Elon Musk: crazy or genius?
It was in 1995 that Elon Musk came to California with the intention of continuing his studies at the prestigious Stanford University, but instead decided to go into business. (Photo: Getty Images)
GUEST BLOG. Not a day goes by without hearing about colorful entrepreneur Elon Musk’s latest run.
Between PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla to Twitter through Neuralink, or the development of the constellation of Starlink satellites (and many other projects), we almost forget about the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). with the stock market police or anyone standing in his way, Elon Musk is a visionary and prolific entrepreneur.
Unfortunately, his mood swings, often awkward speeches, constant appetite for fighting, and a management style that contradicts best practices negatively affect his incredible business career.
This character is by no means unanimous: either we are among his loyal fans, drinking in his every word, or we are irritated by his new polemic of the day and scratch our heads.
Before we go any further, let’s take a closer look. The richest man in the world was born in Pretoria, South Africa. At the age of 17, he moved to Saskatchewan and received Canadian citizenship from his mother. After attending several colleges here and there, he graduated from college with a degree in economics and physics. In 1995, he came to California with the intention of continuing his education at the prestigious Stanford University, but decided to go into business instead.
Just four years later, he sold his first startup, Zip2, to the giant Compaq for $300 million. It only took a few years for him to get back into banking, selling his second company, PayPal, to eBay for $1.5 billion. It’s 2002, and nothing stands in the way of his dazzling space exploration, among other things…
Crazy or genius? The question is valid. Moreover, several experts in this field have already studied the subject at length, and so far no one has succeeded in solving Musk’s secret. Given the omnipotence of man and his various projects, I believe it is important to fully understand character before it is too late.
My words may sound alarmist, but when faced with a megalomaniac entrepreneur who, in cooperation with NASA, controls a large part of space exploration and greatly influences the war – as we saw in the strategic military aid offered to Ukraine by data from Starlink satellites – or words and influence, with all the risks , when it comes to how he’s offering himself several tens of billions by buying Twitter, it’s always reassuring to know if this guy is sane or not.
Frankly, we’ll probably never know. However, in this particular case, I like to recall Aristotle’s quote that says there is no genius without a touch of madness.
Indeed, as with any visionary through the ages, the line between these two states of mind is extremely thin. Moreover, whether Einstein, Picasso, Curie, Newton, etc. the topic has fascinated us for a long time. All were very special beings in their time that we watched from afar without really understanding their approach, and yet, centuries later, all are considered geniuses who have left their mark on our history.
As for Elon Musk, while I admire his entrepreneurial journey, I still have a lot of questions about his relationship with people. It’s perfectly normal for some to have some communication issues, but I don’t like the intimidating, aggressive and disrespectful side of their relationship. He said that no one, first of all, forces us to love him. But one thing is clear: Elon Musk is the definition of this border between insanity and genius.
