I’ve watched elon musk break things, build things, and tweet things for over a decade. In my experience, that is the normal order. Break. Build. Tweet. Then repeat. When people ask me why I study this guy, I tell them it’s simple: rockets, electric cars, Mars plans, memes, and way too much espresso. Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, Neuralink, The Boring Company, X (the app once called Twitter), PayPal history, AI talk, autopilot drama, Falcon 9 landings, Dragon flights, Cybertruck windows, and a very loud Gigafactory machine. It’s a circus I keep going back to. Because it’s chaotic and clever. Sometimes at the same time.
Why I Keep Paying Attention
I don’t buy posters of founders. I buy earplugs. But I still follow this one. I’ve always found that when a person mixes hard engineering with wild optimism, you either get a rocket landing on a tiny barge. Or you get a crater. With him, you get both, and often in the same quarter. That whiplash? Weirdly fun to study.
What I think is most interesting is how he treats companies like machines. He tunes them. He pulls out parts that grind. He throws more parts in to see what happens. Sometimes the machine screams. Other times it purrs. That makes boring business guys very nervous. It also makes engineers grin, especially after a successful static fire test and no “RUD.” If you know, you know.
How I First Noticed Him
I remember the PayPal era. I was a broke kid trying to sell a used ThinkPad online. The buyer sent money with this new thing called PayPal. It felt fast and a bit sketchy. I read up on the founders and saw a name I didn’t know how to say. South African background. Physics. Code. Weird mix. I made a note in a little paper notebook: “Watch this guy.” That was my entire investment thesis at 19. Proud of that one.
The Car Thing: Faster, Quieter, Chatty Cars
Tesla was the first time I saw people drool over spreadsheets. Range. 0–60. Battery density. Over-the-air updates. That last one made the car feel like a phone with wheels. I test-drove a Model 3 twice. I didn’t buy one at first. Not because I hated it. I just wanted to see if the door handles would behave in winter. Minnesota life. They did fine. My neighbor’s did not. He blamed me. I blamed the ice.
What I’ve Learned Watching Tesla
- Speed helps. Shipping fast beats talking slow. The first mover thing matters.
- But service matters too. A great EV is still a car. It needs tires and people.
- Autopilot and Full Self-Driving are not magic. They are math with edges. I’ve had it ping-pong on a weird exit ramp. Not fun. Keep hands on wheel. Keep brain on road.
- Factories are the real flex. “The machine that builds the machine” is not just a meme. The Gigafactory idea, for batteries and scale, changed the game.
Models I Keep Seeing Everywhere
- Model 3: The “default” EV. Like a black t-shirt. It fits most days.
- Model Y: The crossover I see at every soccer field. Dog hair factory.
- Model S: The sleeper car that smokes supercars and looks bored.
- Cybertruck: Angular loaf of steel. People stare. Kids cheer. Parking sensors cry.
For the record, the energy side matters too. SolarCity, Powerwall, the push for solar energy. I set up panels on my roof after a long cost spreadsheet made me sad and then happy. Long story. Sun works. Bills go down. No memes required.
The Rocket Thing: Kerosene, Fire, and Luck
SpaceX is the part of this saga that made science class cool again. I watched the first Falcon 9 landing live, palms sweaty, chips on my keyboard. The booster came down like a building standing up. My friend yelled “This is fake.” I yelled “Shut up.” It wasn’t fake. Then they did it again. And again. Reusable rockets went from a dream to a line item.
Notes From a Rocket Fan Who Can’t Build One
- Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) is just an explosion with a suit on. Engineers cope with humor.
- Landing legs are cooler than spoilers on cars. Fight me.
- Dragon taking crews to the ISS made me tear up a bit. Don’t tell anyone. Okay, fine, tell everyone.
Starlink: Internet From Space For People With Bad Ground Internet
I installed a Starlink dish at my cousin’s cabin. Trees everywhere. The dish looked at the sky, nodded, and gave me decent ping. We streamed races and argued about pizza toppings. Satellites did that. If you live rural, you get it. Fiber is nice, but fiber doesn’t hike out to you with boots. Satellites fly.
