60 Minutes — Elon Musk: The real life Iron Man
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About this appearance
CBS 60 Minutes profiled Musk at the height of Tesla's Model S moment and SpaceX's early reusability tests. Pelley challenged Musk on Wall Street skepticism about Tesla's valuation and whether SpaceX was safe for astronauts. Musk gave his clearest early articulation of why reusable rockets change everything about the economics of space. The 'Iron Man' framing — which Musk pushed back on — became a media shorthand that followed him for years.
Topics
Memorable moments
Musk says he expected both SpaceX and Tesla to fail when he started them, but felt a 'moral obligation' to try anyway.
Takes Pelley for a ride in the Model S, achieving 0-60 in under 4 seconds — Pelley visibly shocked by the performance.
Defends the SpaceX astronaut safety record: 'We'll make it safer than flying commercial.'
