Elon Musk's life and what he does every day.

Is that water that that that is water, that's I mean, that's it tastes like water.

But your favorite drink is well, I mean, uh, die coke is good. There's that there's something that they put in that stuff that is you know you never get sick of it for some reason.

Uh, you know, have some infernal ingredients.

How many cones you your bottle to you you have a day?

Okay, Well, I mean I'm trying to cut down these days, so maybe from I mean there was probably times when I had like eight a day or something ridiculous, but I think these days it's probably one or two, so it's not too.

Crazy, okay.

And coffee, uh usually to a day, lots of them so much.

I mean not really.

So, but yeah the I I used to have, but so much coffee and and uh you know die coke that I I get really wired and then it gets over caffeinated and a and uh it would wouldn't be good.

Okay.

Yeah, so an I've kind of gone to I think more reasonable portions these days.

Okay, I think we you you drink so so much coffee or a diet cook because you work so many hours of every day? Yeah, how many hours do you work how how looks a normal day in the life of even must like?

Well it it's really varied, uh quite a bit over time. So the you know, these days it's probably eighty eighty five hours a week. For a while it was over a hundred hours a week. And that's just it's just too that's a very high amount of pain. So it's uh, you know, the the d the difficulty and paint of of work hours really increases exponentially. It's not linear, m so, but w when you know the financial crisis uh hit in two thousand eight, two thousand nine, you.

Know it was just every day, seven days a week. Wait, you know morningful night and dream about work. Yeah, yeah, it's so it's was terrible.

And at the time there were bad dreams, I guess.

Bad dreams late, yes, yeah.

And at what time do you get up normally.

In the morning? Uh?

For me, it's usually about uh seven seven okay, but I go to bed late. So usually it's I go to bed around one am or so one am.

Yeah, and you start day with a real breakfast or just with a coffee or.

With the water.

You know that also varies a lot.

I I think it's probably true that if you that having a good breakfast is is a good idea, But usually I don't have time for that. So sometimes, uh, sometimes it's it's made for me. But probably half the time I don't have any breakfast. I had, let's have like coffee or something like that and with it spam. Sure, and I well, I'm trying to cut down on the on on sweet stuff. So but I think, I mean the y I I think I probably should have like a an omelet and a coffee or something like that.

That seems like probably the right thing, And sometimes I do have that.

And for lunch is the lunch yeah yeah, the uh lu lunch is usually served to meet during a meeting, and I finish it in five minutes.

Well okay, yeah, I know it's a bad habits at dinner.

Din That dinner is where the calgories really come into play, cause there's you know, if I have dinner meetings, like dinner meetings are the worst cause then you you know, you eat enough for like two people, uh in those things, cause you have the appetizer in the main course and all that stuff. So business dinners are like the the thing that uh really uh you know where I probably eat way too.

Much, but you don't have a problem. Was your problem was your weight?

Uh? I certainly could be slimmer.

I think, yeah, what do you work out?

Then?

Do you escort? I? You know, I work out once or twice a week? Uh?

I mean I s well, yeah, yeah, once or twice.

You should Uh I should do it more often for sure.

At what are you doing? Do it runs through the forest or.

Run through the forest?

Uh no, yeah, I usually just uh uh like a little bit on the treadmill, uh or on.

You know, lifting some weights. I suppose.

Let let's keep to my questions I have here with just one hundred and twenty two, I guess, uh how much musk is in Tesla and uh X and uh hyperlups hundred percent of you.

Or oh well, of course definitely not. I mean.

I certainly have had a strong influence, but uh but I mean there are many people at the companies. So SpaceX has four thousand to people now, uh Tesla we just passed ten thousand people today, So there's there's a lot of people that I've had a huge influence on building the company for companies, more of an influence than anyone else. But it is a big team effort from a lot of talented people.

Yes, you look for a CEO at former times for Tesla and for.

Space six also I don't know for SpaceX, but no, uh, the the the the plan I had when we created UH Tesla was I wish I thought I would uh allocate maybe twenty or thirty percent of my time UH to Tesla and and then for Solar City, I figured five percent, ten percent of my time that kind of thing.

Solar City turned out to be true.

