Elon Musk's X-factor: What makes the billionaire so successful?

Elon Musk is no stranger to the spotlight¡ªhe's the visionary CEO of Tesla, the co-founder of SpaceX, and now, the mastermind behind X. But why does every move, every tweet (or "X-post") of his¡ªand there are plenty, just check his page¡ªseem to make headlines? Is it merely his billionaire status, or is there something more captivating at play? Could it be that he truly has an "X factor" behind all his success? We intend the pun, of course.

Let's explore what makes Elon Musk so successful (with a net worth of $241.7 billion, as per Forbes) and the reasons people think contribute to his achievements:

Elon Musk's early life

A Quora answer to the question "How did Elon Musk become so successful?", with 7k upvotes, has an intriguing point to make: his 'obsessive-compulsive personality.'

Oscar Moxon, who did an MBA from the University of Liverpool and writes the answer highlights Elon Musk's impressive qualities and achievements in his early life, which is often overlooked by others.

Credit: Pinterest

At 11, Musk taught himself coding, showcasing his dedication and perseverance. As a child, he read extensively, demonstrating an exceptional commitment to learning.

During university, Musk pursued multiple advanced degrees - In 1997, Elon Musk graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in economics and physics, having transferred from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

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He financed his education through a mix of scholarships, loans, and juggling two jobs while studying.

Shortly after, Musk began a PhD program at Stanford but chose to drop out just two days in, opting to dive headfirst into his entrepreneurial dreams.

Elon Musk's startup ventures

One of his earliest ventures was Zip2, co-founded by Elon Musk with his brother Kimbal, which started as a small online city guide for newspapers.

Early days were tough¡ªMusk lived on the office couch and used the YMCA facilities.

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But perseverance paid off. The startup attracted investors and clients like the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, and in 1999, Zip2 sold for $307 million, netting Musk $22 million at just 27.

With his earnings, Musk dove into X.com, an early online bank he co-founded in 1999. Later, X.com merged with Confinity in 2000, becoming PayPal, which eBay bought in 2002 for $1.5 billion.

Credit: AP/ Paul Sakuma

Musk then invested all this money heavily in two groundbreaking ventures: Tesla Motors, which he joined in 2004 and led to its first car model, the Roadster, in 2009, and SpaceX, founded with rocket engineer Tom Mueller in 2002.

Despite early setbacks, SpaceX made history in 2010 as the first commercial company to send a spacecraft into orbit and return it safely. By September 2021, SpaceX had launched its first all-private crew into orbit.

Credit: NASA

And now, it is SpaceX's spacecraft that is poised to rescue NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are stranded in space after their Boeing spacecraft failed to return from the International Space Station (ISS).

And then there's the story of his Twitter takeover and its transformation into X¡ªa whole saga in itself.

Also read: Elon Musk's $44 billion overhaul: How Twitter became X, from paying for blue checks to blocking restrictions

His story then reveals his success mantra: he never stops and his dreams have no limits.

As noted in a Reddit discussion, Musk has become a true 'household name' by giving more interviews than most of his peers and seizing every opportunity to speak publicly, even when it's not always advisable.

How did Elon Musk get so popular?
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This relentless drive¡ªconstantly pushing for more, aiming higher, and seeking better¡ªis what ultimately makes Elon Musk so successful.

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