months for the planets to realign. Then it would take six months to get back, though I can see getting the travel time down to three months pretty quickly if America has the will. Show less «

For all the supporters of Tesla over the years, and it's been several years now and there have been ...Show more »

For all the supporters of Tesla over the years, and it's been several years now and there have been some very tough times, I'd just like to say thank you very much. I deeply appreciate the support, particularly through the darkest times. Show less «

I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things...Show more »

I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself. Show less «

My vision is for a fully reusable rocket transport system between Earth and Mars that is able to re-...Show more »

My vision is for a fully reusable rocket transport system between Earth and Mars that is able to re-fuel on Mars - this is very important - so you don't have to carry the return fuel when you go there. Show less «

Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time. Sometimes it will be ahead,...Show more »

Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time. Sometimes it will be ahead, other times it will be behind. But brand is simply a collective impression some have about a product. Show less «

I feel very strongly that SpaceX would not have been able to get started, nor would we have made the...Show more »

I feel very strongly that SpaceX would not have been able to get started, nor would we have made the progress that we have, without the help of NASA. Show less «

I think long term you can see Tesla establishing factories in Europe, in other parts of the U.S. and...Show more »

I think long term you can see Tesla establishing factories in Europe, in other parts of the U.S. and in Asia. Show less «

What most people know but don't realize they know is that the world is almost entirely solar-powered...Show more »

What most people know but don't realize they know is that the world is almost entirely solar-powered already. If the sun wasn't there, we'd be a frozen ice ball at three degrees Kelvin, and the sun powers the entire system of precipitation. The whole ecosystem is solar-powered. Show less «

My opinion is it's a bridge too far to go to fully autonomous cars.

I think most of the important stuff on the Internet has been built. There will be continued innovati...Show more »

I think most of the important stuff on the Internet has been built. There will be continued innovation, for sure, but the great problems of the Internet have essentially been solved. Show less «

There's nothing - I've bought everything I want. I don't like yachts or anything; you know, I'm not ...Show more »

There's nothing - I've bought everything I want. I don't like yachts or anything; you know, I'm not a yacht person, and I've got pretty much the nicest plane I'd want to have. Show less «

What I'm trying to do is, is to make a significant difference in space flight. And help make space f...Show more »

What I'm trying to do is, is to make a significant difference in space flight. And help make space flight accessible to almost anyone. Show less «

You need to be in the position where it is the cost of the fuel that actually matters and not the co...Show more »

You need to be in the position where it is the cost of the fuel that actually matters and not the cost of building the rocket in the first place. Show less «

Nobody wants to buy a $60,000 electric Civic. But people will pay $90,000 for an electric sports car...Show more »

Nobody wants to buy a $60,000 electric Civic. But people will pay $90,000 for an electric sports car. Show less «

Rockets are cool. There's no getting around that.

Tesla is becoming a real car company.

It's important that we attempt to extend life beyond Earth now. It is the first time in the four bil...Show more »

It's important that we attempt to extend life beyond Earth now. It is the first time in the four billion-year history of Earth that it's been possible, and that window could be open for a long time - hopefully it is - or it could be open for a short time. We should err on the side of caution and do something now. Show less «

The rumours of the demise of the U.S. manufacturing industry are greatly exaggerated.

I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.

I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you...Show more »

I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better. Show less «

Life is too short for long-term grudges.

The odds of me coming into the rocket business, not knowing anything about rockets, not having ever ...Show more »

The odds of me coming into the rocket business, not knowing anything about rockets, not having ever built anything, I mean, I would have to be insane if I thought the odds were in my favor. Show less «

Mars is the only place in the solar system where it's possible for life to become multi-planetarian.

Given that this is the first time in 4.5 billion years where it's been possible for humanity to exte...Show more »

Given that this is the first time in 4.5 billion years where it's been possible for humanity to extend life beyond Earth Show less «

The reality is gas prices should be much more expensive then they are because we're not incorporatin...Show more »

The reality is gas prices should be much more expensive then they are because we're not incorporating the true damage to the environment and the hidden costs of mining oil and transporting it to the U.S. Whenever you have an unpriced externality, you have a bit of a market failure, to the degree that externality remains unpriced. Show less «

If you think back to the beginning of cell phones, laptops or really any new technology, it's always...Show more »

If you think back to the beginning of cell phones, laptops or really any new technology, it's always expensive. Show less «

In order to have your voice be heard in Washington, you have to make some little contribution.

If you had to buy a new plane every time you flew somewhere, it would be incredibly expensive.