The Mars Talk
Do I think we will live on Mars in my lifetime? Maybe a base. A small one. I think we should try. It forces us to solve hard problems on life support, recycling, radiation, closed-loop systems. Useful on Earth too. But I also think we should fix potholes here. The two can both be true. I can want off-planet and also want my street not to eat my car.
The Brain-Computer Thing: Cables To Cortex
Neuralink sounds like sci-fi until you watch an implant help someone move a cursor by thinking about it. That clip stuck with me. I’m not blind to the risks. I read the papers. I read the ethics. I also know that spinal cord injuries are brutal. If tiny threads can bridge a gap, that’s not a gadget. That’s dignity.
And yes, the jokes write themselves. “Bluetooth for your brain.” “Patch notes for thoughts.” But when I visited a rehab clinic (friend’s brother, motorcycle crash), I saw what better brain-computer interfaces could do. Less sarcasm. More hope. Still, slow and careful, please. No speed runs on neurosurgery.
The Tunnels And The Toys
The Boring Company dug a tunnel and sold a not-a-flamethrower, which was a flamethrower with a lawyer. I got to try one at a safe demo. Burned a marshmallow. Felt cool for twelve seconds and then dumb for thirteen. That sums up the toy side of this story. Fun. Then you check your eyebrows.
Hyperloop? I love a good render. I also love pressure differentials that don’t fail. I’ve ridden enough subway lines to know air and speed are tricky roommates. Maybe some version happens. Or maybe it just nudges us to fix regular trains. Wouldn’t hate that either.
The Social Media Saga: X Marks The Loud Spot
I was on the site when it was Twitter. I’m still on it. I’m not proud. I treat it like a city bus. Loud, messy, but it gets me somewhere. The purchase and the changes? Wild. Some choices felt bold. Some felt like doing surgery while jogging. The old verification system was flawed. The new one also has flaws. Moderation is a forever problem. I don’t think any one knob fixes it. Not subscriptions. Not AI. Not vibes.
I laughed once when he posted a late-night meme that broke half the app. Then I cried a little when I couldn’t load my own thread about satellites. Tech karma is fast.
Receipts, Sources, Real Stuff
If you want the straight-laced bio, the Wikipedia page has the timeline and the citations. If you want the money scoreboard, the Forbes profile refreshes like a slot machine. I check both when people throw wild claims. Helps cut the noise. I like receipts.
For a tighter take on the whole vibe, here’s a good read on the quirky visionary redefining tech and space. It hits the mix of rockets, code, and odd humor I’ve seen up close.
What I Like Versus What Makes Me Sigh
I’m not a fanboy. I’m not a hater. I’m a nerd with a notebook. Here’s how my brain splits it.
| Stuff I Like | Stuff That Makes Me Sigh |
|---|---|
| Hard engineering bets (Falcon 9 reusability, battery scale) | Overpromising timelines that age like milk |
| Shipping even when perfect isn’t ready | Shipping when safe isn’t ready (rare, but it matters) |
| Factory focus, cost curves, vertical integration | Customer support gaps when growth outruns service |
| Starlink giving decent internet to rural spots | Constellation light pollution concerns for astronomers |
| Open talk about risk and first principles | Casual tweets that move markets and hearts like a blender |
My Scorecard Over The Years (Unscientific, Very Honest)
Here’s the vibe chart from my own notes. Not financial advice. Not even breakfast advice.
| Year | My Mood | Highlight | Lowlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Curious | Dragon docks with ISS | “This is all hype” people in my inbox |
| 2015 | Hyped | First booster landing | Autopilot misunderstandings |
| 2018 | Mixed | Falcon Heavy car to space. Wild. | That “funding secured” tweet drama |
| 2020 | Hopeful | Human spaceflight returns from U.S. soil | Supply chain shocks punch everyone |
| 2022 | Tired | Starlink helps remote folks and disaster zones | Platform chaos, constant policy flip-flops |
| 2024 | Watching | Starship tests get bigger and smarter | Public debate heat melts nuance |
Common Myths I Hear At Parties
- “He does it all alone.” No one does. There are teams of teams. The myth of the solo genius is cozy. The truth has meetings and coffee.
