In 2014, during an interview with Charlie Rose at the TED Conference, Google cofounder Larry Page made headlines with an unusual revelation. Page didn't point to traditional charitable foundations or heirs when asked about his thoughts on legacy and philanthropy. Instead, he floated the idea of leaving his wealth to Elon Musk, the tech visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX.
Page's reasoning? Musk's bold mission to colonize Mars and "back up humanity." In the interview, Rose referenced past comments Page had made about this idea, asking for clarification.
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According to the transcript on the Charlie Rose site, Rose said: "You once said – actually, I think I've got this about right – that you might consider, rather than giving your money to a cause, simply giving it to Elon Musk because you had confidence he would change the future."
Larry Page replied: "He actually wanted to go to Mars – he wants to go to Mars to back up humanity." He elaborated, "It's a company and it's philanthropical. So I think, you know, we aim to do kind of similar things."
Page then shifted focus to Google's culture of innovation, adding, "We have a lot of employees at Google who've become pretty wealthy … A lot of people in there are pretty wealthy. You're working because you want to change the world and you want to make it better. So why isn't the company they work for worthy not just of your time, but your money as well?"
For Page, Musk's ambitious goals aligned with his belief that companies, when run effectively, could drive revolutionary change. He elaborated, saying, "Lots of companies don't succeed over time. They usually miss the future … I try to focus on that: What is the future really going to be? And how do we create it?"
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Page and Musk once shared a close friendship. Musk frequently stayed at Page's house during visits to Silicon Valley and their shared passion for pushing technological boundaries made them natural allies. Their camaraderie landed them on Fortune's 2016 list of "Business Leaders You Didn't Know Were BFFs."
Musk even attempted to sell Tesla to Google for $11 billion, according to Ashlee Vance’s biography, “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.” The two friends actually both agreed to the deal via handshake, but called it off once Tesla "no longer needed a savior."
However, their relationship reportedly soured around 2013. Musk's growing concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence clashed with Page's more optimistic outlook. At Musk's birthday party that year, the two had a heated debate about AI. Page allegedly called Musk a "speciesist" for prioritizing human interests over other forms of intelligence.
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The tension grew after Musk cofounded OpenAI, a nonprofit ensuring AI safety, which was seen as a direct challenge to Google, which had acquired DeepMind, a leading AI company. Musk even tried to dissuade DeepMind's CEO from selling to Google, further straining their relationship.
But despite their falling out, Musk has recently desired to mend fences. In a 2023 podcast with Lex Fridman, Musk said, "I would like to be friends again with Larry. I haven't seen him in ages. We were friends for a very long time." However, he acknowledged that Page might not feel the same, noting, "He doesn't want to talk to me anymore."
Larry Page's 2014 remarks about leaving his fortune to Elon Musk reflect his belief that revolutionary change outweighs incremental progress. While the future of their friendship remains uncertain, both Page and Musk continue to be key players in shaping the future of technology – and maybe even humanity.
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