Elon Musk is one of the richest people in the world, and he’s currently shaping the global economy. But these facts are no secret. He’s been the talk of several circles for some time, but there are still some facts about him that might surprise you. Here are some things you may not know about Elon Musk.
A Young Entrepreneur
Elon Musk has been an entrepreneur since before he even reached high school. He found a passion for the technology industry at the age of 10 when he saw his first computer in a store.
From there, he learned to program and develop code for a video game called Blastar, which he sold by the age of 12. A computer magazine purchased the game for $500 in 1984.
Movie Consultant
Elon Musk is an actor and a movie consultant—sort of. You might not have noticed him before, but Musk appeared in an immensely popular movie: Marvel’s Iron Man 2.
Actor Robert Downey Jr. felt it was only fitting to place him in the film because Elon Musk played a role behind the scenes. While Downey was preparing to play Tony Stark, he turned to Musk for inspiration. Aside from the suit and saving the world, Musk does have some characteristics that are similar to the fictional character.
New Business Ventures
When you hear about brands such as Tesla and Twitter, you likely think of Elon Musk. But there are other business ventures Musk is considering going into as well. Nothing is really set in stone yet, but there have even been some rumblings about Elon going into the HVAC business.
There’s some talk about him using the current cooling and heating system for Tesla inside homes. There would need to be some adjustments, but he does see the potential and is eager to start.
Founder of Tesla?
Is Elon Musk the founder of Tesla? Believe it or not, he isn’t. While many people make this mistake, the truth is that Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded the company in 2003 and brought Musk (and his money) aboard a year later.
He invested a nice chunk of change in 2004 during the first-round venture—$6.35 million—and he’s now the CEO of the company. It’s easier to hear the word CEO and think founder, but there are many CEOs who had nothing to do with the start of their companies.
There are just a few things you probably didn’t know about the billion Elon Musk. The complete list of facts about him is certainly much longer!