- “He just markets stuff.” Ask a booster landing if that was marketing. There’s spin. But there’s also real steel and heat shields.
- “Everything is a scam.” If by scam you mean reusable rockets, mass EV adoption, and a lot of angry oil execs, then sure. Otherwise, no.
- “He never fails.” Lol. Rockets go boom. Deadlines slip. Demos flop. The trick is iterating without giving up or glossing over safety.
- “AI will make driving perfect tomorrow.” Tomorrow isn’t a software update. It’s many tomorrows. Safety takes time and data.
What I’d Do If I Ran Things For A Week
- Freeze new features on X for seven days. Fix the basics. Search. DMs. Spam. Boring is powerful.
- Push more service centers for Tesla in undercovered areas. Fast help beats fast memes.
- Fund star-tracking and dark-sky work to help astronomers with satellite streaks. Space for all means sharing the sky.
- Keep Starship tests going, but add a “what did we learn” plain-English blog after each one. Less jargon, more honesty.
- Neuralink: publish more methods and more safety data in peer-reviewed places. Slow is strong here.
Little Lessons I Actually Use
- First principles thinking helps. Strip a problem down. Then rebuild it. Works for code and for burnt pancakes.
- Ship. Then fix. But only where mistakes don’t hurt people. Pick the right battlefield.
- Focus on unit economics. If the thing doesn’t make sense per unit, it won’t at scale either.
- Learn in public. You’ll get roasted. You’ll also get signal faster.
- Hire for grit and humor. Both are shock absorbers in hard projects.
Random Bits That Don’t Fit Anywhere Else
I once rode in a Model S with Ludicrous mode and actually yelled. Not in fear. In surprise. It felt like a roller coaster shoved into a library. Silent chaos. I also once tried to explain Starlink to my aunt using frying pans and golf balls. It worked. Kind of.
I don’t trade stocks on this stuff. I did that once. My heart filed a complaint with HR. Now I just watch tests, read filings, and talk to engineers when they are allowed to talk. Better for my blood pressure.
Some people ask me about Dogecoin. I tell them I like dogs. Coins are up to you. Please don’t mortgage your toaster.
On The Big Picture
There’s a theme under all this noise: cut costs, move fast, control the stack, try the weird idea, and let the memes flow. Some days that breaks things you wish would not break. Some days it drags a whole industry forward. EV makers woke up. Old space woke up. Internet providers in the woods woke up. Even train fans got new arguments. Not bad for one life.
I’ll keep watching. I’ll keep calling out the misses. I’ll also clap when big, risky stuff lands on a pad the size of a napkin in the ocean. Fair is fair.
FAQs I Keep Getting
- Q: Is he really an engineer or just a manager? A: In my view, he’s a product and systems guy who dives into engineering details. Not a lone lab wizard. He asks painful questions that push teams.
- Q: Are Tesla cars safe with Autopilot? A: They are solid cars. The driver assist can help, but you must pay attention. It’s not a nap button. Treat it like a helpful cousin, not a chauffeur.
- Q: Will we live on Mars soon? A: Soon as in next vacation? No. In our lifetimes? Maybe a small base. It depends on rockets, life support, and money. Lots of all three.
- Q: What about Starlink hurting astronomy? A: It’s a real concern. Work is happening on darker satellites and smarter schedules. We should keep pushing for fixes while still connecting remote places.
- Q: Why do people love or hate him so much? A: Because he mixes big wins with loud stumbles in public. That’s spicy. Some see hope. Some see chaos. Most of us see both.
Anyway, that’s my brain dump for today. I’m going to make coffee and watch a static fire clip again. Don’t judge me.
Hey, I’m Lucas. My blog explores the patterns and connects the dots between tech, business, and gaming. If you’re a curious mind who loves to see how different worlds intersect, you’re in the right place.
