The Silicon Valley entrepreneur wants to solve humanity’s problems with his electric cars,space travel and solar panels. Where did he approach from and what makes him tick?The hype approximately the information age has been going on for so long that you’d assume all Silicon Valley innovation these days is based on apps and the internet, rather than sophisticated physical engineering: bits, and not atoms. It has got to the stage where many tech startups survey like parodic solutions in search of problems,as with the dozens of companies hoping to become the Uber for laundry. Yet the most intriguing figure among the Valley’s billionaire entrepreneurs right now makes incredibly elaborate machines: electric cars and space rockets. While Mark Zuckerberg wants to change the world by enabling you to see more baby photos, the man who glories in the sci-fi name of Elon Musk wants to change the world by solving transport and global warming, or establishing a colony on Mars. Robert Downey Jr took inspiration from a visit to Musks rocket factory for his portrayal of Iron Man’s Tony Stark. “My intellect is not easily blown,” Downey Jr reported, but this place and this guy were amazing.” Musk has also been a guest star on The Simpsons. So who exactly is he, or can he be serious? Related: Elon Musk: the novel It Boy of Silicon Valley | The Observer profile Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com