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- In a 2008 profile, Elon Musk lamented a missed chance and said that he wanted to see Warren Buffett.
- Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, said that he disliked firing employees and struggled with moving to Los Angeles.
- Musk's humor and passion for his work were also evident.
Elon Musk revealed in an interview with the San Francisco Business Times in 2008 that he missed his best opportunity. He also expressed his desire to meet legendary investors and hinted at some of his most recent moves. The newspaper published this week a re-publication of the article.
He said that the Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter CEOs could have invested at a $15-million valuation in SunPower but did not do so.
Since then, the solar-energy company has grown more than 120 times to reach a market capitalization of $1.9 billion. The stock price of the company has remained relatively flat over the last 15 years. Musk, therefore, hasn't lost out much since his interview.
Musk also revealed the two people he most wanted to meet at that time: Warren Buffett, and Charlie Munger. Musk responded to the praise from Berkshire Hathaway's CEO and business partner, who praised Musk recently for his ability to dream big and tackle impossible challenges.
Other notable remarks were made by the tech billionaire. "I don't like firing people," he stated, which is surprising considering he bought Twitter last year and cut thousands of positions.
Musk stated that the biggest lesson he learned was to fire people earlier. He interviewed all employees at SpaceX in order to make sure he wouldn't fire them later. Musk is still heavily involved with personnel decisions. He recently told Tesla employees that he must personally approve all Tesla hirings, even contractors.
In 2008, he said that moving to Los Angeles had been the most difficult business decision he made up to that time. This may have made his move to Texas in 2020 easier.
Musk's profile also showed off his sense of humor. Musk responded to a question about his mentors by asking: "Who are the mentors that people mention, and how can I find one?"
Musk emphasized his passion for what it is he does. He said, "I like design and engineering." I can't imagine anything else that would make me choose to design rockets or electric cars.
In October, the world's wealthiest man made a similar statement when he called himself an engineer, a manufacturer and a technologists, who design and develop products, not an investor, like Buffett, who manages a stock portfolio.
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By: tmohamed@insider.com (Theron Mohamed)
Title: Elon Musk disclosed a missed opportunity, said he hates firing people, and revealed a desire to meet Warren Buffett in a 2008 profile that’s resurfaced
Sourced From: markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/elon-musk-sunpower-tesla-spacex-twitter-buffett-munger-layoffs-humor-2023-6
Published Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2023 10:45:00 +0000
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