I tend to approach things from a physics framework. And physics teaches you to reason from first pri...Show more »

I tend to approach things from a physics framework. And physics teaches you to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. Show less «

If anyone thinks they'd rather be in a different part of history, they're probably not a very good s...Show more »

If anyone thinks they'd rather be in a different part of history, they're probably not a very good student of history. Life sucked in the old days. People knew very little, and you were likely to die at a young age of some horrible disease. You'd probably have no teeth by now. It would be particularly awful if you were a woman. Show less «

I really do encourage other manufacturers to bring electric cars to market. It's a good thing, and t...Show more »

I really do encourage other manufacturers to bring electric cars to market. It's a good thing, and they need to bring it to market and keep iterating and improving and make better and better electric cars, and that's what going to result in humanity achieving a sustainable transport future. I wish it was growing faster than it is. Show less «

I do think there is a lot of potential if you have a compelling product and people are willing to pa...Show more »

I do think there is a lot of potential if you have a compelling product and people are willing to pay a premium for that. I think that is what Apple has shown. You can buy a much cheaper cell phone or laptop, but Apple's product is so much better than the alternative, and people are willing to pay that premium. Show less «

I've actually made a prediction that within 30 years a majority of new cars made in the United State...Show more »

I've actually made a prediction that within 30 years a majority of new cars made in the United States will be electric. And I don't mean hybrid, I mean fully electric. Show less «

The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. You're enc...Show more »

The problem is that at a lot of big companies, process becomes a substitute for thinking. You're encouraged to behave like a little gear in a complex machine. Frankly, it allows you to keep people who aren't that smart, who aren't that creative. Show less «

Some companies out there quote a start of production that is substantially in advance of when custom...Show more »

Some companies out there quote a start of production that is substantially in advance of when customers get their cars. Show less «

I don't spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering a...Show more »

I don't spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems. Show less «

I'm anti-tax, but I'm pro-carbon tax.

I think life on Earth must be about more than just solving problems... It's got to be something insp...Show more »

I think life on Earth must be about more than just solving problems... It's got to be something inspiring, even if it is vicarious. Show less «

With DNA, you have to be able to tell which genes are turned on or off. Current DNA sequencing canno...Show more »

With DNA, you have to be able to tell which genes are turned on or off. Current DNA sequencing cannot do that. The next generation of DNA sequencing needs to be able to do this. If somebody invents this, then we can start to very precisely identify cures for diseases. Show less «

If you're trying to create a company, it's like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients ...Show more »

If you're trying to create a company, it's like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion. Show less «

Facebook is quite entrenched and has a network effect. It's hard to break into a network once it's f...Show more »

Facebook is quite entrenched and has a network effect. It's hard to break into a network once it's formed. Show less «

It is theoretically possible to warp spacetime itself, so you're not actually moving faster than the...Show more »

It is theoretically possible to warp spacetime itself, so you're not actually moving faster than the speed of light, but it's actually space that's moving. Show less «

When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, 'Nah, what's wrong with a horse?' That was a ...Show more »

When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, 'Nah, what's wrong with a horse?' That was a huge bet he made, and it worked. Show less «

The fuel cell is just a fundamentally inferior way of delivering electrical energy to an electric mo...Show more »

The fuel cell is just a fundamentally inferior way of delivering electrical energy to an electric motor than batteries. Show less «

I think we are at the dawn of a new era in commercial space exploration.

I like the word 'autopilot' more than I like the word 'self-driving.' 'Self-driving' sounds like it'...Show more »

I like the word 'autopilot' more than I like the word 'self-driving.' 'Self-driving' sounds like it's going to do something you don't want it to do. 'Autopilot' is a good thing to have in planes, and we should have it in cars. Show less «

Trying to read our DNA is like trying to understand software code - with only 90% of the code riddle...Show more »

Trying to read our DNA is like trying to understand software code - with only 90% of the code riddled with errors. It's very difficult in that case to understand and predict what that software code is going to do. Show less «

Physics is really figuring out how to discover new things that are counterintuitive, like quantum me...Show more »

Physics is really figuring out how to discover new things that are counterintuitive, like quantum mechanics. It's really counterintuitive. Show less «

I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you...Show more »

I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better. I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself. Show less «

I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.

I think Tesla will most likely develop its own autopilot system for the car, as I think it should be...Show more »

I think Tesla will most likely develop its own autopilot system for the car, as I think it should be camera-based, not Lidar-based. However, it is also possible that we do something jointly with Google. Show less «

Government isn't that good at rapid advancement of technology. It tends to be better at funding basi...Show more »

Government isn't that good at rapid advancement of technology. It tends to be better at funding basic research. To have things take off, you've got to have commercial companies do it. Show less «

Some people don't like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.

Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment.

