In some ways, Elon Musk is kind of like God. Think about it, he wants us to use our heads to live better lives; he wants us to take control of our power and when we leave the Earth behind, he wants us to be in a better place.
But why should every designer be like him?
Elon Musk has a few qualities that make him stick out. Even visionaries and luminaries look up to Musk and realise that there is something different about him It’s his unique vision that shines when it becomes real. We’ll touch upon a few the things that make Elon Musk the man he is today.
1. His purpose goes beyond money.
Image by Maurizio Pesce used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Elon Musk is looking to make his money in ethical ways that are also rewarding to humanity. This makes him trustworthy as we understand that he is driven by a greater sense of purpose. He still cares about making a profit but we understand it’s out of a desire for sustainability rather than greed.
2. He sees the future now.
Image by Steve Jurvetson used under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license.
Though some of his companies are about solving existing problems like democratising energy through Tesla and Solar City; Space X and Neuralink have their eyes on the future of mankind more than the present.
What’s amazing about SpaceX is that they’ve created reusable rockets that can land and be refuelled, like we’ve seen in sci-fi movies. Previously, rockets couldn’t land and either drifted off into space or crashed back on land after the spaceship had exited the Earth’s atmosphere.
Since 2015, SpaceX has landed and reused multiple rockets and right now they’re working on the BFR (Big Fuckin’ Rocket). The BFR is intended for Earth to Mars journeys but also for long-distance transport on Earth (like New York to Singapore). Each seat will cost the same as the equivalent economy flight and will be completed in under an hour, no matter what distance.
Neuralink is about creating an interface that will allow our brains to communicate with computers.
3. He lets his curiosity take control.
Image by Mohamed Jahangeer used under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
Before Musk was a teenager, he learned how to code, made a game and sold it too. All before his voice changed. This is because he was always a naturally curious person who wanted to understand how the world works. Over time, he just did.
4. Failure isn't important to him.
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At the inception of SpaceX, Elon sacrificed the customary IT mogul island vacation he earned from selling PayPal, by trying to launch rockets 3 times into space. It failed all 3 times. But visionaries don’t let hackneyed platitudes get in the way of greatness. This year SpaceX is going into overdrive, launching and landing 2 rockets back to back in a weekend.
5. His thought process is useful to designers
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Musk’s approach is based in physics, he believes in ‘First Principles Thinking‘. In basic terms, this is asking yourself what’s really true. You have to strip away all analogies and assumptions and only consider pure facts. It’s how he realised that he could create cheaper rockets and cheaper batteries which are better than what we had prior to his involvement. Also, he makes sure everything is designed well. All of what he’s created looks as well as it works. He creates things that are an ideal marriage of form and function. That’s why Elon Musk is a fantastic person that every designer should aspire to be like.
Designers need to keep the same things in mind. Don’t be driven by money, create in the present with the future in mind, seek answers for the questions you have, remember that failing is how you succeed and ground your ideas and your work in basic truths.
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