Going from PayPal, I thought, ‘Well, what are some of the other problems

that are likely to most affect the future of humanity?’” he told graduates
during his 2012 commencement speech at the California Institute of
Technology. “It really wasn’t from the perspective of what’s the ... best way
to make money.”

“There’s a silly notion that failure’s not an option at NASA,” he told the
magazine. “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not
innovating enough.”

It was during that time that he was inspired to found SpaceX and Tesla. He
founded Tesla in 2003 because it would solve the problem of sustainable
energy and he founded SpaceX in 2002 because it would help “make life
multi-planetary,” he told the Caltech graduates.

“Anything which is significantly innovative is going to come with a

significant risk of failure,” Musk said in 2015 at the International Space
Station Research and Development Conference. “But, you know, you’ve got
to take big chances in order for the potential for a big, positive outcome. If
the outcome is exciting enough, then taking a big risk is worthwhile.

References
https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/elon-musk-fired-paypay-founded-tesla-spacex