It's not as though we can keep burning coal in our power plants. Coal is a finite resource, too. We ...Show more »

It's not as though we can keep burning coal in our power plants. Coal is a finite resource, too. We must find alternatives, and it's a better idea to find alternatives sooner then wait until we run out of coal, and in the meantime, put God knows how many trillions of tons of CO2 that used to be buried underground into the atmosphere. Show less «

The revolutionary breakthrough will come with rockets that are fully and rapidly reusable. We will n...Show more »

The revolutionary breakthrough will come with rockets that are fully and rapidly reusable. We will never conquer Mars unless we do that. It'll be too expensive. The American colonies would never have been pioneered if the ships that crossed the ocean hadn't been reusable. Show less «

You need to live in a dome initially, but over time you could terraform Mars to look like Earth and ...Show more »

You need to live in a dome initially, but over time you could terraform Mars to look like Earth and eventually walk around outside without anything on... So it's a fixer-upper of a planet. Show less «

A battery by definition is a collection of cells. So the cell is a little can of chemicals. And the ...Show more »

A battery by definition is a collection of cells. So the cell is a little can of chemicals. And the challenge is taking a very high-energy cell, and a large number of them, and combining them safely into a large battery. Show less «

Even if producing CO2 was good for the environment, given that we're going to run out of hydrocarbon...Show more »

Even if producing CO2 was good for the environment, given that we're going to run out of hydrocarbons, we need to find some sustainable means of operating. Show less «

Automotive franchise laws were put in place decades ago to prevent a manufacturer from unfairly open...Show more »

Automotive franchise laws were put in place decades ago to prevent a manufacturer from unfairly opening stores in direct competition with an existing franchise dealer that had already invested time, money and effort to open and promote their business. Show less «

It's obviously tricky to convert cellulose to a useful biofuel. I think actually the most efficient ...Show more »

It's obviously tricky to convert cellulose to a useful biofuel. I think actually the most efficient way to use cellulose is to burn it in a co-generation power plant. That will yield the most energy and that is something you can do today. Show less «

As you heat the planet up, it's just like boiling a pot.

There are some important differences between me and Tony Stark, like I have five kids, so I spend mo...Show more »

There are some important differences between me and Tony Stark, like I have five kids, so I spend more time going to Disneyland than parties. Show less «

When I was in college, I wanted to be involved in things that would change the world.

Silicon Valley has some of the smartest engineers and technology business people in the world.

The reason we should do a carbon tax is because it's the right thing to do. It's economics 101, elem...Show more »

The reason we should do a carbon tax is because it's the right thing to do. It's economics 101, elementary stuff. Show less «

I wouldn't say I have a lack of fear. In fact, I'd like my fear emotion to be less because it's very...Show more »

I wouldn't say I have a lack of fear. In fact, I'd like my fear emotion to be less because it's very distracting and fries my nervous system. Show less «

In order for us to have a future that's exciting and inspiring, it has to be one where we're a space...Show more »

In order for us to have a future that's exciting and inspiring, it has to be one where we're a space-bearing civilization. Show less «

I think there are more politicians in favor of electric cars than against. There are still some that...Show more »

I think there are more politicians in favor of electric cars than against. There are still some that are against, and I think the reasoning for that varies depending on the person, but in some cases, they just don't believe in climate change - they think oil will last forever. Show less «

The United States is definitely ahead in culture of innovation. If someone wants to accomplish great...Show more »

The United States is definitely ahead in culture of innovation. If someone wants to accomplish great things, there is no better place than the U.S. Show less «

My background educationally is physics and economics, and I grew up in sort of an engineering enviro...Show more »

My background educationally is physics and economics, and I grew up in sort of an engineering environment - my father is an electromechanical engineer. And so there were lots of engineery things around me. Show less «

I just want to retire before I go senile because if I don't retire before I go senile, then I'll do ...Show more »

I just want to retire before I go senile because if I don't retire before I go senile, then I'll do more damage than good at that point. Show less «

I'm a Silicon Valley guy. I just think people from Silicon Valley can do anything.

I don't create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.

I was born in Africa. I came to California because it's really where new technologies can be brought...Show more »

I was born in Africa. I came to California because it's really where new technologies can be brought to fruition, and I don't see a viable competitor. Show less «

I always invest my own money in the companies that I create. I don't believe in the whole thing of j...Show more »

I always invest my own money in the companies that I create. I don't believe in the whole thing of just using other people's money. I don't think that's right. I'm not going to ask other people to invest in something if I'm not prepared to do so myself. Show less «

I'm glad to see that BMW is bringing an electric car to market. That's cool.

I'd like to dial it back 5% or 10% and try to have a vacation that's not just e-mail with a view.

