Of course, everyone knows the business side of Elon Musk, the man behind companies like PayPal, SpaceX, and Tesla. However, there’s also plenty you don’t know! Read on to learn some interesting facts about Mr. Musk…
Elon Musk Almost Sold Tesla In 2013
Of course, everyone now knows Elon Musk has made Telsa into one of the greatest, and wealthiest, car manufacturers on the planet. However, did you know he almost sold the company just as it began, back in 2013? That’s right! Ashlee Vance, the author of Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, revealed that nearly paid $7 billion for the company back that. That would have been quite the steal, as Tesla’s worth almost $800 billion these days. The deal would have also included Musk working as the face of the company for eight years. It seems that the CEO and owner knew what he was doing and held on to Tesla.
He Created A Game At 12
While for many, it seems that Musk only recently popped up, he’s been making money since childhood. In fact, he created and sold his first game at 12-years-old. He created a simple, Atari-like game, Blastar, and eventually sold it to South African publication PC and Office Technology. It might have been a blatant Space Invaders ripoff, but they didn’t care! It was enough to earn Musk his first deal: $500 in 1983. That’s just under $1,300 today! The best part of all? It’s not only still playable online, but also in Teslas!
Musk Once Opened A Nightclub
When Musk had no job and was studying at the University of Pennsylvania, he realized he couldn’t even afford rent. Thankfully, he and his roommate Andeo Ressi solved the problem fast. They rented a large house and immediately started working on it – soon, it was a full-blown nightclub. It wasn’t small, though, with over a thousand people inside every night. Musk, on the other hand, wasn’t keen on partying. “There were some nights where I’d be like, ‘Where’s Elon?’ and I’d go up to his room and pound on the door and he’s in there alone playing a video game,” Ressi told Vogue in an interview.
He Established A School
Musk has never hidden the fact that he dislikes the American school system. So, to ensure that his children have the best future ever, he creatures on! Ad Astra began as one-off educational projects at SpaceX headquarters, which focused on math, science, engineering, ethics, and exceeding “traditional school metrics on all relevant subject matter through unique project-based learning experiences.”
Now, Ad Astra has morphed into Astra Nova, a year-round school with about 50 students. Its only campus is open in Los Angeles and teaches kids between the ages of 8 and 14.
Elon Musk truly has come a long way: he was a victim of bullying in his own school days. Now, it’s the bullies who must watch him open up schools, create fantastic companies of the future, and live one of the best lives ever.
Sources: Finance101, The Indian Express