5 Elon Musk-Approved Gifts for Entrepreneurs With Billionaire Aspirations No. 5 comes with tax advantages for the recipient and the giver.
By Amanda Breen
It's no surprise that Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is the idol of many an entrepreneur. With a net worth surpassing $300 billion, Musk is the richest man in the world by a large margin — tens of billions, to be exact. Naturally, Musk's extraordinary wealth and fame also come with a vast amount of influence; he's well-known for tweets that move crypto markets and the stock of his own company. He's also segued into the world of entertainment, dropping a lightly loved EDM track last year ("Don't Doubt Ur Vibe," featuring his own lyrics and vocals) and even hosting a Saturday Night Live to relative acclaim.
If you know an entrepreneur, you probably know someone who admires Musk. Or maybe you're an entrepreneur yourself, wondering how you might emulate the man who's inspired so many with his success. Either way, the holidays are coming up, and with them, an excuse to get someone (including yourself) a little something endorsed by the billionaire.
Read on to discover some gifts that will make the entrepreneur on your list feel like a billion bucks.
1. Pick up one of Musk's favorite books
Apparently, Musk was reading the Encyclopedia Britannica cover to cover at the age of 9, and devouring science-fiction novels for more than 10 hours a day. Is it any wonder that the man behind the world's first successful commercial rocket launch got an early start when it came to self-education?
Today, Musk credits eight books with his success: J.E. Gordon's Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down; Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and Einstein: His Life and Universe; Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies; Erik M. Conway and Naomi Oreskes's Merchants of Doubt; William Golding's Lord of the Flies; Peter Thiel's Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; and Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy.
Related: 61 Books Elon Musk Thinks You Should Read
Whether the entrepreneur in your life wants to learn the fundamentals of astrophysics and engineering or lose themselves in a classic novel about survival, competition and greed, there's sure to be at least one book on Musk's list that piques their interest.
2. Pair that new-found knowledge with a savory snack
Entrepreneurs might work up an appetite while reading about the busy lives of famous scientists and inventors — and what better way to satisfy that craving than with a snack fit for Musk himself? The billionaire is a big fan of BBQ and French food.
Consider getting the entrepreneur on your list a gift certificate to a well-loved BBQ joint or fine French establishment — or, if said entrepreneur enjoys manning their own grill, à la Mark Zuckerberg, a nice bottle of BBQ sauce that they can conveniently position behind themselves for social-media opps.
3. ... and some whiskey
Despite launching his own tequila brand last year, the now-sold-out Tesla Tequila that retailed for $250 and came in a lightning-shaped bottle, Musk has said whiskey, which goes hand-in-and with BBQ, is his No. 1 drink of choice. He loves it so much that he even consumed some (among other things) during an interview on Joe Rogan's podcast.
Grab the entrepreneur on your list a bottle from the top shelf, or give them the tools they need to get creative, like this whiskey-making kit, personalized whiskey barrel or on-the-rocks set.
Related: This Distillery Has Hired a Dog to 'Sniff Out' Whiskey Imperfections
4. Give one (or all) of Musk's favorite video games a try
Musk is a major gamer, going so far as to say that they're the very reason he became interested in tech. "I probably wouldn't have started programming if it wasn't for video games or wouldn't have been as interested in computers and tech if it wasn't for video games," he said at a 2019 video-game convention in Los Angeles.
Last year, a Twitter user asked the billionaire which games he counts among his favorites, and he answered with Deus Ex, Half-Life 2, BioShock, Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Saints Row 4. While Musk didn't specify exactly why the games are at the top of his list, they share first-person play and deep storytelling in common.
Even if the entrepreneur on your list believes they've aged out of their video-game phase, you can let them know that playing one of the above can unlock new levels of inspiration and creativity — Musk says so.
5. You can't go wrong with Tesla stock
Though Musk recently sold $5 billion of his own Tesla shares (and current and former board members have offloaded hundreds of millions of dollars worth of their own shares since the company surpassed $1 trillion in market cap on October 28), many entrepreneurs would still jump at the chance to own a piece of Musk's cutting-edge, electric-vehicle and clean-energy company.
So give the people what they want. Plus, gifting stocks comes with benefits for both the receiver and the giver. Depending on income level, the recipient may pay 0% in capital-gains taxes, and the gift-giver could walk away with a nice tax advantage too.
Related: Elon Musk's Brother, Kimbal Musk, Sells Tesla Stock Before Elon Musk Sinks Shares
There you have it, a gift guide sure to suit every entrepreneur on your list — especially those with billionaire aspirations.
