Elon Musk may be an inspiration for the movie Iron Man, but Musk’s companies have real-world problems to solve.
For many of us, Elon Musk is Tony Stark. The 46-year old has found wildly ambitious tech companies, including SpaceX and Tesla. Musk makes emission-free electric vehicles that have uncommon features like massive touchscreens. He talks about making humanity a multi-planetary species and wants to bring people to Mars.
The billionaire genius actually served as inspiration for Robert Downey Jr., while the latter was filming Iron Man. Musk gave Downey a personal tour of SpaceX, and afterward, Downey suggested a Tesla Roadster be in Tony Stark’s workshop. Musk even made a brief cameo as himself in Iron Man 2.
Unlike Tony Stark, Elon Musk was not born rich; the South African-born Musk is self-made. And it’s worth remembering that pursuing wildly ambitious tech dreams have nearly finished him. By 2008, SpaceX had launched three rockets. All them had blown up before reaching orbit, and Musk only had funds left for one more launch.
In the meantime, Tesla had yet to deliver one car to market. The US$180 million that Musk had pocketed from selling PayPal had been plowed into these companies and was essentially gone.
Fast forward to 2018. SpaceX has made incredible leaps in the past 10 years. Its Falcon Heavy has the highest payload capacity of any current rocket.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Should I Buy Cyberinsurance?
Personal cyberinsurance covers a range of cybercrimes such as cyber extortion, cyberbullying, online fraud, and data loss.
Quick Tips: Five Things To Do If You Get Hacked
It might seem like an obvious choice at first, but many people often resort to panic-clicking device options, rebooting, Googling for solutions, calling tech support (or that tech-savvy friend) for help, all while leaving the compromised device connected.
CLASH OF THE EXECUTIVE SALOONS: BMW 5201 VS MERCEDES-BENZ E200
The BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class are motoring institutions.
SENNHEISER TULLAMORE FACTORY TOUR: HOW THE WORLD'S BEST HEADPHONES ARE MADE IN IRELAND
It’s a relatively common practice for brands to have separate facilities for parts manufacturing and product assembly, whether it’s for cost or other reasons.
Tech Awards 2024 Readers' Choice
BEST OF PERSONAL COMPUTING
Good For Nothing
After a rocky start with the Nothing Phone (1), the company turned things around by releasing the incredible Nothing Phone (2).
A For Affordable AI
The Google Pixel 8a has arrived, offering many features from its flagship siblings at a more affordable price. It maintains a sleek, compact design, making it easy to handle with one hand.
Mercedes Benz EQS SUV
Mercedes-Benz's adoption of electricity has been impressively rapid.
5 Steps To Secure Your Home With A Mesh Network
Firewalls filter data in network traffic to protect the network from a wide variety of malicious attacks and malware.
The Best Hair Straightener
When I first saw the Dyson Airstrait straightener, my immediate feelings were one of cautious optimism.