In fact, even better than that, probably takes me less than five percent of my time on Solar City. Tesla ended up being much more. And you know, unfortunately, like the the first CEO didn't didn't work out, and then I got sort of a temporary I mean I really tried pretty hard not to be the CEO, Like I could have been the CEO from day one, cause is like people maybe sometimes don't realize that and I but I you know it. It I just wasn't able to

So two more years at least probably three.

Or four three or four years. Yeah, But at that point I I would then have to consider what makes sense? Uh? And I I would, I mean, I will never leave Tesla ever, but I'm I've you know, may may not be CEO forever.

I mean, it's one nobody should be CEO for ever.

Did somebody in min who couldn't do a job already?

No?

What is white?

I I the there's no, no, no plans or anything like that.

Uh. Right now our plan is.

Just to uh you know, f for sure a b CEO through the Model three, a volume production of the Model three and the Giga factory, and then evaluate.

Yes and Mottle three is still the uh the uh price you you wanna thirty thousand dollar?

That's each other thirty five.

Thirty five thousand dollar and the same with euro I guess fall for the European market.

Well, it might be less uh if Yeah, for depends on what the exchange rating is of course, okay, uh.

So yeah, and it's always a partricular like in the in the US, the prices are quoted before sales tax and of course in Europe it's with VAT and yeah cause like twenty ten VAT and all that stuff. So probably would be more like thirty thousand euros a little bit less than that, okay, and it.

Should be on the market in two yeth time or three I'd say three two.

Two eight from now?

Yeah, okay, yeah, coming back to you, uh looking for CEO when apart from CEOs, when you hire people, what kind of skills do you want them to have? Are there any do you like, look at a list and for the people? Oh how do you say that?

Well? The I mean the the the W.

When I interviewed somebody, I really just ask them to tell me the story of their career and what they you know, W what are some of the tougher problems that they dealt with, how they dealt with those and how they made decisions at key transition points. And and usually that's enough for me to get a very good gut feel about someone. And and and what I'm really looking for is evidence of exceptional ability. So did did

Was somebody else more responsible? And Uh?

And usually the person who's had to struggle with the problem, they really understand it, you know, they are then they don't forget. Yeah, you know, if it was very difficult. So you can ask them detailed, very detailed questions about it, and they will they'll know the answer. Oh, whereas the person who was not truly responsible for that accomplishment, uh will not know the details.

Social college?

UH would teacher city?

No?

It do I?

I the I it's not it's it. There's no need even to have a college degree. Oh, okay at all?

Uh?

Or even high school?

Do the I mean if somebody graduated from a great university that may be in Indy, that may be an indication that they will be capable of great things, But it's not necessarily the case. You know, if you look at say people like uh Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs. These guys didn't graduate from college huts in. But if you had a chance to hire them, of course that would be a good idea. Yeah, so you know, just

And what does la people like uh you and uh Steep Jobs haven't coming all the gaids or people like that.

What is it you have of coming with them?

Well, I mean those are pretty different personalities, you know, between Gates and Jobs, analysis and success.

Uh well, I think.

Uh, I you know, uh, all all three of those were technologists, but with different types of skills. You know, Jobs was obviously very good with aesthetics and uh you know he he he he he answered technology, of course, and he really answered where people wanted even when they didn't know themselves, and he was not afraid to break boundaries. But say, like Gates would probably be better at uh, you know, sort of raw engineering and technology than Jobs,

But I mean it it it th th th.

Like the the the ability to attract and motivate great people is critical to the success of a company. Cause a company is just that's it's a group of people that are assembled to create a product or service. That's the purpose of a company. If you also, some of us forget this elementary truth. And so if uh, you know, if if you're able to get great people to join the company, work together towards a common goal and uh and.

You your sort of have a.

Relentless sense of perfection about that goal, then you will end up with a great product. And if you have a great product, lots of people will buy it, and then the company will be successful.

Yeah.

Really, it's it's pretty straightforward, really, I mean, yeah, that's the reason for it.

You have a lot of talents. Is there any tell that you would like to have you build? Have you singing, dancing? Do you to tique?

Well, I mean I suppose I'd like to play a musical instrument. That'd be cool. I can whistle, I can whistle.

What is your favorite song to whistle?

I don't.

I kind of have like a whole bunch of songs that kind of randomly I just went whistle randomly. Please ask me to whistle, cause it's like you never I mean, I can whistle, but like it's this is like, yeah, maybe not the coolest instrument to play. Yeah, but I I can whistle Packaball's cannon, which is a tricky one.

