Elon Musk's answers in 2013
Q5 Why go to Mars / what is SpaceX's mission?
As a student he picked the internet, sustainable energy, and space exploration / making life multiplanetary as what would most affect the world. link
There is a fundamental difference between a space-faring civilization exploring the stars on multiple planets and one forever confined to Earth until some eventual extinction event. link
Become a true spacefaring civilization and multiplanet species. If we do not take those paths, future history is really very different; eventually something on Earth would eliminate civilization as we know it. link
After trying to buy Russian ICBMs he concluded the US had the will to explore if the cost was palatable; the missing piece was a cheaper way. link
He said it is perhaps at least as important as life going from the oceans to land. link
Along with the internet and sustainable energy, he listed humanity becoming a multiplanet species: a space-faring civilization or confined to Earth until some eventual extinction. link
In college he asked which areas would most affect the future of humanity: the internet, sustainable energy, and space exploration, particularly becoming multi-planet. link
SpaceX exists to improve rocket and spacecraft technology until people can be sent to Mars and a self-sustaining base established, making life multiplanetary. link
He said SpaceX's overarching goal is technologies enabling a permanent, self-sustaining city on Mars. link
The three areas he was sure about were sustainable energy, the internet, and making life multiplanetary; AI and rewriting genetics were question marks. link
He said history bifurcates: either we are a multiplanet species exploring the stars, or a single-planet species awaiting extinction. link
He first thought the US had lost the will to explore; he later concluded people need a feasible way that will not bankrupt the country. link
Q11 What drives you / what is the meaning of life?
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. link
He said he does not worship anything but devotes himself to the advancement of humanity using technology. link
Q12 What's the biggest remaining Starship problem?
Without reusability the cost of spaceflight is prohibitive; Falcon 9 propellant is a tiny share of vehicle cost, like an airplane. link
Reusable rockets could be two orders of magnitude cheaper than expendable ones; he hoped to see vertical landing work the next year. link
The big breakthrough needed is a fully and rapidly reusable rocket, the way planes, bikes and cars are reusable. link
Q16 How good is Tesla self-driving?
He thought Tesla could get to maybe 90% of miles driven being Autopilot in a few years; the last 10% to truly self-driving is really difficult. He also said it should be held to a standard maybe 10 times better than a person. link
Q20 How hard should founders work?
A friend (Billy, in the caption) said starting a company is eating glass and staring into the abyss; the beginning is fun, then years of hell. link
He does not have a good answer; he works a lot. The useful framework is first-principles physics, plus soliciting negative feedback. link
He said he is doing this because he thinks he has to, not because he wants to — maybe an important consideration. link
Starting a company is staring into the abyss and eating glass: most startups fail, and the CEO works the problems they wish they were not working on. link
Q22 When will Starship go to Mars?
He wants to go to Mars while he can still manage the journey, not at 75. link
His biggest disappointment would be if humanity does not land on Mars in his lifetime; he wants to go himself if SpaceX can continue without him. link
He guessed someone on Mars in about 12 years from 2013, and said a first trip would probably be a round trip, aspirationally. link
Q47 Has Tesla come close to failing?
For many years it was very painful and they almost lost everything in 2008. All three companies almost died that year. link
He said he was standing behind the Model S value guarantee with all of his assets. link
He said if the fourth Falcon 1 launch had not worked, SpaceX would not be around. link
The Tesla financing round closed at 6 pm on December 24, 2008, the last hour of the last day; without it the company would have gone bankrupt a few days after Christmas. link
Without the Daimler investment he said Tesla would definitely have been dead, bankrupt, finished. link
Q53 What's your vision for energy abundance?
He is extremely confident solar will be at least a plurality of power, most likely a majority, and he predicts a plurality in less than 20 years. link
As far as Earth is concerned, the biggest problem humanity faces is sustainable energy. If we do not solve that this century, independent of environmental concerns, we will face economic collapse. link
Tesla's impact would be advancing sustainable transport by about a decade, maybe two; electric cars are inevitable, with rockets the ironic exception. link
He ultimately thinks we will generate more energy from solar than from any other source; the planet is already almost entirely solar-powered, a frozen ice ball at 3 Kelvin without the sun. link
Tesla was not started as the best return; it was to show a compelling long-range electric car is possible and that people would buy it. link
He said the most important thing is the transition of transportation to electric. link
He said sustainable energy production and consumption is the most important terrestrial problem of the 21st century. link
He originally came to Stanford to work on advanced energy storage technologies, then shifted toward the internet after reading about internet software. link
He said solar will be the single largest producer of energy in the UK long term, even with clouds. link
Q118 What's your algorithm for designing products?
Do not reason by analogy; analogies reference the past. First principles means looking at the most fundamental truths and reasoning up from there. Most of life you reason by analogy because first principles takes too much mental horsepower. link
Q119 Should you love the product you're making?
He said one commitment at Tesla is that it will never produce a bad product. link
He said you want to do projects that are inspiring and make people excited about the future. link
Q121 Should governments put a price on carbon?
Says you don't need to believe in climate change: even a small probability of a severe outcome justifies a carbon tax. link
Q126 What did Elon promise for the Model 3?
He said the third-generation car, a smaller Model S at about half the price, would come around the end of 2016. link
Q132 How fast is Tesla expanding Superchargers?
Says by the end of 2013 a coast-to-coast trip will be Superchargers all the way. link
Announces huge Supercharger expansion to cover LA to NY by end of year. link
Q134 Why does Tesla use cameras instead of lidar?
Says Tesla's approach is 360° flush-mounted tiny cameras plus radar, probably not lidar, with heavy image processing. link