Born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1971, he was programming his first computer by age nine. But in the schoolyard, he wasn’t the popular kid — he endured beatings and constant mockery. That loneliness drove him into the world of imagination, reading up to ten hours a day.
At 17, he made a life-changing choice: to leave his home country with nothing but a suitcase and a few dollars, chasing a future in North America. He washed dishes, cleaned boilers, and slept on borrowed couches — but never stopped learning or thinking big.
In the ’90s, with his brother, he founded Zip2, an online city guide that sold for over $300 million. Then came X.com, which evolved into PayPal, revolutionizing online payments. And when most would retire comfortably, he bet everything on three risky industries: electric cars (Tesla), solar energy (SolarCity), and reusable rockets (SpaceX).
By 2008, Tesla was on the brink of bankruptcy, SpaceX had failed three launches in a row, and his marriage was falling apart. Musk called it “the most painful year” of his life. Yet he risked his last dollar to fund a fourth launch. This time, Falcon 1 reached orbit — and days later, NASA awarded him a multi-million-dollar contract.
Today, Tesla leads the shift to electric mobility, and SpaceX is planning human missions to Mars. Musk went from a lonely boy staring at the stars to the man building the road to reach them.
Moral: No matter how many times you fall, if your dreams are bigger than your fears, you can change the world. 
