Elon Musk, the genius behind SpaceX and Tesla, is a person who seems to thrive on controversy as much as innovation. Let me take you up for a ride through the ups and downs of Musk’s mindboggling career.
It all started with Zip2, the online city guide software company Musk co-founded. In 1999, Compaq grabbed it up for a massive $307 million. But investors were skeptical of Musk’s leadership, leading to his removal as CEO and later a triumphant return to the helm.
Fast forward to 2018 when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) took Musk to court. Why? He had sent a tweet claiming to have secured funding to take Tesla private, which turned out to be a work of fiction. The SEC slapped him with a $20 million fine and booted him from the chairman’s seat at Tesla.
In the middle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Musk swooped in with Starlink terminals, offering a lifeline of internet access and communication. Admirable, right? Well, here comes the controversy – Musk staunchly defended Russian state media on Starlink, championing his role as a “free speech absolutist.” I guess, it’s a two side of a same coin.
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In 2021, Musk fired up Twitter with a proposal to sell 10% of his Tesla stock. The result? He raked in billions and raised eyebrows, not only for his wallet but because it raised suspicions of insider trading, launching an SEC investigation.
Elon took center stage in 2022 when he set his eyes on Twitter. His $43 billion bid sent shockwaves through the stock market, and Twitter underwent a rocky transition under his leadership. The platform introduced a subscription fee for “blue check” users but also saw a surge in hate speech.
As if that wasn’t enough, in late 2022, Musk announced his plan to step down as Twitter CEO, igniting speculation about what’s next in his playbook.
Musk pulled off a classic that could only be described as a mix of audacity and whimsy. He playfully offered Wikipedia a whopping $1 billion, with one condition – they had to change their name to “Dickipedia.” This cheeky move ignited a social media firestorm and had folks debating Wikipedia’s fundraising strategy and Musk’s knack for eccentricity.
The saga of Elon Musk Is one part entrepreneur, one part controversy, and a whole lot of unpredictability. As Musk zooms from one venture to another, the only thing we can be sure of is that the ride is far from over.