Really.

Yeah, I'm not going to whistle for good for you now, cause that'd be too embarrassing.

It's good maybe when we planned something for bullet.

Alright, No, man, no, nor, I don't worry.

We want to who you want to? Uh, how would you describe yourself? What of the main attributes you'll you have?

From your point, how I describe myself?

Well, I I mean I I seem to have a high uh innate uh drive. And that's been true even since I was a little kid. You know, I really had a very strong drive. Uh you know, sort of little sorts of risky things when I was a kid that I like, why did I do? Those things are crazy? But so I think that's very helpful, and.

Uh, I care a lot about the.

Truth of things and trying to understand the truth of things. I think, So I think that's important. You know, if you're gonna come up with some solution, then the truth is really really important, I think. And uh yeah, I I I try to think of I mean, it's it's difficult to have they come up with like things that are praise for oneself, you know, or like the there's

You know.

So would you describe yourself as feel less? I mean other areas when you seek people for a wise and who do people.

Would be ask for?

I wouldn't say I'm fearless. In fact, I I think I fear. I feel fear quite strongly. Uh, but I am if the if if what we're doing isn't if what you know what I'm doing is, I think is important enough, then I just uh overwrite the fear. So but it's not as though I don't feel I feel it qu like more stronger than I would like and.

Would areas would you never go full risk.

If you're still.

Off you at full.

Uh w Well, it really depends on the stakes. If the stakes are high.

If if it's a really important then what should then i'd you know, will overcome the fear and s just do it anyway. But essentially, I mean, it's just drive over right sphere.

But I feel the fear. It's kind of annoying.

I shouldn't, Okay, I wish I've felt it less. So Yeah, and these all these introspective questions are interesting. I don't get the asked these very often. And then like I I'm trying to think, like what is like an A an A an accurate reply? It's it's something It's like I don't it's hard to evaluate yourself on these things.

Yeah, which company you founded was the most.

Risky of it?

Start? Well, probably SpaceX I thought had the lowest chance of success.

Uh.

I mean, I thought both Tesla and SpaceX would fail at the beginning.

Yeah you you saw it?

Yeah, sure really of course.

But nevertheless you for all your money in that it both.

I expected to lose it.

Uh Well, technically, what i'd I thought was, well, I'll take half the money from PayPal and if I lose half of it, that's okay.

Uh.

But then of course the companies encountered difficulties, and then I have a choice of that either the let the company die or put in you know, all the money into the companies.

And so.

I really don't know what the companies did die. So I put all the money in the companies. Yeah, and then had to borrow money from friends to pay living expenses.

Yes. And what went through your mind at the end of two thousand eight when.

The last the force and the last what gets started?

What?

What ware a sword? That they It was a terrible time. Yeah. Yeah, everything was going wrong at once.

Uh, three rocket failures in a row in the beginning, and uh till the financing round was falling.

A plot or fell a pot.

The uh Solo city was having difficulties getting divorced.

Was really terrible. Yeah.

Uh so Uh, I was a I was very sad.

But then everything was perfect.

We well, it took a while, it's it's space. Yeah.

At at the end of two thousand and eight, the fourth launch worked, yes, uh, which is very like we that was all the money we had, but nothing more.

You know. In fact, originally I budgeted.

I thought, Okay, we can do three survived three failures, so take like we'd we just barely barely scraped together enough to do a fourth launch mm and and then at the end of two thousand eight we we got a big NASA contract r L L literally in December

And I didn't.

I mean, but it was like I I I could, I could see it, like I could, I was in within sight of it.

It's like, this sucks, this is terrible.

And then and then the next morning NASA called and said that we would win this one happily.

Yeah.

The next morning, like literally I was at home and uh, I thought, I thought they'd all gone home for the holidays. I didn't think that. I if you, I would have said there was no chance of a call. A few days before Christmas. I thought people, you know, be on vacation and that kind of thing.

So yeah, So what went through your mind when they called you? What do you feel?

That was awesome? I was like I actually said to the NASA guys, Uh, that's I love you. I don't think they've gotten that response before.

