7 Reasons Eccentric Elon Musk Does What He Does

The inspirations behind Tesla Inc TSLA, SpaceX, The Boring Company and Neuralink have long been enumerated. CEO Elon Musk wants a clean earth, expedient travel, human exceptionalism and a distant haven to preserve the human race.

Here's a few more insights into what makes Musk tick. 

Weed Isn't One Of Them

During a Thursday interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, Musk took a puff of Rogan’s weed. The experience was relatively new to him, he said. 

“I am not a regular smoker of weed,” he told Rogan, adding that he smokes “almost never.”

“[...] I don’t find that it is very good for productivity — not for me.”

'Spaceballs'

The Boring Company’s flamethrower — a “terrible idea,” the CEO joked, advising people not to buy it — was inspired by a cult classic often referenced in the Musk universe.

“We have a merchandise section that only has one piece of merchandise at a time,” he said. “[...] I’m a big fan of 'Spaceballs,' the movie, and in 'Spaceballs,' Yogurt goes through the merchandising section, and they have a flamethrower in the merchandising section of 'Spaceballs,' and the kids love that one.”

The stock of 20,000 sold out in four days.

A Joke

Musk’s mind teems with new ideas. Some are serious. Some are not. They’re useful either way.

“I have sort of a hobby company called The Boring Company, which started off as a joke, and we decided to make it real and dig a tunnel under L.A.,” Musk said. “Then other people asked us to dig tunnels, and we said yes in a few cases.”

Not Meditation

While he’s experimented with the practice, Musk hasn’t found meditation particularly enlightening.

“It does slow the mind, but I don’t find myself drawn to it frequently,” he said, noting that it’s not particularly useful for his ever-active mind.

'It Seemed Like Fun'

Musk told Rogan that, at the request of engineers, he programmed the Model X to do a “ballet thing” to the Trans Siberian Orchestra because “it seemed like fun.” The motivation to make the vehicle “the most fun thing you could possibly buy ever” inspired time investment in multiple Easter eggs, including video games.

“It’s not exactly a car,” Musk said. “It’s actually a thing to maximize enjoyment, make maximum fun.”

Convenience

On the surface, this one’s a little less surprising. But Musk confessed that, in the case of his L.A. tunnel, convenience supersedes practicality.

“In desperation, we’re going to dig a tunnel, and maybe that tunnel will be successful, and maybe it won’t,” he said.

“I’m not trying to convince you it’s going to work, or anyone ... it’s in L.A. because I mostly live in L.A. That’s the reason. It’s a terrible place to dig tunnels. It’s one of the worst places to dig tunnels mostly because of the paperwork."

'If You Can't Beat It, Join It'

Musk’s Neuralink is developing brain implants to integrate the computers with the human mind. As artificial intelligence gains traction, the goal is to keep human beings above the threshold of obsolescence.

“If you can't beat it, join it,” he said.

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Photo by Heisenberg Media via Wikimedia.