Elon Musk: A future worth getting excited about | Tesla Texas Gigafactory interview | TED

could play a role in creating some underground living spaces we might need. EM: Yes. CA: While on planet Earth, it looks like a partnership between the Boring Company and Tesla could offer a deal for the city to create a 3D tunnel network populated by taxi robots that will provide fast, affordable transportation for everyone. The full race may not even happen this year. And in cities like Mumbai, I think this won't happen for another decade. EM: Some places are more difficult. CA: But today, today you can create a network of 3D tunnels underneath. EM: Oh, if we talk about the tunnel, problem solved.

CA: Yes, the full address too. I think there is an amazing synergy. With the Starship, Gwynne Shotwell said that by 2028 we could have city-to-city transportation on planet Earth. EM: There is a real possibility. The fastest way to get from one place to another, if there is a long distance, is by rocket. It's actually RBNK. CA: But it has to land... Being an RBNK, it can land in the sea because it makes noise. Why not build a tunnel connecting the city to Tesla? And Neuralink. If you go to Mars to have a telepathic connection with your relatives back home, even if there is a delay...

EM: By the way, these are not meant to connect. But of course there will be some synergies. CA: Of course, there's an argument back and forth when you put these things together in a company and you have a company geared toward creating beautiful

future

s and letting thousands of flowers bloom. Have you thought about this? EM: It's risky because Tesla is a publicly traded company and the investment base of Tesla and SpaceX and also the Boring Company is different. Boring Company and Neuralink are small companies. CA: Comparing them. EM: Yes, Tesla has 110,000 employees. At SpaceX I think there are about 12,000 people.

The Boring Company and Neuralink have 200 people. They are small companies, but perhaps in the

future

we will expand them. They will get bigger in the future. It is not easy to combine them. CA: Typically, you've said that you don't want to take on SpaceX specifically, because investors wouldn't support the crazy idea of ​​going to Mars or whatever. EM: Yes, becoming a multiplanetary entity is off the radar of Wall Street analysts. (Laughs) The minimum. CA: Although I think something has changed. What has changed is that Tesla is powerful, big and self-funded and you can make the connection yourself.

Simply tell the public that x billion dollars a year, whatever the amount, will be invested in missions to Mars. I doubt you have much interest in this company. And it can open up a lot of possibilities, right? EM: I would like to turn SpaceX into a public company but all this, the expenses of a public company are high. As a public company, you get sued all the time. It takes up space, nice… The time and effort you put into dealing with these things. CA: But you can also own a larger, public company and grow more. But in addition to being on four boards, you will be on one.

EM: I'm not even on the board of Neuralink or The Boring Company. And I don't attend SpaceX meetings. We do two a year and I only talk for an hour. Board of directors expenses in a public company are higher. CA: I think some investors care about how you spend your time and that might excite them. Anyway, one day I woke up thinking that these things are connected in many ways. And the simplicity of this mission, of building a future

worth

getting

excited

about, can be tremendously attractive to many people. Elon, Forbes and everyone else have named you the richest man in the world.

EM: This is not sovereignty. CA: (Laughs) EM: You are right when it is said that someone who is king or de facto king of a country has a greater well-being than me. CA: But it's difficult to measure... So, 300 billion. Your wealth increases or decreases by billions of dollars in a day. Crazy right? EM: Yes, it's really surprising. CA: How did you handle this fact psychologically? Not many people in the world have the opportunity to think about this. EM: I don't think about it much. But the most difficult thing is that I find it very difficult to sleep, because every possible hour or minute that I think about Tesla or SpaceX has a huge effect on the company and I try to work as much as possible within normal limits.

Because Tesla is heading to a point, maybe it will reach that point later, where, as long as you think wisely, it will affect millions of dollars. That seems crazy. I mean, if Tesla makes about $2 billion a week, let's say about $300 million in revenue a day, seven days a week. I know it's... CA: If you can change this by 5% by spending an hour thinking, it would be a very valuable hour. EM: There are many examples in which in a half-hour meeting I was able to improve the company's economic situation by 100 million dollars in that time. CA: There are many people who can't stand these billionaires.

As if they felt insulted by a wealth of a billion or more than all the poorest people. EM: If you look at something like... there are some irrefutable errors that lead you to these conclusions. Of course, it would be quite problematic if he consumed billions of dollars for personal use. But this is not the case. In fact, I don't even have a house. I stay among friends. If I'm in the Bay Area, where most of Tesla's factories are, I hang out in spare guest rooms. I don't have a yacht, I don't take vacations. It's not that I spend a lot.

Except the plane. But when I don't use it, I have less time to work. CA: Personally, I think you've shown that you really have a moral purpose. His efforts to solve the climate problem have been as strong as anyone I know. And I personally don't understand, I don't understand how leftists criticize, "Oh my God, he's so rich it bothers you." The climate is your responsibility. Philanthropy is a debated topic. It's hard to argue. What do you think? EM: If you really think about the good, beyond the perception of it, it is a complicated matter. SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink and Boring Company are philanthropists.

When we say philanthropy we mean love for humanity, that's all. Tesla supports sustainable energy. This is love...philanthropy. SpaceX attempts to ensure the long-term survival of humans with multiple planetary species. This is love for humanity. Neuralink is trying to cure brain damage and solve existential risk with AI. Love for humanity. The Boring Company is trying to fix traffic, which horrifies most, and also shows love. CA: How tired of hearing the same refrain: "Billionaires, oh God, Elon Musk, oh God?" How are you handling this or does it hurt? EM: At this point I'm no longer impressed. CA: Elon, I would like, as we close, to take the camera away and think...

You are a father of seven children. EM: Actually, I try to give an example, that the number of births is so low that we are facing the collapse of civilization until the number of births normalizes. CA: Yes, you have talked about that, that depopulation is a big problem and people do not understand its importance. EM: Demographic collapse is one of the biggest threats for the future. And this is what is happening now. CA: What motivates you to act like this every day? EM: I want to ensure a bright future so that humanity can understand the meaning of life in the universe.

Why are we here, how did we end up in this place? To understand the universe and these basic questions, we need to expand our knowledge of consciousness. Of course, it should not decrease or disappear at all, because we would not understand this later. I would say that what motivates me more than anything is curiosity, the desire to think about the future and avoid sadness, you know? CA: Are you like that? Aren't you bored? EM: Sometimes I am, but now I feel more optimistic about the future. We face great dangers. I think that the demographic collapse is quite dangerous, I hope that people will pay attention to the fact that the number of births is less than necessary to maintain the population at the current level.

And obviously... We must work for climate sustainability, which is being achieved. And secure the future by becoming a multiplanetary species. We must address It is really important that we act as we think to point out the existential dangers that affect the future of consciousness. CA: An entire generation these days feels sad about the future. What would you tell them? EM: If you want the future to be bright, you have to build it. Take measures to make it so. And it will be like this. CA: Elon, thank you for the time we spent together. We had a nice closing.

Thank you for what you are doing. EM: Please.