So so that was yeah, the Monday morning and then I think it was the Tuesday night or the Wednesday night was the uh was when we closed the financing round for Tesla. And that was like six pm on Christmas Eve.

Uh.

It was the last hour of the last day when it was possible, and we would have gone bankrupt a few hours after, uh, a few days after Christmas if if that ground had not closed.

Ah. Uh. You flew for for the Nazar and for other.

Yeah, we flourished the satellites for commercial yeah, uh operators so sees in Europe and uh sorry, oh overcom in the US and at a number of other companies.

Maybe we've got a anomaly alarm. Yeah, k.

The car, you seemed quite stolen in the car, maybe they stolen a doctor cele hothing like that hopefully.

Okay, what was your best idea ever?

Idea ever?

Yeah?

Yeah, uh, that's tricky. I I suppose coming to.

North America was m my best idea, okay, cause I think these things would.

Not have been accomplished.

Yuh.

Anyway, you know, almost anywhere else it's really hard to start a company. Uh, but you know, in particularly California, Silicon Valley is very conducive to start up companies.

And uh.

Yeah, and so yeah, uh, you know, whenever I'd read books in South Africa and it would seem like the cutting edge of technology was in Sulicon Valley and.

So that that's where I wanted to come. And mm I wanted to move move to this mythical place.

Okay.

And now that things you regret having done off on not having done so.

Far, well, there there's lots of things that you know, one life is short, and there's lots of things that could be done that one can't necessarily do.

And these really are introspective questions. I think it.

No, I mean, I mean, overall, I think I'm pretty pretty happy with the what what you know, way things are. It's hard not to be, honestly, you know, i'd be Yeah, they things are in a good place right now. And uh, I mean I'd like to looking ahead. Makes I'd like to see humanity go beyond Earth and have people on Mars. That would be really great and to see widespread ad option of electric vehicles and uh renewable energy.

These are great things. And uh uh yeah, I thought I thought would be really really cool.

But it is there like a business decision which you regret, like what you should have never done.

Uh, I mean, in retrospect, I should've Uh, I should've betten the bullet and been CEO of Tesla from the beginning.

Uh Huh.

Then that would have been.

Good.

You know that that that would have been the smart move.

Uh uh you know, cause it w we ended up having to essentially recapitalize the company, you know, and and l we l it went through a lot of grief. Uh So that would have been wise move. I mean, I it's yea sa some things are better with you know, with hindsight. Of course, you can say all this decision, of that decision, I mean tail it was essentially built

Uh and the other words, that we could.

Use the.

Technology from AC propulsion a small company in California for the electric.

Power train, so you won't do the same mistake again, So you'll start from from zero with this cel.

Well, we're I mean, we actually use uh A lot of components from other companies.

So it's like the.

You know, fr uh Bosh's UH supplier of the ultra long range ultrasonics and the radar, and then that the whole camera assembly and everything we do the camera assembly, would we use am obilid chip.

And but but all of the software for integrating that we do in Tesla.

Okay, we met each other last year for the interview, and then you told me that you wanted to die on Mars after landing that.

I mean, well, it's not as though I'm dying to die Mars, but it's like, if you're going to die somewhere, I mean, you know, choice a.

Choice, B, then.

What do you do with your ashes?

I with my ashes? I don't know.

I don't actually I'm gone. I don't care if I do anything. Yeah, I mean I guess maybe you scattered the ashes on Mars. That would be cool, you know, sure, But I mean the you know, the whole sort of retired Mars thing was like it was like a reporter asking that question six years ago or something, It's like where you want to retire and actually said.

Well, I'm not sure I'll ever retire completely, but.

If I were to retire somewhere, then Mars would be a you know, a good good way to go. I mean, I I in ideal circumstance, I'd make one trip to Mars, come back to us, and then and then when when it's time to you know, when you get really old, then like, yeah, go back to Mars when I'm like seventy five or something, and then you know, you die there, and you know, it seems like, yeah, if you're gonna die anywhere, why not die on Mars?

Yeah?

Right, have you gone to Ready?

No?

No, you want to?

Sure? I mean I'll probably go there and yeah, like maybe three or.

Four years Yes, yeah, you were were tested?

Yeah, Okay, what will happen first, the tube from San Francisco to La the Hyperloupe, or the first men on Mars.

I think the hypolie is more likely to happen first. Well, you know it's a good question.

