The *real* money comes from merchandising. I learned it from this documentary

Moja rodzina obawia się, że Rosjanie mnie zabiją.

Moja lekcja wyciągnięta z urlopów: urlop cię zabije.

I always have optimism, but I'm realistic. It was not with the expectation of great success that I started Tesla or SpaceX... It's just that I thought they were important enough to do anyway.

If something has to be designed and invented, and you have to figure out how to ensure that the value of the thing you create is greater than the cost of the inputs, then that is probably my core skill.

Don't delude yourself into thinking something's working when it's not, or you're gonna get fixated on a bad solution.

As much as possible, avoid hiring MBAs. MBA programs don't teach people how to create companies.

Disruptive technology where you really have a big technology discontinuity... tends to come from new companies.

I think the best way to attract venture capital is to try and come up with a demonstration of whatever product or service it is and ideally take that as far as you can. Just see if you can sell that to real customers and start generating some momentum. The further along you can get with that, the more likely you are to get funding.

We have a strict 'no-assholes policy' at SpaceX.

It's very important to like the people you work with, otherwise life [and] your job is gonna be quite miserable.

I would just question things... It would infuriate my parents... That I wouldn't just believe them when they said something 'cause I'd ask them why. And then I'd consider whether that response made sense given everything else I knew.

You have to say, 'Well, why did it succeed where others did not?'

You shouldn't do things differently just because they're different. They need to be... better.

When somebody has a breakthrough innovation, it is rarely one little thing. Very rarely, is it one little thing. It's usually a whole bunch of things that collectively amount to a huge innovation.

When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars, people said, 'Nah, what's wrong with a horse?' That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.

I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness to make sure it continues into the future.

I think most of the important stuff on the Internet has been built. There will be continued innovation, for sure, but the great problems of the Internet have essentially been solved.

If you're trying to create a company, it's like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.

I wouldn't say I have a lack of fear. In fact, I'd like my fear emotion to be less because it's very distracting and fries my nervous system.