Elon Musk's 60 Minutes Interview

 Elon Musk  

Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors gave a compelling interview last month on 60 Minutes.  In the piece he tells of how all of his money and the future of his companies almost came to an end in 2008.

If something's important enough, you should try it even if the probable outcome is failure," said Elon Musk in a 60 Minutes interview recently.

The television news program profiled Musk, giving a good short overview of his journey so far, minus Solar City and the Hyperloop.

"If something's important enough you should try. Even if you — the probable outcome is failure."

Scott Pelley talked about how Musk started Tesla Motors and SpaceX with his initial windfall from the sale of PayPal twelve years ago.

"Only four entities have put a capsule in space and brought it back: The United States, Russia, China... and Elon Musk," states Pelley.

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The segment probes how 2008 was a turning point for Musk.  "That was definitely the worst year of my life," Musk tells Pelley. Tha year the Falcon 1 rocket was 0-3, having failed again that August. And Tesla, which hit a speed bump with its early model Roadster, "was hemorrhaging money," in Pelley's words.

The $180 million Musk made from selling PayPal to eBay in 2002 was essentially gone, having "bet it all" — as Pelley put it — on SpaceX and Tesla.

Then on December 23, 2008, NASA awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract to haul at least 20 metric tons of cargo to the international space station over 12 planned flights.

"NASA called and told us we won a $1.5 billion contract," Musk says in the interview. "I couldn't even hold the phone. I just blurted out, 'I love you guys!'"

Showing how Tesla needs new battery technology to deliver on it's promise to investors, Musk recently announced the creation of a battery 'gigafactory' that will produce more than all existing battery makers put together.

In a funny twist, the editors of the segment initially put in gasoline engine sounds over the Model S video, despite the car being one of the quietest luxury cars available.


SOURCE  Elon Musk (tribute channel)

By 33rd Square

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