Back in 1998, Elon Musk made a prediction about the internet that many initially dismissed as ‘crazy,’ yet he considered it ‘super obvious’.
Given Musk’s role as the founder of companies like Space X, Neuralink, and OpenAI, it’s clear he has a deep understanding of technology. However, when he discussed the ‘future of the internet’ over 26 years ago, people labeled his prediction as ‘crazy’.
For context, the internet is officially said to have begun on January 1, 1983. The world wide web was created in 1989, and by 1991, the internet became accessible to the public. So, at the time of Musk’s prediction, the internet was still relatively new.
In an interview clip with CBS Sunday Morning, Musk is asked about his vision for the internet’s future.
“I think the internet is the superset of all media. It is the be all and end all of media. One will see print, broadcast, arguably radio, essentially all media folding into the internet.
“And what the internet amounts to is it’s the first of two-way communication medium that is intelligent. It allows consumers to choose what they want to see, when they want to see it and whether that be radio or that be print or that be TV or broadcast. I think it’s going to revolutionise all traditional media.”
Fast forward 26 years, and Musk’s prediction seems to have come true. He shared the video again on December 10, adding: “The crazy thing is that they thought I was crazy for stating this super obvious prediction.”
This sparked a flurry of responses on social media.
One Twitter user remarked: “Just admit it. No need to hide it anymore. You’re from the future, right?”
Another commented, “Prescient, seems obvious now but it wasn’t in 1998.”
A YouTube user noted, “the fact his prediction was almost exactly spot on is crazy.”
Yet, someone else suggested: “A lucky guess.”
“Damn. Mic drop, honestly,” another added.
And one user humorously asked: “What I wanna know is where are our flying cars?”