Elon Musk is often linked to the real-life counterpart of fictional billionaire industrialist Tony Stark. But the Tesla CEO hasn’t always lived a life for the book. What makes Musk a true example is his journey from humble beginnings to days of struggle and finally, the peak of success.The 55-year-old has a net worth estimated between $916 billion and $952 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the world. But reaching here took many steps and wrong turns he braved. It was Musk’s sheer dedication that paved the way for his success and among them lies the much-famous lesson of a 100-hour workweek.In a clip going viral online, Musk revealed the hardship he faced while building his first company with his brother, Kimbal. He said that in order to become successful, one needs to work super hard. To emphasise the notion, he gave the example of his initial days when he rented a small office space to build his first company.He shared how he would sleep on a couch in the office, shower at the YMCA and work 24/7 to build their company. “We had just one computer and since the website was running through the day, I would code at night, seven days a week, all the time,” he said in the video.“I briefly had a girlfriend during the time and she had to sleep on the couch to be with me. So work hard, I mean, every waking hour,” Musk added. Then he went on to say a line that would become a defining lesson for generations of people who aspire to be as successful as him. “If someone else is working 50 hours and you are working 100 hours, you’ll get twice as much done in the span of a year, as the other company.”The viral video dates back to 2014, when Musk was invited to speak at the USC Marshall School of Business’s undergraduate ceremony.
Elon Musk: From struggle to success
Elon Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. At the age of 17, he moved to Canada with limited financial resources, taking odd jobs such as cleaning boiler rooms and working at a lumber mill. He eventually enrolled at Queen’s University before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania.In 1995, he applied to Stanford University to pursue a PhD in applied physics but left within two days after realising the rise of the internet boom. It was from 1995 to 1999 that he and his brother worked on building Zip2, a software company providing online city guides for newspapers. In order to save money, they began the famous 100-hour workweek. Zip2 was acquired by Compaq for around $307 million and Musk earned roughly $22 million, which he reinvested into his next venture.Soon, he launched X. com, an online financial services company that later became PayPal after a merger. It was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock. Musk reportedly earned $180 million from the deal. Next, he invested in three companies, SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity. In 2008, he nearly went bankrupt when SpaceX’s first three launches failed, Tesla was running out of cash and he had to borrow money for survival.The fourth Falcon 1 launch succeeded, making SpaceX the first privately funded company to send a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit. NASA then awarded SpaceX a multibillion-dollar Commercial Resupply Services contract, securing the company’s future.Unlike other CEO’s, Musk never sat in an office and barked orders. He is said to have spent a significant time on factory floors and engineering reviews. During Tesla’s Model 3 production challenges in 2017-18, he said he slept in the factory, worked overnight shifts and reviewed things personally.Over the past decade, Musk has expanded his work into Starlink, Neuralink, The Boring Company and xAI. He also acquired and rebranded Twitter into X. When the world focuses on his net worth and empire, what many end up ignoring is the work he put in. “Nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week,” he famously said. While putting in 100 hours for your dream is not essential, as Musk advised, it is vital to give it your all and your very best. Then, the results usually follow through.ID@undefined Caption not available.
Social media reactions
As controversial as his statements may be, the world respects Musk for his hard work and achievements. As the video resurfaced online, people commended his grit.“Even genius people have to work as hard as that! As rightly said that ‘the world is full of unsuccessful, highly talented men,’ there’s absolutely no substitute for hard work,” wrote a user on X.“An outstanding inspiration to the entire universe, sir,” added another.“The world’s first Trillionaire, once slept in the office and showered at a community YMCA! Success doesn’t come easy,” a user noted.
