Introduction: Elon Musk Achieve His Success
In a world where most people shrink from failure, Elon Musk sits on the absolute edge of the impossible.
From shaking up the automobile industry with Tesla to launching reusable rockets with SpaceX, Musk has obliterated every rule book of business, science and tech in his way.
But what did Elon Musk do to so successfully create value in such complex, high-risk industries?
This blog post presents seven amazing and profoundly insightful ways that Elon Musk made his audacious dreams into a living legacy.
These principles are not merely nuggets of success — they’re life lessons from one of the most driven minds of our time.
1. Vision So Big, It Redefined Possible
One of the most consistent themes in everything Elon Musk does is that he is not afraid of and is simply afraid of what he is capable of doing (which ultimately affects the world).
He doesn’t want to improve systems as a CEO would; he wants to replace them. This notion is evident in his mission statements: make humanity a multi-planetary species, convert the whole world to sustainable energy, and finally, build brain-computer interfaces.
I don’t think that these ideas are what most CEOs would even allow themselves to think about, let alone think about them and then act upon them.
He is adamant that the size of your vision should scare you—and excite the world. His companies exist because existing players wouldn’t even try to do what he sought to do.
This mindset attracts passionate talent, bold investors, and worldwide attention in and of itself. He doesn’t just get publicized because he’s a visionary—he’s a strategic thinker and he sees the vision as a North Star that sets a direction for huge teams of people navigating into unknown territory.
In this essence – the first answer to how Elon Musk achieved his success… was thinking 10x bigger than everyone else and not compromising their vision, regardless of how audacious it seems.
2. Risk-Taking Like No Other Entrepreneur
Elon Musk does not dabble with risk, he runs toward it with arms wide open. He put almost all of his money into SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity after selling PayPal.
At one time he even had to borrow money to pay the rent. Anyone else would have stopped. Musk doubled down.
He confronted the automotive sector when almost everyone thought it was untouchable. When doubters scoffed at the notion, he constructed rockets.
He challenged established energy grids, brain interfaces, and AI- against all odds. They have not calculated risks with guaranteed returns. They were do-or-die risks.
Musk is special not only because of his willingness to take risks but also because of his perseverance. Elon Musk was not taking arbitrary risks; he was making risks based on deep analysis, strong intuition, and belief in long-term impact.
His entire business career has been a case study in strategic risk-taking- measured jumps that redefine the rules of the game when successful.
So when asking yourself how Elon Musk got to such success, think big about the level of risks he was willing to take- and how he stayed the course even when he seemed to be losing it all.
3. Obsessive Focus on First Principles Thinking
Musk frequently remarks: “Reasoning by analogy is lazy.” Rather, he employs first principles thinking—a rigorous process of disassembling problems to get to their fundamental truths and then constructing answers from scratch.
It’s a philosophy that has propelled him toward success in industries where having no prior experience should have put him at a disadvantage.
For instance, when he founded SpaceX, he was shocked to learn that the price of rocket raw materials was only a small portion of the rockets’ sale price. This insight enabled him to produce rockets at a significantly lower cost than the industry standard.
Likewise, Tesla’s advanced battery technologies stemmed from Musk contemplating why battery pack costs were so exorbitant and whether he needed to spend them.
This mental model affords clarity, originality, and cost-effectiveness. It unlocks innovation by getting rid of presumptions and leaps of faith. Unlike conventional business leaders who accept market norms, Musk generates standards where norms do not exist.
In answering how Elon Musk achieved his success, this cognitive discipline stood out as a foundation—he does not just improve the world, he rethinks it from scratch.
4. Work Ethic That Pushes Human Limits
Elon Musk is well-known for what he considers to be his extreme work schedule, which is around 80 to 100 hours a week. He sleeps on factory floors, attends design meetings, and even programs when needed.
This relentlessness is not done for effect, but rather because he has a belief that working harder than anyone else is the only way to ever change the world.
His work ethic sets the tone for the overall culture across his companies. His enthusiasm occasionally excites and occasionally overwhelms the staff.
However, this commitment also creates fast innovation with rapid feedback loops while relentlessly executing innovation. Musk believes that if you work twice as hard as your competition, you will get to the finish line twice faster at half the time.
This level of energizing workers is not working for the hustle culture; it is mission alignment. Musk, is fixated on the outcomes and personally believes he is responsible for every product his company ships. He has the same expectations of his crew.
If you’re still wondering how did Elon Musk become so successful? He simply outworked, outlasted, and expeditiously past virtually everyone in the game.
5. Relentless Problem Solver With a Builder’s Mindset
Elon Musk takes on every issue like an engineer, with curiosity, hands-on involvement, and a focus on potential solutions. He does not simply run companies, he builds them from the ground up, typically getting involved with product design, manufacturer selection, and troubleshooting.
Musk slept at the factory while he optimized processes during Tesla’s production constraints during the Model 3 ramp. When Falcon 1 failed three times, Musk took on redesign efforts by himself. This is not micromanagement, this is leading through solving problems.
What makes Musk different is his resiliency. He does not avoid a problem, he attacks the problem head-on and with intensity until it is solved. Very few CEO’s have the ability to melt down to a technical problem while maintaining a horizon view.
In addressing Elon Musk, being stated simply, that his ability to dive deep and have habit of solving problems by turning them over to his employees is what makes him different, this is also one of the reasons why his companies succeed in areas that other companies avoid.
6. Master of Storytelling and Public Attention
Musk sells aspirations in addition to developing technologies. From shooting a Tesla Roadster into space to introducing a humanoid robot, he invents moments and transports all of us along for the ride.
Where other companies simply ‘market,’ Musk steers the ship and creates stories that anchor us to the fiction. He makes the mundane appear amazing and the complex seem simple by building tension, sharing tidbits, and even having followers tweet directly to him.
Musk is also clever enough to manage images or to shift the narrative on his various failures (rocket explosions, anyone?).
This approach is what currently keeps his companies alive and actively discussed around various missions. Investors are still engaged. Customers feel included and part of a journey. Governments are paying attention.
How did Elon Musk get us to be fixated on him? By telling stories that were so interesting and with so many hints of belief that we wanted to believe and invest.
7. Surrounding Himself With A+ Talent and Execution
Musk understands that having a vision without execution is just a fantasy. That’s why he has an obsession with hiring only the best.
He hires people who are not only smart but extremely driven. Many of our breakthrough milestones at Tesla and SpaceX came from small, elite teams working under tremendous pressure.
Musk drives his associates hard, but he also empowers them. He gives teams latitude, rewards initiative, and emphasizes culture and excellence. His companies will never settle for “good enough” in the pursuit of the revolutionary.
He also knows when to get out of the way and let the experts ply their craft. For instance, Musk’s vision and Gwynne Shotwell, who oversaw the Falcon 9’s operational performance, share equal credit for the spaceX aircraft’s achievement.
So the answer to how Elon Musk achieved his success will include this very important truth…. no one does this alone. Musk’s brilliance is his capacity to recruit—and maximize—the potential of other very smart people.
Conclusion: The Real Answer to How Did Elon Musk Achieve His Success
Elon Musk’s achievements have not happened by chance; they did not stem from some single genius thought. His innovations are a product of visionary thinking, fearless risk-taking, obsessive execution and a deep commitment to solving problems.
It is about using first principles to tear down walls, storytelling to inspire belief, and surrounding oneself with top-notch talent to make the unreal real.
If you still wonder just how he achieved success, look closely at these seven brilliant tactics. These are not simply strategies for business; they are exemplars for building the future.