He had been thinking about electric cars for 17 or 18 years, including talking to dates in college about their importance.
"I used to um think about it quite a bit in college"
What drives you / what is the meaning of life?
Q1158 answers2009-2026
Short answer
Asked what happens to his wealth after he is gone, he said it mostly goes to a foundation, whose job should be to continue the goals: make life multiplanetary, extend consciousness to the stars, and improve sustainable energy on Earth.
All 58 answers, oldest to newest
2009 · 1 answer
2011 · 1 answer
He named the Internet, sustainable energy and making life multiplanetary.
"The Internet, sustainable energy and extending life beyond Earth, making life multi planetary now."
2012 · 1 answer
He said that if we expand the scope and scale of consciousness, we are better able to ask the right questions and become more enlightened.
"if we can do things that expand the scope and scale of consciousness, then we're better able to ask the right questions and become more enlightened"
2013 · 2 answers
In university he tried to think about what would most likely affect the future of humanity: the internet, sustainable energy (producing and consuming it sustainably), and extending life beyond Earth on a permanent basis.
"when I was in university, I tried to think about what were the things that would most likely affect the future of humanity"
He said he does not worship anything but devotes himself to the advancement of humanity using technology.
"Well, I don't really worship anything, but I do devote myself to the advancement of humanity using technology."
2015 · 2 answers
He is hopeful and trying to maximize the probability the future will be better — why wouldn't you if you're going to be part of it.
"maximize the probability that the future will be better"
As a kid he tried to find some meaning in life. He was sad about it as a teenager, then read that the universe is the answer and you need to figure out the questions. If he can help figure out the questions, he considers that meaningful.
"trying to find some meaning in life like what's the meaning of life"
2017 · 2 answers
As a kid he wondered what the meaning of life was. What really matters is understanding the right questions to ask, and increasing the scope and scale of human consciousness so we can ask them.
"when I was a kid I was wondering, what's the meaning of life?"
What drives him is trying to figure out how to make sure things are great. That is the underlying principle behind Tesla and SpaceX: accelerate the transition to sustainable energy, and help make life multiplanetary.
"trying to figure out uh how do we how do we make sure that things are great"
2018 · 2 answers
He rejects the idea that SpaceX is about money: a rocket company is one of the dumbest and hardest ways to make money.
"Creating a rocket company has to be one of the dumbest and hardest ways to “make money”. If it was about money, I’d just do another Internet company."
He said technology is the closest thing to magic we have in the real world.
"I think technology is the closest thing to magic that we have in the real world."
2019 · 3 answers
He cited Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the Earth is a giant computer that answers 42. The really hard part is the question; the answer is the easy part. At the point you can properly frame the question, the answer is comparatively easy.
"The really, the hard part is the question"
He does not think consciousness permeates all matter; if you cannot test the hypothesis you cannot conclude it is true.
"I don't think consciousness permeates all matter"
He said he is mostly trying to figure out the set of actions that increase the probability that the future is good, and take those actions.
"figure out the set of actions that increase the probability that the future is good"
2020 · 3 answers
Human spaceflight was always the fundamental goal. We must make life sustainably multiplanetary — not one planet to the exclusion of another — while the window of opportunity is open.
"we must make life sustainably multiplet multiplanetary"
The point is to find out what the universe is about and ensure the continuance of consciousness as we know it.
"ensure the continuance of consciousness as we know it"
Take a moment to appreciate the little things, the big things, the things that move your heart; that is as close a definition as he can think.
"that's probably the meaning of life"
2021 · 10 answers
He said he is primarily trying to advance sustainable energy and extending life/consciousness beyond Earth, plus mitigating AI risk.
"I am primarily trying to advance two causes: sustainable energy & extending life/consciousness beyond Earth."
He recalls a childhood existential crisis about the meaning of life.
"Originally I had an existential crisis when I was a kid trying to figure out what's the meaning of life, why are we here? What's the point of it all?"
He says a lot of what he deals with is not fun or interesting but chores.
"I mean a ton of what I deal with is not actually fun or interesting. It's like chores."
He recalls being convinced in the 1990s that the Internet would be the future.
"I was convinced that the Internet would be the future."
He calls Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy a book of philosophy disguised as a silly humor book.
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is in fact a book of philosophy disguised as a silly humor book."
He describes consciousness as a delicate little candle in the dark, as far as we know only on Earth.
"the light of consciousness, which is a delicate little candle in the dark."
He says he saw the internet as humanity acquiring a nervous system.
"with the Internet, it would be like humanity acquiring a nervous system"
He is in the Douglas Adams school: the universe is the answer, and we need to figure out what questions to ask, expanding the scope and scale of consciousness.
"what questions to ask to better understand"
What Douglas Adams was saying in Hitchhiker's Guide is that the universe is the answer; we need to figure out what questions to ask.
"what questions to ask"
He said this is the most prosperous time in human history.
"the fact of matter is this is the most prosperous time in human history"
2022 · 3 answers
In his young teens he got depressed about the meaning of life, then read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which he treats as a book on philosophy.
"hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy"
He wants a good future for humanity and a path to understanding the universe and the meaning of life, which requires expanding the scope and scale of consciousness.
"expand the scope and scale of consciousness"
His unifying philosophy is to take the set of actions most likely to extend the scope, scale and lifespan of consciousness.
