TED 2008 — The mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity
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About this appearance
Musk's first TED appearance, given months before SpaceX's Falcon 1 would succeed and before Tesla's Roadster began deliveries. He outlined the three pillars of his mission — sustainable energy (Tesla + SolarCity), space colonization (SpaceX), and internet (already completed at Zip2/PayPal). The talk introduced millions to the Roadster's performance specs and Tesla's master plan. Remarkably candid about his fears that both companies might fail, he said the probability of success was less than 10% for each. The TED stage was among the first mainstream venues where he articulated the multi-company 'master plan.'
Topics
Memorable moments
States he believed SpaceX had less than a 10% chance of reaching orbit when he started it — 'I thought we'd probably fail.'
Reveals the Roadster's 0-60 in 3.9 seconds performance to a stunned TED audience, flipping expectations about electric vehicles.
Outlines the 'master plan' — Roadster → Model S → cheaper car — for the first time to a broad mainstream audience.
