Elon Musk is an entrepreneur and technology executive who is the co-founder, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX; CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., CEO of Twitter and chairman of Neuralink. He is also the founder of The Boring Company, which is working on developing a network of tunnels for high-speed travel.
Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. He studied economics and physics at the University of Pretoria before moving to Canada to attend Queen's University. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he received dual bachelor's degrees in economics and physics.
After college, Musk moved to California to attend Stanford University, but dropped out after just two days to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. He co-founded web software company Zip2 with his brother, which was eventually sold to Compaq for almost $300 million. He then founded X.com, an online payment company that eventually became PayPal and was sold to eBay for over $1 billion.
In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. The company has since developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft, which have been used to resupply the International Space Station and to launch satellite payloads into orbit. In 2008, SpaceX became the first privately funded company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station.
Musk is also the CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., which is a leading manufacturer of electric vehicles and renewable energy products. He has been instrumental in the development of the Tesla Roadster, Model S, Model X, and Model 3, and has played a key role in the growth of the electric vehicle market.
In addition to his work at SpaceX and Tesla, Musk is also the chairman of Neuralink, a company working on developing implantable brain–machine interfaces to treat neurological conditions and enhance human cognitive abilities. He has also founded The Boring Company, which is working on developing a network of tunnels for high-speed travel.
Musk is known for his ambitious vision and his efforts to push the boundaries of what is possible with technology. He has faced criticism and controversy at times, but his work has also garnered widespread admiration and has had a significant impact on the tech industry and beyond.