How an imagination of one man can change our world Part 2
If you have the millions of dollars it changes your lifestyle — those who say otherwise are blatantly lying. I don’t have to work for survival. But I work every day, even on weekends, and I a few years was not on the holiday. Musk has a reputation as an incorrigible workaholic.
X.com and PayPal
Work on Zip2 Ilona taught a lesson. He gained confidence and from shy programmer turned into a confident businessman. But most importantly, Musk realized that he no longer should lose control over their projects. After the sale of Zip2, he was attracted to the industry, where there was a lot of money and problems that can be corrected with the help of the Internet. It was about the banking sector, which at that time were bulky, awkward and short-sighted,and did not understand the possibilities of the digital era.
Spending your own 12 million, Elon has created the first ever online banking service with pornographic name X.com. The mask is not the bogey that many of the technologies need to invent from scratch. He was sure that revolution in banking and his confidence has attracted investors and their customers. The ability to transfer money with a couple of mouse clicks without filling out long payment orders in just a few months attracted to the service two hundred thousand people.
Robert Downey Jr. admitted that Tony stark in his performance partially written off with the Mask and encouraged Ilona to do a cameo in “Iron man 2”.
Soon X.com there was the first serious competitor in the face of an equally young and ambitious startup Confinity, which ran of Max Levchin and Peter Thiel. The company spent a lot of manpower and resources to fight until they came to the conclusion that it is easier to join forces. The largest shareholder and Manager of the new company was Elon Musk, who never learned to get along with people. Between Elon and Leucinol with Thiel started a quarrel. The reason was the name of the merged company — everyone liked the proposed name Confinity founders of PayPal, and the only Musk clung to X.com.
The conflict Thiel left the company, and Levchin started to threaten that will follow. Started and technical problems: the server could not cope with the influx of customers, the programs were found to have “holes” that threatened fines from banks. In the company of a Mature discontent with the Musk. Taking advantage of the absence of Ilona, who finally got married to Justine and went on a honeymoon, the Board of Directors dismissed him from his post and appointed at this place Peter Thiel.
Musk cut the trip short and tried to fight, but soon cooled off, realizing that Levchin and Thiel really know their stuff. He remained a shareholder of the company and continued to invest money in it. When the largest online auction site eBay wanted to buy PayPal, no one Board member had any doubt that we should accept it, but Musk advised to keep patience and wait. Finally, after a series of denials, in June 2002, eBay offered a half a billion dollars. As the largest shareholder, Musk received $ 250 million.
History X.com twofold impact on the reputation of a Mask. On the one hand, he earned the reputation of a genius who created a unique product from scratch. On the other, he was not able to get along with partners and made a number of mistakes in the management of the company. Some say that if Elon remained at the helm for another few months, the company was waiting for a crash. Others are arguing that he didn’t have enough time — although many of the ideas Mask at first glance seem absurd, time proves him right.
SpaceX and Tesla Motors
First wife Ilona, a successful author of children’s books by Justine Musk. After leaving PayPal Musk resumed their honeymoon. During the trip, he contracted a dangerous form of malaria and almost died. A full recovery took six months, during this time Elon has lost twenty pounds.
Shortly before the sale PayPal Ilona and Justine was born. But parents ‘ happiness was short — lived- the baby died from the so-called sudden infant death syndrome. Musk has coped with grief in his typical manner — with a head left in work. Colleagues later recalled that working difficulties sometimes caused Ilona tears, but the loss he suffered in silence. Musk did not like to expose their personal life.