(The richest man in the world) Musk recalled the brink of bankruptcy: he woke up every day and cried in his dream all night.

"Either die peacefully or live wonderfully." -Musk

"Every morning when I wake up, I find my pillow is wet. I cried all night in my dream, chewing the glass and staring at the abyss. "

-Musk recalls the days on the verge of bankruptcy

Chen Xin fanyu

Jobs was expelled from Apple;

Amazon president Bezos has always been suspected of losing money and not making money.

And 202 1, 1, when Tesla President Musk surpassed Bezos to become the richest man in the world with a value of $209 billion;

He recalled the years before 12 when he was struggling on the brink of bankruptcy several times, as if it were a long dream.

The financial storm swept the United States in 2008;

Tesla is on the verge of bankruptcy;

From June 5438 to February 2008, deepak, the chief financial officer, told him: "The book funds can only last for three days."

The lawyer drafted a legal document declaring bankruptcy, just waiting for his signature.

Musk, who is on the verge of a cliff, is ready to sign a bankruptcy agreement and surrender to the fate of failure;

Just as I was about to sign, I suddenly stopped and took the exam for a long time. I decided to sell the iron and stick to it.

Musk invested every penny in Tesla and space exploration technology company Rocket Company, and was heavily in debt. Finally, with the determination to burn the boat, he sold many houses, private jets, McLaren F 1 sports cars and moved into empty hotels.

In order to save money, he even decided to move out of the hotel and live in the basement of his parents-in-law.

To make matters worse, Justin, his wife of ten years, decided to leave him.

In the eyes of the world and his wife, Musk and Tesla are a broken ship that will sink;

The choice made by his wife was to leave the sinking ship that was about to be submerged and escape with five children.

Justin's divorce lawsuit is a further blow;

She wants $20 million in cash, 10% of Tesla shares and 5% of space exploration technology company shares.

In fact, Musk has been heavily in debt and has no money.

The judge probably knows the end of Musk's road, and the final judgment is:

Justin received $2 million in cash and monthly child support.

Excluding shares in Tesla;

At that time, everyone thought that Tesla's stock would be cheaper than toilet paper in the near future.

Bai Juyi once lamented: "The hard part is not in the mountains, not in the water, but in repeated human feelings."

In fact, it is even more difficult to be in fate.

When you are in a humble and dangerous situation, you will see the truth of the world and people's hearts.

Musk looked at the back of his wife and children with tears;

He has lost the qualification to move to the basement of his parents-in-law's house.

Nowadays, all current relationships may become previous relationships overnight:

Ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, former boss, former employee, all over the street. ...

In addition to the departure of his wife and children, Tesla employees also left in large numbers;

In the empty factory, there were three employees left at the lowest point.

When you are weak and dangerous;

As if the whole world is hostile to you, the TV host always says:

"Wall Street listed Tesla as the most unlikely company to succeed. Don't buy Tesla shares. You just waste money and keep falling. "

"It's like I've been hit by the butt of a gun several times and I'm eating glass every day."

Musk works nearly 120 hours a week and sleeps in the factory workshop for 3 or 4 consecutive days. Under high-intensity work and mental stress, I need to take sleeping pills every night to fall asleep.

"All day and all night, no children, no friends, nothing but work."

June 5438+February 2008, a lonely and seemingly desperate Christmas Eve;

Musk woke up one night and found tears in his eyes:

"Every morning when I wake up, I find my pillow is wet. I cried all night in my dream, chewing the glass and staring at the abyss. "

"At that moment, I had nothing and lost everything. Married 10 years, all three will be finished. "

12 years later, at 20 12 and 1 month, Tesla's share price exceeded $854.

Musk, from a dying fish to Longmen, took a long 12 years.

Musk's ten years of tears;

The first milestone of the new industrial revolution.

The drama of life comes from tenacity.

As Haruki Murakami said:

"After the storm, you won't remember how you survived;

You're not even sure if the storm is really over;

But one thing is certain:

When you cross the storm, you are no longer the same person. "

From the moment I was born.

Everyone is on an unfair starting line.

1971On June 28th, Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa.

As a teenager, he was an ordinary boy.

There is no sign that he will become the world's richest man with $209 billion in the future, and he has a grand plan to immigrate to Mars.

After becoming famous, Musk recalled his childhood, not only unhappy, but also often bullied by bad boys at school.

Almost got killed.

Reporter: Did you have a happy childhood?

Musk: No, it's terrible!

Q: Are you serious?

Musk: Yes.

Q: Why is it so bad?

Musk: Very violent. It was not a happy childhood.

Q: I know you were bullied at school.

