3 Business Takeaways from Elon Musk's Reddit AMA In a wide-ranging conversation that focused on everything from video games to the more technical aspects of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk offers a glimpse into his life.
By Nina Zipkin
There is a lot more to Elon Musk than just being the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors. In a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), he reveals that he likes whiskey and French food, is an avid video gamer -- enjoying BioShock, Fallout, Mass Effect, Civ and World of Warcraft -- and sleeps an average of six hours a night. Oh, and he also thinks showering on a daily basis is the habit that has the most positive impact in his life.
Besides learning about his personal habits, Musk offered business advice and shared his thoughts about the future of his out-of-this-world endeavors.
Here are three takeaways:
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1. He believes you can learn more than you think you can.
Musk is versed in the fields of software, mechanical and aerospace engineering, but he says that when it comes to learning new things, people have a tendency to "sell themselves short without trying."
He wrote, "One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to."
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2. His take on how to deal with adversity.
Musk's advice for what to do in the face of hardship was simple: Don't give up. "There is a great quote by Churchill: 'If you're going through hell, keep going."'
3. What's next for SpaceX and Tesla.
Musk had some news to impart about two of SpaceX's most talked about projects: the Mars Colonial Transporter and the spacesuits to go with it.
"The Mars transport system will be a completely new architecture…Good thing we didn't do it sooner, as we have learned a huge amount from Falcon and Dragon," he wrote. As for the spacesuits, he says "We are putting a lot of effort into design esthetics, not just utility. It needs to both look like a 21st century spacesuit and work well. Really difficult to achieve both." He says that he is looking to present the plans for both in 2015.
And as for the Tesla Model 3 -- "It won't look like other cars."
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