you know there are American heroes who

don't like this idea Neil Armstrong Gene

Cernan have both testified against

commercial spaceflight in the way that

you're developing it and I wonder what

you think of that I was very sad to see

that because those guys are yeah you

know those guys here's mine so it's

really tough you know I wish they would

come and visit and and see the hardware

they were doing here and then I think

that would change their life they

inspired you to do this didn't they yes

and to see them casting stones in your

direction

it's difficult did you expect them to

cheer you on

so they hoping it would what are you

trying to prove to them what I'm trying

to do is to make a significant

difference in in spaceflight and and and

help make spaceflight accessible to to

almost anyone one of the most difficult

choices I have ever faced in life was

was in 2008 and I think I had I could

maybe thirty million dollars left over

thirty or forty one else left in 2008 I

had two choices I could put her all into

one company and then the other company

would definitely die or split it between

the two companies and their best bet of

between two companies then both might

die

and when you put your blood sweat and

tears into creating something a bully

something it's like a child and so it

said which one am I gonna let one starve

to death

you can bring myself to do it so fast I

split the money between two

fortunately the goodness collective of

future what was your biggest failure and

having to change you well there's a ton

of failures along the way that's for

sure

except for essa as a support for SpaceX

the first three launches failed and we

were just barely able to speak together

enough parts and money to do the fourth

launch that both launched and failed we

would have been dead so multiple

failures along the way I tried very hard

to get the right expertise in for for

SpaceX I tried hard to to find a great

chief engineer for the rocket but it but

the good Chief Engineers wouldn't join

and the bad ones will there's no point

in hiring them so I ended up a chief

engineer of the rocket so if I could

have found somebody better then we would

have maybe had less than three failures

that third failure in a row did you

think I need to pack this in though why

not

I don't ever give up so many people try

to talk me out of starting our company

it was it was crazy one good friend of

mine collected a whole series of videos

of rockets blowing up and made me watch

those you just didn't want me to lose

all my money we're doing these things

that seemed unlikely to succeed and

we've been fortunate and at least thus

far they have succeeded now is the time

to take risk you don't have kids as you

can older your obligations increase and

once you have a family you start taking

risk not just for yourself but for your

family as well it gets much harder to do

things that might not work out so now is

the time to do that before you before

you have those obligations so I would

encourage you to take risks now do

something bold

you won't regret it how did you figure

you were gonna start a car company and

be successful at but I didn't really

think Tesla would be successful I

thought we would most likely fail but I

thought that we at least could address

the false perception that people have

that an electric car had to be ugly and

slow and and boring like you vote but

but you say you didn't expect the

company be successful then why try if

something is important enough you should

try even if they probably outcome as

failure or how do you think about making

a decision when everyone tells you this

is a crazy idea where do you get the

internal strength to do that

I'm office well I'd say I actually think

I feel fear quite strongly so as long as

though I just have the absence of fear

I've I feel it quite strongly

but there were times when something is

important enough you believe it enough

but you do it in spite of the fear

I think about what's what technology

solution is necessary in order to

achieve the particular goal and then try

to make as much progress in that

direction as possible I think the being

a multi-planet species being out there

among the stars is important for the

long-term survival of humanity and

that's one reason but then the part that

I find personally most motivating is

that it creates a sense of adventure and

it makes people excited about the future

if you consider two futures one where we

are forever confined to it until

eventually something terrible happens or

another future where we are out there on

many planets maybe even going beyond the

solar system I think that second version

is incredibly exciting and inspiring and

they need to be reasons to get up in the

morning you know life can't just be

about solving problems otherwise what's

the point it's gotta be things that

people find inspiring and make life

worth living when my brother and I were

starting our first company instead of

getting an apartment we just rented us a

small office and we slept on the couch

and we showered at the YMCA and we're so

hot up we had one computer so the

compass of the the website was up during

the day and I was coding at night seven

days a week all the time and I I sort of

briefly had a girlfriend in that period

and in order to be with me she have to

sleep in the office so I work hard like

it I mean every waking hour that's

that's the the thing I would I would say

if you're particularly if you're

starting a company what whatever area

that you get into given that you know

even if you if you're the best the best

there's always a chance of failure so I

think it's important that you really

like whatever you're doing if you don't

like it life is too short if you like

what you're doing you think about it

even when you're not working I mean

it'll just it's something that your mind

is drawn to and and if you don't like it

you just really can't make it work I

think

you