I could answer: Elon Musk is one of the most famous people on the planet and one of the wealthiest. He is a billionaire, the chief executive officer, and the largest shareholder of Tesla, the electric-vehicle maker. To be honest, I must say I didn’t know much about Elon Musk. From the bits and pieces, I had a mixed view of him, but recently I have read some articles about him, and now, in general, I have an almost positive opinion. One of the most interesting things about him is the variety of companies he is funding or managing. Compared to others in his range of net worth, I admire his efforts in designing the future of humanity instead of just chilling on a yacht or something. Last but not least, he has 11 children (amazing!!!!).

Since the death of the tycoon Steve Jobs in 2011, Elon Musk has emerged as the leading virtuos of technological innovation. He is considered the richest person in the world. As an entrepreneur, he has achieved global fame as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the electric automobile maker Tesla (TSLA) and the private space company SpaceX. Musk was an early investor in several tech companies, and in October 2022, took over Twitter, renaming it X. An ultra-rich billionaire with a lot of power and influence, he founded PayPal, revolutionized electric vehicles with Tesla, making them a force to reckon with and changing the dynamics of the entire auto industry almost single-handedly. Born and raised in South Africa (Pretoria) in 1971, bullied as a child, Musk spent time in Canada before moving to the United States. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania, he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in physics in addition to a bachelor in arts in economics. Musk was 24 years old when he moved to California to pursue a Ph.D. in applied physics at Stanford University. But, with the Internet exploding and Silicon Valley booming, Musk had entrepreneurial visions dancing in his head. He left the Ph.D. program after just two days and started getting his feet wet as a serial tech entrepreneur with early successes like Zip2 and X.com, which merged with a company that became PayPal. Musk became involved with the electric cars venture as an early investor in 2004. In addition to producing electric vehicles, Tesla maintains a robust presence in the solar energy space, thanks to its acquisition of SolarCity, a company currently producing rechargeable solar batteries, photovoltaic panels, and energy storage systems.

His insatiable thirst for knowledge, critical thinking abilities, relentless work ethic, collaboration with brilliant minds, risk-taking mentality, and unique upbringing all contribute to his extraordinary genius. What pains me is the news that concerns Elon Musk’s charge for racism towards people of color in his company. Tesla has been defined by some employees as a racially segregated workplace where African American workers are subjected to racial slurs and discrimination in job assignments, discipline, pay, and promotion, creating a hostile work environment. It has been accused of rampant racism. Moreover, in recent years, the company has been plagued by numerous accusations from former workers of sexual harassment too. We can’t hide that he is a great leader and an innovation guru and a committed environmentalist, as he has also defined himself. We hope he can solve, and drive positive change in his way of thinking and behavior. Building real things, as he has done, in the real world, matters!