Elon Musk – A man of innovation, efficiency and controversy

Every few decades, we stumble upon impressive people who have become known for more than their sense of fashion or appearance in Hollywood.

We’re talking about impressive figures who leave a mark, changing history and, with it, life as we know it. One of these people is Elon Musk, the South African-born entrepreneur and innovator.

Who is Elon Musk?

Elon Musk is known for his groundbreaking work in both technology and space exploration. Musk boasts a wide range of titles, including being the founder, CEO, and chief engineer of SpaceX and the CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.

In terms of social media, Musk is also the owner of X, which is currently under threat by the newly popular social platform BlueSky. Aside from that, we see Musk’s hands in different types of pies, including Neuralink, The Boring Company, and OpenAI.

A quick timeline of Musk’s life

Elon Musk has an interesting timeline, with so much happening to him and for him:

Musk is a remarkable man with relentless passion, vision, and a hunger for innovation. Some of his most fascinating career moments include founding Zip2 and X.com, launching SpaceX, revolutionising Electric Vehicles with Tesla, Landing Reusable Rockets, partnering with NASA, and investing in SolarCity and Solar Energy.

Of course, there are those who are more familiar with the man after his acquisition of X. He has been very vocal about his vision for the platform, with an emphasis on addressing issues such as censorship and the ‘woke mind virus’.

Musk and Trump

While some link Musk to Tesla and others are familiar with his outspokenness on X, there are those who think only of the connection between Elon Musk and current US President Donald Trump.

One thing you might have noticed is that the relationship between Musk and Trump has been rather complex. In the early days, Musk was considered critical of Trump and even said he was ‘not the right guy’ for the presidency back in 2016.

We also saw Musk being present and playing a prominent role in Donald Trump’s 2nd presidential inauguration on the 20th of January 2025. He participated in the indoor ‘Presidential Parade’ event at Washington’s Capital One Arena and was seated in the Capitol Rotunda close to the president’s family.

He sat alongside other tech giants, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The latter recently announced that Meta is ending its fact-checking program and is replacing it with a community-driven system similar to what Elon Musk did.

Musk's strange actions drew a lot of attention from the crowd. One such gesture included what looked a lot like a Nazi salute. This sparked quite a controversy and backlash on social media as news spread about Musk raising his right arm with a straight hand while making a displeased noise.

Musk, however, quickly defended his actions and claimed that there was no intention of offence but rather meant to be an enthusiastic gesture. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the gesture could be considered more awkward than a deliberate Nazi salute.

Musk’s presence and actions highlight how influential a role he plays in the Trump administration and suggest there is a clear link between politics and technology.

The life of Elon Musk

Even though he is quick on his way to becoming one of the most hated men in the world, Elon Musk is said to dream big and break free from societal boxes and thinking patterns.

At the age of 9, Musk read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, and by age 12, Musk had taught himself programming. He then continued to create a video game called Blastar, which sold for $500.

His life has not always been easy, considering that he faced bullies and later learned karate, wrestling, and judo to defend himself. Some crazy university shenanigans also etched into the Musk timeline include turning the rented house he shared with a roommate into a nightclub.

Let’s not forget his massive impact on various companies and spheres, including the launch of SpaceX and the revolutionisation of electric vehicles alongside Tesla.

Musk also became a school founder after founding a school at SpaceX headquarters for both his own children and those of other SpaceX employees, which acts as an efficient way to reduce the worry or travel when it comes to little loved ones.