The Cost of Changing Humanity: Elon Musk Says “Unrelenting Stress” is Part of Job
Elon Musk runs multiple companies, each one highly innovative and well regarded by peers and customers alike. He’s smart, level-headed, and seemingly immaculate with his management of time. Seriously, how does this man only have 24 hours in a day?
But the chief executive, who heads both electric car pioneer Tesla and intergalactic startup SpaceX, admitted this week through a series of candid tweets that his life is not always rosy. In fact, it seldom is.
The reality is great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress. Don’t think people want to hear about the last two.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2017
The price Musk pays for “great highs” is not small: the entrepreneur faces “unrelenting stress” and must deal with “terrible lows,” according to the man himself.
If you buy a ticket to hell, it isn’t fair to blame hell …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2017
Musk also exercised his metaphorical game in describing life as a billionaire tech CEO, saying it can be “hell”—but that there is no one to blame but himself. He willingly stretches himself thin by taking on roles such as co-chairman of OpenAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence organization.
Of course, the product-focused Musk used the Tesla Model 3 as a bookend for this brief but personal Twitter barrage, linking to a review, a safety test, and a promotional video of the new car, among other content.
Life may not be easy for Musk, but he seems genuinely passionate about the current state and future of his firms. Changing humanity multiple companies at a time is no small task—but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Musk.