Just when you think you have him figured out, he throws you a curve that leaves you wondering, is he for real? If he didn’t have children, I would have to wonder if he was AI. He’s been described as a visionary, an entrepreneur and a trailblazer. Actually, all of those descriptions appear to fit him.
When first I became aware of him, he had already co-founded Pay Pal. But his failed launches at Space X really got my attention. I’ve lost track of how many failed launches he’s had. But, just focusing on one thing evidently isn’t his style. Not satisfied with those endeavors, some time later he then invested heavily in and became CEO of electric cars of Tesla fame. Perhaps he should have stayed with one achievement at a time, unless he had been successful and achieved what he wanted.
Then, in 2022, Musk acquired Twitter, then renamed it X. While it is true that he opened up the social media site respecting the first amendment as he and his fan club worked to lift the ban on such people like Mike Adams. Adams is free to post on X, but not totally. His videos are still banned. So, what is up with that?
Musk has had a very colorful career, or maybe I should say careers. He got an early start at an age that should have alerted his parents that they had a genius on their hands. At twelve he created a video game and sold it to a computer magazine.
He next surfaced in Canada, where he attempted to get an education, then Pennsylvania where he studied economics and physics. But, when he enrolled at Stanford, he left after just two days. He thought the Internet would move society faster than a plodding career in physics. And, he was right.
Being an entrepreneur was a better road for his racing brain. He founded Zip 2 in 1995 and for four years provided maps and business directories to online newspapers. Just before the turn of the new century, he sold his company to Compaq, a computer manufacturer, for $307 million.
Musk seems to have excelled at creating just what was needed next, when he decided to start an online services company, X.com, that later became Pay Pal, that excelled at transferring money over cyber space. Others realized his genius and sought to buy his inventions, such as Pay Pal which went to Bay for 1.5 billion.
Not satisfied with his successes, his restless brain went on to create Space Exploration Technologies, he renamed it Space X, to make lower cost rockets. His dream was to create rockets that could transport humans and cargo between the Earth, Moon, and Mars. Not satisfied with that, he then created the Dragon spacecraft for delivering supplies to the International Space Station.
Never satisfied for long at creating and focusing on one thing at a time, Musk was also fascinated with the concept of electric cars, and so he founded Tesla Motors with Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, first producing the Roadster. Unimpressed by other's attempts at electric cars, he helped create a series of Tesla cars from the Roadster to the Model S sedan to the Model X luxury SUV to the Model 3, a less expensive vehicle. The public seemed to agree as it became the best selling car.
He had toyed with the idea of building a platform for non-censorship. It appears at first glance that he has done just that. Yet, Mike Adams of Brighteon says that while he has been allowed back on Twitter, his videos are still banned. So, does Musk own Twitter or just operate it? I have heard both. He describes himself as a free speech absolutist. He said at the time he bought Twitter that it was to create a platform where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.” I guess time will tell. He has since renamed Twitter to X, although almost everyone I hear talk about X clarifies what they are talking about by adding Twitter. Like other business he has formed or bought, he seemed to feel compelled to rename it X. I just have one question. What the hell is his fascination with the letter X?
The thing that alarms me is, wasn’t he the one who said that AI would be the end of man? Yet, once he bought (was allowed to buy) Twitter, he’s been talking like he is all in on it. Otherwise, why found Neurolink? If he thinks AI is a bad idea, it would seem that he would have nothing to do with it. Like I said, he is a difficult person to read. And, that has been a specialty with me. At the very least, I think he bears watching. And, I still say there is some connection with the WingMakers. The last I checked, their site was still up. It is fascinating reading, especially when you realize that, according to the WingMakers, once a human agreed to be merged with the machine, for want of a better description, it is permanent. There is no changing your mind. But, the benefits were very alluring, so there would be those who couldn’t resist.
For those who don’t care to read all of the information at the WingMakers site, they are a group of humans residing in the 2900’s or so in the future. Something went wrong around our time period, so they tried to come back to this time to see if they could correct it. How they could do that without creating a paradox is above my pay grade. But that is their story. So, the first time I heard about AI and that it might be possible for man to connect to AI, I have been watching to see where it would go. And, to have someone like Musk become involved with something called Neurolink, was even more fascinating.
If I have gotten anything wrong in my speculations, feel free to correct or add to the Musk saga. Whatever Musk is, whether friend or foe of mankind, I’m pretty sure we haven’t heard the last of him just yet.