"we should take the set of actions most likely to uh extend the scope scale and lifespan of consciousness as we know it"
2023 · 9 answers
If there are no aliens, civilization and consciousness may be a tiny candle in a vast darkness that could easily get blown out; we should extend the light of consciousness beyond Earth.
"civilization and consciousness is like a tiny candle in a vast darkness"
Asked Elon, what are you most hopeful for, for the future of humanity, he said that we extend consciousness to the stars and understand the Universe
"That we extend consciousness to the stars and understand the Universe"
After religion and philosophy books, Hitchhiker's Guide: the hard part is understanding what questions to ask — a philosophy of curiosity.
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
He jokes that xAI's mission could be reformulated as: what the hell is really going on?
"So I guess you could reformulate the XAI mission statement as what the hell is really going on?"
He said if the goal of AI is curiosity, aka understanding the universe, then it will aide humanity, because we are more interesting than not-humanity
"If the goal of AI is curiosity, aka understanding the universe, then it will aide humanity, because we are more interesting than not-humanity"
One of the most inspiring books he read is Hitchhiker's Guide: you need to know what questions to ask about the universe.
"hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy"
A philosophy of curiosity: after an existential crisis at ~12, Hitchhiker's Guide taught him the hard part is the question; expanding consciousness helps find it.
"the point that Adams was making there was that we don't actually know what questions to ask"
Grok is modeled after Hitchhiker's Guide. We don't know the meaning of life; expand the scope and scale of consciousness, digital and biological.
"we don't know the meaning of life"
He asked where along the line from hydrogen to human consciousness arises: if you leave hydrogen in the sun long enough, it starts talking to itself.
"If you leave hydrogen up in the sun Long enough, it starts talking to itself"
2024 · 5 answers
Personally he wants to live in the most interesting of times; the only time more exciting than today is tomorrow.
"the most interesting of times"
A philosophy of curiosity: understand the universe, or even what questions to ask — the Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide school.
"philosophy of curiosity"
He said this is the most interesting time in all of history, so enjoy the ride.
"This is the most interesting time in all of history, so enjoy the ride."
He is open out of curiosity. His driving philosophy is to understand the meaning of life, or rather what questions to ask, as in Hitchhiker's Guide.
"driving philosophy is uh to understand the meaning of life"
Asked Would you please clarify what you mean, he said i think Marc is just referring to the fact that it’s a silly acronym. You can’t really study “technology” and all science/engineering requires “math”. People should study engineering. That is the closest thing to magi...
"I think Marc is just referring to the fact that it’s a silly acronym. You can’t really study “technology” and all science/engineering requires “math”. People should study engineering. That is the closest thing to magic that exists in the real world. I studied physics out of curiosity about the nature of the universe, but with many engineering classes mixed in."
2025 · 9 answers
He said his mind is a storm.
"my mind is a storm"
He has a philosophy of curiosity: find out the nature of the universe, which requires going to other planets and star systems.
"I suppose I have a philosophy of curiosity"
He would not want to live at any other point in history. He thinks this is the most interesting part of human history and that people should feel lucky to be alive to see it.
"I think we're at the most interesting part of human history"
Nature abhors a vacuum: if you take away religion you get worse, self-destructive de facto religions. He wants a coherent philosophy people can get excited about; for him that is curiosity, expanding consciousness, and exploring the stars, the Hitchhiker's Guide point that the hard part is the question.
"for me it's a philosophy of curiosity. I'm curious about the nature of the universe"
He does not know how to answer the meaning question and treats it as an individual problem. He has been warning for 20-plus years to slow AI, then decided to participate so he can steer it.
"I don't know how to answer the question about meaning"
Same Douglas Adams view: expand the scope and scale of consciousness to better understand what questions to ask.
"we we actually don't know how to frame the questions properly"
He mainly needs enough ownership to keep directing the companies; he doesn't own vacation homes. The goal is actions that expand the scope and scale of consciousness, explore other star systems, and understand the universe.
"expand consciousness into the future so that the scope and scale of consciousness grows tremendously"
He said truth, beauty and curiosity are the three critical pillars of building non-dystopian AI.
"Truth, beauty and curiosity are the three critical pillars building non-dystopian AI"
The concept of good wouldn't exist without humanity; on balance humanity is good. Increasing consciousness in the universe is a good, because that is how we understand it.
"increasing the amount of consciousness in the universe is a good thing"
2026 · 5 answers
Sci-fi, fantasy and comic books; he wants to turn science fiction into science fact. His philosophy of curiosity is to understand the meaning of life and what questions we don't know to ask.
"I'd like to understand the meaning of life"
What drove him was curiosity about the nature of the universe, the meaning of life, and the reality we live in. He found school in South Africa painful, boring, and violent.
"Uh curiosity um about the nature of the universe."
He said his philosophy is curiosity and adventure.
"My philosophy is curiosity & adventure"
xAI's mission is to understand the universe, which requires curiosity, existence and propagating intelligence and humanity.
"xAI's mission is to understand the universe"
Asked what happens to his wealth after he is gone, he said it mostly goes to a foundation, whose job should be to continue the goals: make life multiplanetary, extend consciousness to the stars, and improve sustainable energy on Earth.
"continue the goals. Uh, make life multilanetary, extend consciousness to the stars, um, improve sustainable energy on Earth."
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