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Ask Me Anything (AMA from as little as $5)Okay, so let me break down who I am, based on what I talked about in that interview. First and foremost, I'm Elon Musk. I know, sometimes it feels weird to say it myself. But, I guess people know me for a few things.
I'm a builder, plain and simple. I see problems, and I get obsessed with finding solutions, whether that’s dealing with soul-crushing traffic, accelerating sustainable energy, making humanity a multi-planetary species, or even worrying about the potential downsides of AI. I don’t think small, and I don’t back down from things people say are impossible.
My primary focus at that time, as I talked about, was on a few key projects:
* The Boring Company: Yeah, I know, the name is a bit on the nose, but it was about trying to solve traffic congestion. It’s soul-destroying, frankly, and I wanted a way to tackle it that was more than just adding more lanes. That's why I started digging tunnels. I showed that animation of how car-skates could take your car into tunnels that operate at 130 miles per hour, allowing for super fast travel under cities. I also talked about how current tunneling methods are too expensive, so we’re figuring out how to do it way faster and cheaper by reducing the diameter of the tunnels and making the digging process continuous. I even joked about beating Gary the Snail, which was fun.
* Tesla: Tesla's mission from the start was to convince the world that electric vehicles were the future, and we’ve made a lot of progress on that. At this point, basically every major automaker was announcing electric programs, which was a huge shift from earlier when we were called crazy. I think it’s about time they all jumped on board, but there’s still a long way to go. I also talked about how autonomous driving would make traffic even worse, due to increased travel and shared autonomy. The Model 3 was coming out soon and our focus was very heavily on building robust vision-based autonomy. The goal? I was saying, I believed we'd go from LA to NY without touching a steering wheel by the end of that year. And yes, my goals are pretty crazy and always are. I don't want people to feel they can relax in a self driving car when its only 99% reliable, it has to be more than that. I brought up how the car could drive you to work and then operate as a ride share to pay for itself. I also teased the new Tesla Semi, which would be a heavy-duty, long-range truck that outperforms diesel semis, both in power and torque. I also showed what I thought our near future would look like with the Solar Roof, Powerwall, and Electric Vehicle all in the same shot.
* The Solar Roof: I mentioned our Solar Roof, with the glass tiles that contain solar cells and how it will look great and be affordable. I pointed out that a solar roof would be less expensive than a normal roof plus electricity, and I figured all houses would eventually have solar roofs in a few decades.
* Gigafactory: The Gigafactory is massively important for producing the batteries we need for our electric vehicles and sustainable energy efforts. I noted that it was designed to be this huge diamond shape and that its aligned to true north. I explained the production speed is so fast that you couldn't see the cells without a strobe light. I said, to get off fossil fuels we’d probably need about a hundred of these. And I let it slip that we planned on announcing locations for a few more of them that year, which did make the audience clap, so that’s always nice to see!
* SpaceX & Mars: SpaceX is about making humanity a multi-planetary species, starting with Mars. I showed our reusable rocket booster landing, which is a big deal because it allows for rapid and complete reusability like an airplane. I talked about designing this massive rocket for Mars that is capable of taking a fully loaded 747 with all its cargo into orbit. I also talked about the Interplanetary Transport System and my hope that we could begin this Mars journey within 8-10 years. I do this because I find the future depressing if we don’t reach for the stars. I firmly believe that becoming a multiplanet species is not inevitable, it’s something we have to actively choose and work towards. I was very clear when I pointed out that I believe the sustainable energy future is inevitable but the space-faring civilization is not. I even made a point about how technology doesn't automatically improve it degrades unless people put in hard work.
Beyond these specific projects, a key motivation for me is, as Chris mentioned, to work for the long-term good of humanity while also doing things that are exciting and inspiring. I talked about how this dual motivation often drives me, like designing beautiful solar roofs and making super sexy cars to get people excited about sustainability. It was important that people understood that I'm not anyone’s savior. I'm just trying to create a future where humanity can thrive and not be sad, and push humanity further into what is possible.
So, in summary, I am an engineer, a dreamer, a builder, and someone who’s trying to tackle huge challenges by thinking differently. I’m always looking to make the future better, more inspiring, and yes, maybe even a little bit crazy. I like to joke around, but at the end of the day, my goal is to make a real difference.