In 2007, Elon Musk Predicted Everything (Rare Lost Interview)

Overview

The interview (with Elon Musk) presents a connected worldview linking Musk’s early tech ventures, his ambition for space, and his push for electric vehicles as a solution to climate change.

From the internet/energy transition to space

• Musk recalls quitting Stanford after two days to found Zip2, later selling it for a reported $307M, and then helping create/establish PayPal before eBay acquired it.
• He argues he originally targeted three areas for humanity’s future:
  • the internet
  • space exploration
  • transitioning the economy away from fossil-fuel (“mine and burn”) energy toward solar-electric energy and transportation

Why go to Mars (and not just stay on Earth)

• Musk rejects the idea that Earth is doomed; he calls himself “quite optimistic” about humanity’s future on Earth.
• Still, he claims becoming space-faring (instead of permanently Earth-bound) would produce a richer and more diverse human experience.
• When asked, “How is SpaceX better than NASA?”, he says:
  • NASA is not an enemy; NASA is a customer of SpaceX.
  • SpaceX is framed as taking over roles after the shuttle retires—launch services and transporting astronauts/cargo to the ISS (including via Falcon 9 and Dragon).

Critique of the U.S. space program’s trajectory

• Musk references congressional testimony and says the U.S. made “wrong technological choices” and lacked high-level political will.
• He contrasts the 1969 moon landing success with later stagnation: decades later, the U.S. still struggles to reach low Earth orbit reliably.
• He argues that the original expectations (moon base, then Mars base) did not materialize.
• On leadership, he says the President should set priorities and goals; he praises George W. Bush’s direction generally but argues against going “back to the moon.”
• He says the moon is like the Arctic: barren, small, and not resource-rich enough to support another civilization.
• He jokes about moon landings being real in response to a conspiracy insinuation.

Competition: SpaceX claims to have “no serious competition”

• Musk lists other players (Bezos/Blue Origin, Branson/Virgin Galactic, plus NASA/others/European agencies/Russians/China and major aerospace firms), but asserts:
  • There’s no serious competition currently that could catch up.
• He frames the difference with Branson:
  • Branson’s craft is suborbital (around Mach 3)
  • SpaceX is orbital (around Mach 25)
• He emphasizes the difficulty of scaling (energy and reentry challenges) to argue the technological gap is enormous.
• He says the main threats are SpaceX’s own mistakes, not competitors.
• He acknowledges Bezos’s efforts could become relevant later, but argues what’s happening right now is lower technology (suborbital).

Long-term “holy grail” and “fail in a new way”

• Musk’s long-term objective is to help make life multi-planetary, starting with Mars—calling Mars the “only viable” option mentioned in the exchange.
• He characterizes SpaceX as committed to succeeding, but says that if they fail, they hope the failure still advances knowledge so others make fewer mistakes.

Tesla: electric cars and scaling to mass market

• Musk says Tesla is pure electric (not hybrid) and claims:
  • 0–60 in under 4 seconds
  • high energy efficiency (contrasted with Prius)
• He explains why Tesla started with a high-cost, low-volume “sports car” approach (Roadster):
  • New technologies often debut expensive and improve over time.
• He projects a market progression:
  • Model 2 around $49,000
  • Model 3 around $30,000
• He argues Tesla’s purpose isn’t just “another car company,” but addressing climate change by:
  • eliminating fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions via electric vehicles
  • pairing them with zero-emission power, especially solar
• On customer access and sales timing, he says:
  • Tesla cars are not yet on lots (development is still ongoing)
  • deposits and planned customer centers are part of the rollout for testing and service
• He says there have been no formal offers from major automakers and adds that selling Tesla would likely slow progress because big car companies currently doubt EV feasibility and demand.

Operating two companies and personal philosophy

• Musk clarifies he is chairman/CEO of SpaceX in a day-to-day sense (about 80% of his time on SpaceX).
• For Tesla, he is chairman/principal owner but doesn’t run daily operations; he estimates 2–3 days per month on Tesla-related business, focusing on guidance and funding.
• He says startups require constant mental engagement; sitting idle would become unbearable.
• On choosing projects, he emphasizes the criterion: “does this matter”—whether success would improve the world.
• He closes by stating he hopes to leave cultural and scientific impact through:
  • building the internet
  • addressing global warming via clean energy transition
  • making humanity a multi-planet species

Presenters / contributors

• Wired Science host / interviewer (unnamed in the subtitles)
• Elon Musk