Musk: I almost got killed, if you call it being bullied.

Musk's grandfather was a famous doctor and political critic. He made a lot of money, but he hated America very much, so he immigrated to Canada and then went to South Africa.

Musk's mother is a model and writer, and his father is an Anglo-Dutch mixed-race and works as an electromechanical engineer in South Africa.

He inherited his mother's looks and was handsome since he was a child.

Musk grew up in South Africa as a child. He likes reading very much.

Reading 10 hours every day is not tiring and has a good memory.

Little boys like to play with toy guns, but Musk played with real explosives when he was a child.

Musk's performance is not good;

Most of the books he reads are not textbooks, but extracurricular books he is interested in.

1980, Musk's mother and father divorced;

At the age of 9, he lived with his father.

Musk believes that childhood is tragic, partly because his parents divorced and his father abused him emotionally;

So when the reporter wanted to interview his father, he firmly refused, thinking that his father was crazy.

Musk's childhood obsession with technology;

But it was inspired by the engineer's father.

His sensibility, sadness and appearance;

More inherited the genes of models and writers' mothers.

Parents are the source of each of us, the life of travel-stained people.

We cannot choose the beauty, ugliness, ignorance, wealth, gentleness or rudeness of our parents.

So human beings look forward to a fair world;

But from the moment of birth;

Everyone is on an unfair starting line.

In a person's life

Yuelongmen has only three chances at most.

198 1 year, 10-year-old Musk bought his first computer with his pocket money and some funds sponsored by his father.

Then I bought a programming textbook and learned programming.

1983, 12-year-old Musk successfully designed a space game software called "Blastar";

Later, it was sold to Science magazine for $500, earning the first bucket of gold in life.

1988, 17 After graduating from high school, Musk left his family and went to Canada alone to live with his mother's relatives.

1989, Musk obtained Canadian citizenship and applied for admission to Queen's University in Ontario the following year.

Three years later, Musk transferred to Wharton Business School on a scholarship to study economics.

During my college years, I began to pay attention to the Internet, clean energy and space, which affect the future development of mankind.

After obtaining a bachelor's degree in economics, Musk;

Stay in school for another year and get a bachelor's degree in physics.

1995, 24-year-old Musk entered Stanford University to pursue a doctorate in materials science and applied physics.

However, on the second day after entering school, Musk decided to drop out of school and leave school to start a business.

Zuckerberg entered Harvard in 2002, dropped out of school in 2004 and started a business on Facebook.

Bill Gates/Kloc-was admitted to Harvard at the age of 0/8, dropped out of school one year later and founded Microsoft.

The most important reason here is:

These elites found opportunities in the wave of new technologies and dropped out of school to seize them.

The first step in the struggle is to choose;

In a person's life, Yue Longmen has only three chances at most.

In the long decades, you are usually a fish;

In my life, I will encounter three great waves of the times;

The tide is coming, thousands of fish;

What most people don't know is that there are only three times in a lifetime.

The most important change in life

From the track of internet to new energy vehicles.

1994; The second day after Musk dropped out of school;

Get a little angel investment in Silicon Valley;

He and his brother created the zip2 website;

This is a website that combines maps and public comments;

Users can view the introduction of enterprises through the map.

The New York Times and the Chicago Post have become customers of Musk;

1999, Compaq, an American computer manufacturer, bought Zip2 with $307 million in cash and $34 million in stock options.

The 28-year-old Musk made a profit of $22 million;

Then use this money to create a X.com website;

This website is similar to Alipay;

Can carry out online financial services, such as transfer and e-mail payment services.

Musk's competitor is paypal；;

Paypal's boss is peter thiel;

After fierce competition and negotiation, the two companies finally merged;

The name is x.com. After the merger, the original opponents did not get along happily, which made everyone doubt Musk's leadership.

When Musk was on his honeymoon, there was a "coup" in the company, and peter thiel replaced him as the boss of the company.

Musk rushed back;

In the end, the gentle but not tough Musk compromised;

Give up the CEO throne;

The company was renamed paypal, and Musk was completely overhead;

In 2000, the company was later sold, and Musk got $654.38+80 million.

If it is not overhead, Musk will continue the Internet business;

But this "loss" is the most important "gain" in the future.

Musk began the most important change in his life;

From the internet track to new energy vehicles;

The fourth new industrial revolution;

New energy vehicles are an important part.

Musk's trajectory on the Internet;

Completed the accumulation of funds and management experience, as well as the experience of personnel struggle;

Started the journey of the new industrial revolution for 20 years.

American subprime mortgage crisis broke out.

