Do you know why Elon Musk’s car company is named Tesla?
The Tesla automobile uses a motor based on one invented by our hero in the 1880s. This is not the only thing these two men have in common. In 1931 TIME magazine placed Nikola Tesla on the cover and celebrated his 75th birthday by interviewing our favorite genius. At the end of 2021 TIME placed Elon Musk on the cover and named him “Person of the Year”. Musk is only 50 years old. What might he achieve by his 75th birthday?
Tesla was passionately interested in Mars, at one point convinced he was receiving messages from the red planet. Musk is also drawn to Mars, convinced that he can establish a human colony there well within his lifetime. There are clear differences between these two men; Tesla was a terrible businessman, Musk clearly the opposite. But they have more in common than many people realize.
Both men were tremendously influenced and encouraged by strong mothers. Both were recognized early on as prodigies. Tesla almost died from cholera. Musk almost died from malaria. Like Tesla, Musk is convinced that technology will be the savior of mankind. Both men have displayed no interest in money save for how it can generate new inventions to serve the human race.
Tesla and Musk were mocked as children and suffered public abuse as adults. Branded as mad scientists and possibly aliens, the two men took on Wall Street and Washington and would not give up. Tesla was denounced for working with Russia; Musk was condemned for working with China.
In their own ways both men performed as showmen, generating endless publicity for their futuristic ideas, eccentricities, and odd humor. And at their core both men shared the same vision to spread wireless communication around the world. Besides encircling the world with his AC system, Tesla’s dreams helped bring us radio, TV, remote control, and the Internet. In the 1920s he described the “vest pocket technology” he envisioned that was a remarkable description of today’s mobile phones. Elon Musk is convinced that by launching thousands of satellites, he can deliver the Internet to every community on Earth.
Living lives “larger than life”, these two men were both born with a form of high-functioning autism yet continue to propel mankind into the future. As 2021 ends, let us celebrate these unique visionaries determined to change the course of humanity.
