Originally published on EV Annex.
By Matt Pressman
Most fans of Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] are familiar with the company’s trailblazing CEO Elon Musk. We just gave you a peek at his resume and a few cameo appearances he’s made in some movies. Now, the folks at What’s Huang* blog have come up with a list of Elon Musk facts that they claim will blow your mind. We already knew most of this info, but, wanted to highlight a few things that surprised (and delighted) us. Oh yeah — we also have a free Elon Musk biography eBook. We’ll get to that in a minute. But first… without further ado, here are 25 fun factoids that just might surprise you about Ironman Elon Musk.
25 Fun Facts about Elon Musk
- Created OpenAI, a non-profit AI research organization to develop a safe AI that is beneficial and safe for humanity.
- Purchased a F1 McLaren as a reward from his sell off of Zip2. Crashed his F1 McLaren. Eventually he created a Tesla Model S that goes even faster than the F1 McLaren.
- Currently divides his time between SpaceX and Tesla. Mondays and Tuesdays at SpaceX, Wednesdays and Thursdays at Tesla. Fridays are split equally between both.
- Robert Downey Jr. modeled his character, Tony Stark, in Iron Man after Elon Musk. Musk does a cameo in Iron Man 2.
- He is friends with Larry Page, CEO of Google (now Alphabet), and has been known to call Larry to stay over in Palo Alto.
- Elon nicknamed the automated robots at the Tesla manufacturing facility after X-men characters. These include Xavier, Iceman, Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Vulcan, and Havoc. Furthermore, the Tesla Model S has insane and ludicrous speed modes, and the Tesla Model X has a bioweapon defense mode. These are all actual names of mode settings.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams has been cited as his favorite book.
- He is a voracious reader and has been known to cite passages of technical books in debates with his employees.
- He wants to put a roller coaster in the Tesla Factory.
- He made a cameo in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.
- Elon Musk purchased James Bond’s Lotus Espirit submarine car for ~$1 million dollars and plans to convert it into an actual functional submarine car.
- He has the tenacity to work 100 hours a week.
- Elon has a strict “No-A**holes” hiring policy.
- Elon sleeps an average of 6 hours a day and relies on an app to help him keep track.
- Loves putting easter eggs in software in Teslas.
- Once had a job where he shoveled dirt in a boiler room.
- Threw elaborate house parties in college and charged for cover to pay for his tuition.
- Bribed the Russian police after being held at gun point for attempting to purchase three $7Million rockets.
- Loves first person shooter games such as Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect, and Civilization.
- Drink of choice is whiskey.
- Not interested in running for political office, but likes the quote, “If you are in hell, keep going” by Winston Churchill.
- Has owned an Aero L-39 Jet.
- Has been known to consume 8 cans of diet coke as well as several large cups of coffee to stay alert.
- He likes french food and BBQ.
- He says: “I think its possible for ordinary people to be extraordinary”
And, by the way, if you’ve ever wondered why Tesla CEO Elon Musk is so intent on creating a better (and greener) future as CEO of Tesla Motors and as Chairman of SolarCity, check out this clip from a recent interview on HBO’s VICE where he explains it in simple terms…
As we’ve mentioned before, the best way to get the inside scoop on Elon Musk is by reading his authorized biography, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, by Bloomberg writer Ashlee Vance. It’s a treasure trove of fascinating information. Okay, you’ve already read it? Well, in that case, we’ve got another biography on Musk.
This biography isn’t authorized, but, it’s nevertheless a great read. Eric Nordeus’ biography, The Engineer: Follow Elon Musk on a Journey from South Africa to Mars, covers some new ground that Vance’s book missed. The author posted a special link on Reddit that allows readers to download a free copy of the eBook (in multiple formats). For any true Elon Musk fan, this book is a must-read. Click the link below and you can download it for free…
*Source: What’s Huang Blog
Reprinted with permission.