I think the high-tech industry is used to developing new things very quickly. It's the Silicon Valle...Show more »

I think the high-tech industry is used to developing new things very quickly. It's the Silicon Valley way of doing business: You either move very quickly and you work hard to improve your product technology, or you get destroyed by some other company. Show less «

Great companies are built on great products.

Any product that needs a manual to work is broken.

An asteroid or a supervolcano could certainly destroy us, but we also face risks the dinosaurs never...Show more »

An asteroid or a supervolcano could certainly destroy us, but we also face risks the dinosaurs never saw: An engineered virus, nuclear war, inadvertent creation of a micro black hole, or some as-yet-unknown technology could spell the end of us. Show less «

In the early days of aviation, there was a great deal of experimentation and a high death rate.

It is definitely true that the fundamental enabling technology for electric cars is lithium-ion as a...Show more »

It is definitely true that the fundamental enabling technology for electric cars is lithium-ion as a cell chemistry technology. In the absence of that, I don't think it's possible to make an electric car that is competitive with a gasoline car. Show less «

Selling an electric sports car creates an opportunity to fundamentally change the way America drives...Show more »

Selling an electric sports car creates an opportunity to fundamentally change the way America drives. Show less «

The U.S. automotive industry has been selling cars the same way for over 100 years, and there are ma...Show more »

The U.S. automotive industry has been selling cars the same way for over 100 years, and there are many laws in place to govern exactly how that is to be accomplished. Show less «

If anyone has a vested interest in space solar power, it would have to be me.

America is the spirit of human exploration distilled.

Patience is a virtue, and I'm learning patience. It's a tough lesson.

If we drive down the cost of transportation in space, we can do great things.

There have only been about a half dozen genuinely important events in the four-billion-year saga of ...Show more »

There have only been about a half dozen genuinely important events in the four-billion-year saga of life on Earth: single-celled life, multicelled life, differentiation into plants and animals, movement of animals from water to land, and the advent of mammals and consciousness. Show less «

this is the first time in 4.5 billion years where it's been possible for humanity to extend life bey...Show more »

this is the first time in 4.5 billion years where it's been possible for humanity to extend life beyond Earth.[February 2017] Show less «

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.

I do love email. Wherever possible I try to communicate asynchronously. I'm really good at email.

I don't think it's a good idea to plan to sell a company.

If humanity doesn't land on Mars in my lifetime, I would be very disappointed.

I hate writing about personal stuff. I don't have a Facebook page. I don't use my Twitter account. I...Show more »

I hate writing about personal stuff. I don't have a Facebook page. I don't use my Twitter account. I am familiar with both, but I don't use them. Show less «

If you want to grow a giant redwood, you need to make sure the seeds are ok, nurture the sapling, an...Show more »

If you want to grow a giant redwood, you need to make sure the seeds are ok, nurture the sapling, and work out what might potentially stop it from growing all the way along. Anything that breaks it at any point stops that growth. Show less «

I've been to Disneyland, like, 10 times. I'm getting really tired of Disneyland.

You could warm Mars up, over time, with greenhouse gases.

The path to the CEO's office should not be through the CFO's office, and it should not be through th...Show more »

The path to the CEO's office should not be through the CFO's office, and it should not be through the marketing department. It needs to be through engineering and design. Show less «

A Prius is not a true hybrid, really. The current Prius is, like, 2 percent electric. It's a gasolin...Show more »

A Prius is not a true hybrid, really. The current Prius is, like, 2 percent electric. It's a gasoline car with slightly better mileage. Show less «

SpaceX has the potential of saving the U.S. government $1 billion a year. We are opposed to creating...Show more »

SpaceX has the potential of saving the U.S. government $1 billion a year. We are opposed to creating an entrenched monopoly with no realistic means for anyone to compete. Show less «

[on the possibly of extending life beyond earth]it seems like we'd be wise to act while the window w...Show more »

[on the possibly of extending life beyond earth]it seems like we'd be wise to act while the window was open and not count on the fact it will be open for a long time Show less «

It's OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.

People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward...Show more »

People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in the morning and enjoy working. Show less «

I'm personally a moderate and a registered independent, so I'm not strongly Democratic or strongly R...Show more »

I'm personally a moderate and a registered independent, so I'm not strongly Democratic or strongly Republican. Show less «

I'm reasonably optimistic about the future, especially the future of the United States - for the cen...Show more »

I'm reasonably optimistic about the future, especially the future of the United States - for the century, at least. Show less «

Boeing just took $20 billion and 10 years to improve the efficiency of their planes by 10 percent. T...Show more »

Boeing just took $20 billion and 10 years to improve the efficiency of their planes by 10 percent. That's pretty lame. I have a design in mind for a vertical liftoff supersonic jet that would be a really big improvement. Show less «

Elon Musk

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