'Never Thought I'd Be A Person To Have a Nervous Breakdown' – Elon Musk Recalls Christmas Of 2008 'Everything Was Going Wrong At Once'

Today, Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, steering SpaceX, Tesla and a handful of other ventures with an almost superhuman energy. But back in 2008, he didn't seem so invincible. He was barely holding it together.

Back in 2008, Musk was experiencing a time so stressful that he thought he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

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In a raw and revealing interview with 60 Minutes in 2014, Musk described the period leading up to Christmas 2008 as "the worst year of my life." His rocket company, SpaceX, was striking out like a rookie in the major leagues, with three failed Falcon 1 launches in a row. 

Meanwhile, Tesla was hemorrhaging cash and Musk himself was flat broke. 

"I remember waking up the Sunday before Christmas in 2008 and thinking to myself, ‘Man, I never thought I was someone who could ever be capable of a nervous breakdown,'" Musk admitted. "I felt this is the closest I've ever come. Because it seemed pretty, pretty dark."

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And dark it was. Musk had poured his entire $180 million fortune from selling PayPal into SpaceX and Tesla and neither looked good. SpaceX was operating on minimal funds, Tesla couldn't cover its next payroll and Musk was navigating a divorce. 

But then, Musk got two unexpected lifelines – one for each of his struggling companies.

On Dec. 23, NASA awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. It was a lifeline Musk didn't see coming. "NASA called and told us we won a $1.6 billion contract," Musk said, recounting the moment. "I couldn't even hold the phone. I just blurted out, ‘I love you guys!'"

And if that wasn't enough, Tesla's investors decided to save the company on Christmas Eve by pouring in just enough money to keep it afloat. Musk described the events as almost surreal: "So you were saved in a period of three days by two completely unexpected events," Scott Pelley remarked during the interview. Musk's reply? "Merry Christmas."

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From the brink of collapse, both companies not only survived but went on to thrive. SpaceX has become a leader in aerospace innovation, completing dozens of successful launches annually and revolutionizing reusable rocket technology. Meanwhile, Tesla has grown from "on the verge of folding" to reshaping the entire automotive industry, setting the standard for electric vehicles worldwide.

Looking back, Musk's Christmas of 2008 reminds us that even the most successful people hit rock bottom. The difference is whether they stay there or figure out how to turn a NASA contract and a bit of investor faith into the foundation of a multi-billion-dollar empire.

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