16/07/2025
I was born in South Africa, into a household where strictness and violence were the norm. While other kids played, I would hide. I was beaten at school, ignored during recess, and once thrown down a flight of stairs, ending up in a hospital bed. These hardships didn't crush me. They made me stronger.
At the age of 17, I arrived in Canada with two bags and **zero public connections**. I slept on my cousin's couch and survived on bread with butter because it was the cheapest food. But I had a dream: to reach America, to invent world-changing technology… and to prove that my vision wasn't madness. After a series of failures, I sold my first company, **Zip2**, for \$300 million. That victory was just the beginning.
When I founded Tesla, everyone called me crazy. I poured every last dollar into the project. In 2008, Tesla was on the brink of bankruptcy, and the first three rockets of SpaceX exploded. I couldn’t even pay rent—sometimes I sat alone in the office, tears falling. Then, on the fourth launch, the rocket flew successfully. A timely investment saved Tesla at the eleventh hour. That was my true rebirth.
Now, many people see a billionaire with his eyes set on Mars, but they don’t see the battle behind every victory. I faced ridicule, failure, loneliness, and fear. If your dream scares you, then you’re on the right path.
“No one who changed the world ever did it from their comfort zone. Take the leap—no matter if the ground shakes beneath you… that’s how the impossible eventually becomes reality.”
— *Elon Musk*
