How Peter Thiel Praised Elon Musk By Calling Him A 'Negative Role Model'

Billionaire investor Peter Thiel recently described his close friend and Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk a "negative role model."

What He Said

Thiel was a participant in a debate on innovation at the UCLA's Internet50 event and argued in the positive, according to CNBC. Thiel emphasized young people don't strive to be like Musk because it's simply "too hard."

Musk nearly single-handedly oversaw the development of both electric cars and reusable rockets, Thiel said on the stage. As such, aspiring entrepreneurs or creators are left saying they "can't do that."

Thiel and Musk have a history that dates back to the beginnings of PayPal Holdings PYPL.

Why It's Important

Instead of innovating a new industry from scratch, it's much easier for a young person to "start a computer internet company" from their college dorm room, Thiel said. His comments are a likely reference to Facebook, Inc. FB, in which Thiel is an early investor and board member.

Musk's innovation will likely continue inspiring his fans over the coming years, if not decades. The SpaceX founder expects to land a starship on the moon by 2022.

After dropping about 30% in 2019, Telsa's stock has recently rebounded to trade back over $310 per share following a surprise third-quarter earnings beat.

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Photo by Steve Jurvetson via Wikimedia.