My background educationally is physics and economics, and I grew up in sort of an engineering environment - my father is an electromechanical engineer. And so there were lots of engineery things around me. Elon Musk More Quotes by Elon Musk More Quotes From Elon Musk It is a mistake to hire huge numbers of people to get a complicated job done. Numbers will never compensate for talent in getting the right answer (two people who don't know something are no better than one), will tend to slow down progress, and will make the task incredibly expensive. Elon Musk mistakeinspirationaljobs You need to be in the position where it is the cost of the fuel that actually matters and not the cost of building the rocket in the first place. Elon Musk fuelcostneeds Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time. Sometimes it will be ahead, other times it will be behind. But brand is simply a collective impression some have about a product. Elon Musk perceptioninspirationalreality Some companies out there quote a start of production that is substantially in advance of when customers get their cars. Elon Musk companycarcustomers If we drive down the cost of transportation in space, we can do great things. Elon Musk transportationcostspace In order to have your voice be heard in Washington, you have to make some little contribution. Elon Musk voicelittlesorder I don't think very highly of Henrik Fisker. [...H]e thinks the reason we don't have electric cars is for lack of styling Elon Musk carenergythinking I was born in Africa. I came to California because it's really where new technologies can be brought to fruition, and I don't see a viable competitor. Elon Musk fruitioncaliforniatechnology Mars is the only place in the solar system where it's possible for life to become multi-planetarian. Elon Musk solar-systemmars The key test for an acronym is to ask whether it helps or hurts communication. Elon Musk communicationkeyshurt If humanity doesn't land on Mars in my lifetime, I would be very disappointed. Elon Musk landhumanitywould-be I think the high-tech industry is used to developing new things very quickly. It's the Silicon Valley way of doing business: You either move very quickly and you work hard to improve your product technology, or you get destroyed by some other company. Elon Musk technologyhard-workmoving I do think there is a lot of potential if you have a compelling product and people are willing to pay a premium for that. I think that is what Apple has shown. You can buy a much cheaper cell phone or laptop, but Apple's product is so much better than the alternative, and people are willing to pay that premium. Elon Musk phonescellsthinking It's important that we attempt to extend life beyond Earth now. It is the first time in the four billion-year history of Earth that it's been possible, and that window could be open for a long time - hopefully it is - or it could be open for a short time. We should err on the side of caution and do something now. Elon Musk importantlongyears If anyone has a vested interest in space solar power, it would have to be me. Elon Musk solar-powerinterestspace I'm glad to see that BMW is bringing an electric car to market. That's cool. Elon Musk electricbmwcar I think we are at the dawn of a new era in commercial space exploration. Elon Musk spaceinspirationalthinking Selling an electric sports car creates an opportunity to fundamentally change the way America drives. Elon Musk opportunitysportsamerica The odds of me coming into the rocket business, not knowing anything about rockets, not having ever built anything, I mean, I would have to be insane if I thought the odds were in my favor. Elon Musk oddsknowingmean A battery by definition is a collection of cells. So the cell is a little can of chemicals. And the challenge is taking a very high-energy cell, and a large number of them, and combining them safely into a large battery. Elon Musk cellschallengesnumbers