Musk ushered in a low point in life.

At the beginning of 200 1, Musk planned a project called "Mars Oasis";

It is planned to build a small experimental greenhouse on Mars;

Let the crops on the earth try to grow in the soil of Mars.

Launching rockets requires space talents;

He found a great engineer, cantrell.

Musk first thought of buying rockets, and he found the Russian aerospace company;

Russia said $8 million to buy 1 rocket, and Musk said that I would give you $8 million to buy two rockets, and then the negotiations broke down.

Cantrell said that it would be cheaper to build your own rockets;

Musk rented an old warehouse and began to build a rocket business.

In June 2002, Musk founded Space X and served as CEO.

Musk began to study how to reduce the cost of rocket launch;

And plans to realize Mars migration in the future.

Many aerospace scientists believe that Musk cannot succeed;

Musk named the spacecraft after "Dragon";

The "Dragon" spacecraft is designed with 7 seats and a wide cargo hold, and the whole is "bullet"-shaped;

It is the first spacecraft developed by a private company in the world.

In 2004, Musk invested $6.3 million to establish Tesla.

This is a company that manufactures high-end electric sports cars;

All the money is invested in research and development.

In 2005, 34-year-old Musk was worth more than $300 million.

In 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis broke out in the United States, and Musk ushered in a trough in his life.

His rocket failed three times;

Tens of millions of shots were thrown, which turned into a fireball after the explosion.

How did these three rocket tests fail?

When a rocket is built, it needs to be launched. Musk found the US Air Force Base, and the Air Force looked down on the unknown Musk and waited for several months.

Musk couldn't wait to get into the water on an island on the equator.

1 25 seconds after launch, the rocket fell and broke into scrap iron. Investigation, because a screw is loose.

Shortly after the second launch, the rocket did not explode when it was launched, but it disintegrated shortly after entering space;

It's even worse this time. I can't even pick up scrap metal.

In the third launch, the rocket exploded when the 1 segment and the 2 segment were separated;

Carrying 208 ashes of the deceased who hope to scatter the ashes into space;

Including actor James in Star Trek and astronaut Gordon in Apollo 7;

Their ashes also fell into the sea.

When people mentioned Musk, they told a joke:

How to become a millionaire in the aerospace field?

Very simple, become a billionaire first;

That will be soon.

Excessive research and development costs

Tesla is also on the verge of bankruptcy.

At this time, Musk's money is only enough to launch 1 time.

In 2008, the fourth rocket launch was finally successful;

Falcon 9 rocket accurately entered orbit;

After a moment of joy, Musk was also worried because he had no money.

Tesla is also on the verge of bankruptcy because of high research and development costs.

The first generation model was launched in 2006;

The annual sales volume is less than 500 vehicles, which is not enough to support the company.

In 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis broke out in the United States, and there was money shortage everywhere;

Musk's two companies are on the verge of bankruptcy at the same time.

GM shares fell to a 20-year low;

Then declare bankruptcy.

Tesla was forced to lay off a large number of employees and close the R&D center;

Some important employees resigned and left;

Because there is no hope.

There is no medicine more effective than hope.

There is no healthier expectation than tomorrow.

Musk's younger brother Kimbarl reminded him:

"Tesla cannot deliver the car that the buyer has paid for. Are you betting on the future by putting the last sum of money in?

Do you really think it's reasonable to keep investing? "

By September 2008, Tesla had only sold 2,000 vehicles;

The factory warehouse is full of defective and undeliverable Tesla.

Many people pay money and can't get a taxi;

Think Tesla is just a scam. A singer booked a car, and after a year, he still hasn't seen it.

Musk went out to raise money, and the financial crisis was overwhelming. No one dared to answer for three months.

"I'm like being smashed by the butt of a gun. Every day is like eating glass. "

He invested all his money in Tesla and space exploration technology company, and now he is heavily in debt.

Mother was worried, called and said something he would never forget:

"Everyone has failed and is afraid of being knocked down. As long as you have breath, you will never be unlucky. "

Sister Tosca sent a message:

"Self-confidence in adversity is true self-confidence;

Optimism at low tide is the real optimism;

There is no medicine more effective than hope;

There is no healthier expectation than tomorrow. "

Justin filed for divorce.

It was a knife that made things worse.

June 5438+February 2008, Chief Financial Officer deepak told him:

"Book funds can only last for 3 days."

The lawyer drafted a legal document declaring bankruptcy, just waiting for his signature.

Musk, who is on the verge of a cliff, is ready to sign a bankruptcy agreement and surrender to the fate of failure;

Just as I was about to sign, I suddenly stopped and took the exam for a long time. I decided to sell the iron and stick to it.