Well, if you say that particular route, I'm not sure, cause there are all sorts of constraints in getting permits to build a big thing.

But I think I I I would be.

I think there's gonna be some company a group that creates a hyper loop, but it may be a different route. M And I know there's uh one company that's looking closely at the Los Angeles to Las Vegas, uh cause that's quite a popular trip.

Uh and that's much easier to make that uh trip. Yeah, make make that route work.

Kay, Okay, what makes you happy? Well?

If I think if things are going well with uh family and things are going well at work, then I'm happy.

Okay.

If the if either one of them is not going well, then I'm well either half unhappy or completely unhappy.

Okay, I'm talking about my happiness.

But that's like I mean, I think that's generally true.

You know, if if things are going well on personal life and work life, then then I per then then one is happy.

Okay, and talk about happiness. How did you like learning men? Oh?

It was good.

Yeah, I mean it's just my fourteenth time. Huh Uh So it was uh yeah, it's always it's always good. It's yeh iten courage people to come and check it out.

So I've been there this year.

So you did go, Okay, great, what do you think? Did you think? Yeah, it's crazy.

It's it's like life changing, life changing exactly.

See.

Have you have you ever thought about building an art car? Have you built?

Yeah? Yeah, sure, have you built. I've I've done three art cars.

Uh.

One was actually uh built built on uh this is probably ten years ago.

It was built on an Oldsmobile sh uh and an old Oldsmobile with uh a big wrap around couch over the the hood until you're sitting on top of the engine driving backwards. Okay, And so that was kind of a fun fun art car. Broke down a lot of course, Oldenville, I mean broke down a lot.

Famespond Car, Submarine transformation.

Car to the Burnyment. No, Uh, I'm the James Bond car. The Lotus is free.

Uh.

Submarine is it's in the Tesla Design studio.

Uh.

Okay, and.

So being worked on.

No, it's just it's it's currently.

Just sitting there the w What what uh I'm hopefully gonna do at some point is we're gonna create a uh sort of a replica, but not quite cause like if you look at the James Bond car, it's not it's not technically possible to make that a submarine cause at at a transformative thing. Cause the fins are right where the wheels are. Ah okay, so like there's just that doesn't fit like that. It's not physically possible to

Then you can make it work.

Okay.

Yeah, So and plus it's.

Probably good to preserve the original you know movie art essentially uh of of the of the original car. So uh yeah, talked to a few of my guys, and we think we can make it work, uh as a transformation car with those constraints, you know, so it l actually look very similar, Like you'd have to look closely to see if it's different. But yeah, I think it'd be fun to be able to, you know, drive up on the beach and the submarine car.

Do you own how the old cars? Y?

You know, I'll, i'll, I'll tell you the So there's two, there's a there's two gasoline cars that I that I own, HM, and not that many people don't know about these. But what one is uh Series one sixty seven E type Jaguar uh GUK Roadster and uh that was the first car I bought when I actually had any one. In fact, when the when my first company received an investment, UH, the bench Capitalists gave us a forty thousand dollar me and my brother a forty thousand dollar bonus.

And I spent thirty five thousand dollars on this car and it broke down on the way on the way back. It was very sad, like, damn it. I didn't even bake it home. But that was a car.

When I was about seventeen, I was given for UH my birthday, UH book of classic convertibles, and I thought, well, you know, if I could ever afford a car one of these cars in the book, I there were there were two that I liked the most. One was the gull wing Mercedes, but there's no way I could, you know, that was like millions of dollars. And then the other was the series th th this the E type jack were this Series one, Yeah, and.

Now you put it forty h mery and.

That you haven't board it yet, I I haven't.

Uh.

I do think it's a great design, really great.

And you know, and uh, you know it's partly inspires the Model X, of course, it's so I the uh.

Yeah that that might be a good one to buy at some point. And but the other car that I've I got is uh a Model T that a friend of mine, Bortant, gave me. Uh uh.

Those things are hard to drive, though, if you'd ever try to drive a middle Model T, it's like not easy.

Yeah, it's really work.

Ship should be really worked.

The controls are all totally different too, yes, the you know, the.

Like the there's no gas pedal, it's like a there's a gas Uh I mean to to change the throttle, it's uh a stick on this steering wheel.

Mm mkay yeah,