What does Elon Musk think about Fossil Fuels?
The progress of humanity has always been lead with the ideas and inventions of knowledgeable individuals. While it could be argued that the greatest minds of our kind all came in the past, there are still genius in the modern world whose ideas are actively changing the world. A 21st century genius is usually considered to be a tech billionaire however, and not a scientist like before. Still, the resources and connections at their disposal allow them to express the full potential of their minds and the entire human kind benefits. Right now in the world, there is but a handful of these individuals, none bigger than Elon Musk. Everyone has heard of Elon Musk and his many ideas, approaches, and plans for the future.
Many dislike the fact that someone can even be that rich and influential, while many more praise his work, inventions, and all that he and his companies have done for us over the years. Perhaps the best thing about him is his effort to save the planet by introducing new types of energy as well as devices, tools, and vehicles that are environmentally friendly. Musk has been quite vocal during his time in the spotlight regarding our consumption of energy and advocating for a more electric world instead of the one depending on fossil fuels. In this article we talk about this in more detail and explore what Elon Musk thinks about fossil fuels. If you want to find out additional information on fossil fuels, make sure to read more.
Who is He?
Before talking about what he thinks about the planet still using a lot of fossil fuels despite renewable sources of energy being ripe for the taking, we have to talk about who Elon Musk is. Elon Reeve Musk is a business magnate, entrepreneur, inventor, and investor from South Africa. He is the founder of many incredibly successful companies that have had a lot of influence on the world. He founded and serves as the CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX, the product architect and CEO of Tesla Inc., and the founder of The Boring Company, Neuralink, and OpenAI.
Musk developed a huge interest in video games and computing at the young age of ten. He attended Waterkloof House Preparatory School, Bryanston High School, and then graduated from Pretoria Boys High School. After changing a few universities, from his home country of South Africa to Canada, he graduated in 1995 from the University of Pennsylvania. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. His decision to cut his Ph. D. in philosophy short after two days and join the Internet boom proved to be the best decision he has ever made.
Musk initially starter his empire in the 1990s when he first founded Zip2, a web software company, as well as X.com that became PayPal after a merger. Between all the tech companies that he was either a part of or is currently a part of, Musk managed to amass a net worth of over US $245 billion, making him the richest person in the world.
When it comes to his personal life, Musk has been married three times and has eight children. He is the son of Maye Musk, a Canadian born and South African raised model and dietitian. His father, Errol Musk, is a pilot, sailor, property developer, and engineer from South Africa. Elon has two younger siblings, a brother Kimbal and a sister Tosca. The family has always been rich, something that Musk has mentioned numerous times over the years. His parents divorced and he does not have a relationship with his father anymore, calling him evil and a terrible human being. Errol remarried afterwards and Elon has a half-sister and a half-brother.
Recent Views on Fossil Fuel
When we consider how much Tesla Inc. is successful and how big they are in the electric vehicle industry, Musk’s views on fossil fuels should be clear. However, he is involved in many other industries that heavily depend on the use of these fuels, making his stance questionable. He has been particularly vocal in favor of more fossil fuels in the recent weeks when he revealed what he thinks on his very popular Twitter account. On March 5, 2024, he posted that, although he hates to admit it, it is his belief that humanity needs to increase the oil and gas output as soon as possible. He actually said it needs to be done immediately. He ended by saying that extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.
This probably came as a result of gas and oil prices skyrocketing in the recent weeks following the war in Ukraine and the unrest in the world. In another Tweet, he confirmed that it is definitely a bad look for Tesla, but his statement does make sense due to the shortage of Russian oil and gas exportation. The world has to make up for it somehow, and Musk only said what others were afraid to admit. People in the Retweets and comments largely supported his claim, with some also questioning “the baron of EV (electric vehicles)” advocating for the use of more fossil fuels. The public is expectedly divided over Musk’s latest controversial claim, but we are all used to his hot takes.
Conclusion and Takeaways
Elon Musk is the person who almost singlehandedly brought about the electric vehicle revolution. Tesla is the biggest manufacture of EVs and certainly the most popular. It is also a company whose stocks have been (mostly) steadily rising over the last couple of years. As the person who is capable of influencing entire industries and company stock ratings with a few Tweets, which has happened multiple times already, his latest claim is surely one that needs to be heard. It is a fact that the world needs to move away from fossil fuels, but it is also certain that that cannot happen overnight. Before things go more electric and otherwise renewable, there will be a lot more fossil fuels burned. Right now, there is a shortage and the prices are the highest they have been in recent memory. Musk’s take is therefore anything but a hot and controversial one, but a standpoint of an expert who knows a lot more about tech and energy than common folk.
