Things You Didn’t Know About Elon Musk

Elon Musk is an engineer, inventor, CEO, investor, and billionaire. But there’s more to Musk than meets the eye, and to truly understand this self-made South African native, it’s necessary to learn a few fun facts. Musk is a dreamer with a vision; he co-founded PayPal and Tesla. But his ultimate goal is space exploration, and he believes he can help colonize Mars. Sound like science fiction? Check out these things you might not have known about Musk, and perhaps his past achievements will give insight into his visions for the future.

Musk was born in South Africa, but moved to Canada on his own while still a teenager. He worked odd jobs before landing at Queen’s University in Ontario. By the age of 28, he was a multimillionaire. As of 2019, Musk had a net worth of $20.6 billion, according to Forbes.

But the real-life inspiration for Tony Stark is in the game for more than just money and power. His pro-environmental ambition is to create an accessible electric car so that society is no longer oil dependent. Musk’s biography paints a picture of a person with unbelievable drive and perhaps the intelligence to colonize the Red Planet in this lifetime. A man like that will inspire admiration, like being named TIME’s 2021 Person of the Year, but also disdain, like landing himself at the top of the celebrities you’re sick of in 2022 list.