Elon Musk dreams BIG!!!

The main point of this thread is to let some light shine on dreaming BIG and innovation.

This morning I watched a program called “Risk Takers” on Bloomberg (business channel) and it was recounting of the roller coaster ride of entrepreneur Elon Musk. To save time I’m posting a 20 minute (TED) interview that asks what we can learn from Elon Musk.
.
I could tell you but… why spoil it?

Protected content
(20 minute interview, March Protected content

I’m trying to think of parallels that would make it easier for someone who does not know this entrepreneur's journey. Steve Jobs came to mind. Elon Musk, like Steve Jobs is making a huge impact on 3 seemingly separate diverse industries. Jobs of course changed the way consumers use computers, listen to music and watch animated movies.

Elon Musk is at least as big a dreamer and innovator. Bloomberg called him the Henry Ford of space travel, we’ll see. His goals (colonization of Mars for starters) make some snicker but he is well past being not taken seriously. His space travel company SpaceX has 4 billion dollars of revenue booked to supply the Space Station with cargo transport missions. He doesn’t bother to patent the improvements SpaceX innovates “since our competitors are national governments the enforceabilty of patents is questionalbe:”

Many have played the board game Monoploy. It never seemed very profitable to own the utilities in Monopoly. WRONG. Elon Musk predicts that SOLAR ENERY WILL OVERTAKE ALL OTHER FUEL SOURCES IN 18 YEARS!!!!!! His company, SolarCity, may become his most profitable venture. The key here was to reduce installation costs and eliminate upfront investment offering homeowners no money down, 20 year lease plan AND reduced utility bills. A utility is created in the process of solar panels installed on roofs across America.

During the financial crisis in Protected content risked every last dollar of the fortune he built with “PayPal” on his dream of the electric car and his company Tesla Motors. This story is a real roller coaster ride but the company seems like it has a good chance with Daimler’s investment and 10% ownership. Still, Elon Musk is putting his personal fortune on the line in guaranteeing the resale value of his “S” model and offering free refueling “for life” to purchasers of his electric cars.

Comments welcome. Perhaps someone can dig up a scandal or hypocrisy or other controversy to keep the thread going… haha.

Fondly,
Jim