With a net worth that has reached an astounding half a trillion dollars, one might assume that spending time on a private island would be the ideal next step.
However, when Elon Musk was questioned about why he continues to work despite his $500 billion fortune, his answer was quite unexpected.
During an appearance on the Tesla Beat podcast, Musk was asked about his continued dedication to work, his interest in politics, and his vision for making humanity a multi-planetary species. His reply was surprisingly candid.
“I mean, I think it’s a good question you asked because it goes to, like – at a foundational level, what is my philosophy? And why does it lead to this conclusion?” Musk began.
He then revealed that his motivation comes from an ‘existential crisis’ he experienced as a teenager, when he struggled to find satisfying answers to the meaning of life in religious or philosophical texts.
Eventually, reading a comedic sci-fi novel became a turning point for the SpaceX founder.
He explained: “Then I read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and basically what Douglas Adams was saying is that we don’t really know what the right questions are to ask. Like, the question is not, ‘what’s the meaning of life?’”
For Musk, the key insight was understanding that ‘the universe is the answer’, and that humanity must determine what questions should be posed.
The Tesla CEO believes that for humanity to explore life beyond Earth, it must expand its horizons beyond our planet.
“The more we can expand the scope and scale of consciousness, the better we can understand what questions to ask about the answer that is the universe,” he said.
“The more we can expand consciousness, become a multi-planet species, ultimately a multi-stellar species, we have a chance of figuring out what the hell’s going on.
“This is why I think we should have more humans and more digital – both biological and digital – consciousness, and why we should become a multi-planet species and a multi-stellar species is so that we can understand the nature of the universe.”
Therefore, despite his vast wealth, an early retirement seems unlikely for Musk in the near future.
That is, at least, until we’ve established colonies on several planets.