Musk invested every penny in Tesla and space exploration technology company Rocket Company, and was heavily in debt. Finally, with the determination to burn the boat, he sold many houses, private jets, McLaren F 1 sports cars and moved into empty hotels.

In order to save money, he even decided to move out of the hotel and live in the basement of his parents-in-law.

Science fiction writer Justin is a college classmate of Musk;

Tall and beautiful;

Student Justin said, pointing to a row of bookshelves:

One day, my book will also be put on it (and later become a science fiction writer).

Justin is at arm's length with him, and Musk has not given up his pursuit.

One day, Justin was studying in the library.

Sweat out musk;

Bring two half-melted ice creams;

What makes women tempted is sometimes the details of life.

After eight years of long-distance love, Justin and Musk got married.

Their first son, born less than 10 weeks, died of suffocation in the quilt;

It is the period when babies are most prone to sudden death.

Justin is very sad every night;

Musk chose to work overtime every night;

Forget the sadness of losing a child in middle age with work and disappear all day.

Justin can't help crying every day;

Musk went home after working overtime;

Listen quietly to Beethoven's symphony of destiny.

Justin said: I am your wife, not your employee.

Musk said: If you were my employee, you would have been fired.

At home, even the color of his wife's hair, Musk has to manage.

In 2004, Musk chose direct test-tube baby;

Justin had no choice but to give birth to twin sons.

In 2006, another triplet son was born.

In 2008, even worse;

Justin, his wife of ten years, decided to leave him;

In the eyes of the world and his wife, Musk and Tesla are a broken ship that will sink;

The choice made by his wife was to leave the sinking ship that was about to be submerged and escape with five children.

Justin's divorce lawsuit is a further blow;

She wants $20 million in cash, 10% of Tesla shares and 5% of space exploration technology company shares.

In fact, Musk has been heavily in debt and has no money.

The judge probably knows that Musk's dead end;

The final judgment is:

Justin received $2 million in cash and monthly child support.

Excluding shares in Tesla;

At that time, everyone thought it would be soon;

Tesla shares will be cheaper than toilet paper.

Musk woke up overnight.

I found tears in my eyes.

All the money has to be borrowed from friends;

Including rent.

June 5438+February 2008, a lonely and seemingly desperate Christmas Eve;

Musk woke up one night and found tears in his eyes:

"Every morning when I wake up, I find my pillow is wet. I cried all night in my dream, chewing the glass and staring at the abyss. "

"I never thought I would have a nervous breakdown;

Just one step away;

If you cross this step, you may lose consciousness because you are crazy. "

"I lost everything, ten years of marriage;

All three companies are going to die.

Invest your last penny in the goal of life;

There is no chance when the money is burned out, and that feeling is really desperate. "

He finally invited all Tesla directors;

This round of financing, everyone voluntarily subscribes;

All the directors were moved by Musk's determination to cross the rubicon.

Give everything you have;

Patchwork, a * * * 20 million dollars.

Musk said:

Can't even think about it.

Musk said:

"If others work 40 hours a week, I work 100 hours.

In this way, you can finish what others can finish in a year in four months. "

Only this world is the worst.

Can win the smartest in the world.

The heavy rocket made by Space Exploration Technology Company can carry 52 tons of cargo;

Boeing's rocket can only carry half the weight;

The price is three times that of spaceX.

In order to reduce costs;

Musk even bought second-hand musical instruments from the Internet;

Find the cheapest salvage company to salvage the rocket wreckage.

The total cost of Falcon 9 rocket is about 50 million dollars.

Its propellant cost is only $200,000;

Musk reduced the cost to 0.37%;

20 1 1, Space Exploration Technology Company in do or die;

Received a large order of $65.438 billion+$400 million from NASA.

Musk's spacecraft can return;

Install a reverse propeller on the rocket.

Only four people in the world have mastered the technology of launching and recycling spacecraft:

United States, Russian Federation, China, Musk.

Musk, with one person's strength, fulfilled the dream of a country.

20 18, in order to solve the mass production problem of Tesla;

Musk has no time to go home;

Eating, bathing and sleeping are all in the office.

When Musk accepted The New York Times;

Show your fatigue, but still insist.

Tesla was founded nearly 17 years ago;

Actually only made a profit for three quarters;

The debt was once as high as billions of dollars.

Wall street 10 year;

Short Tesla funds reached 30 billion US dollars;

Go up in smoke every year.

Tesla has a mantra:

No matter how late you leave your job, there will always be someone later than you;

He is the boss Musk.

His legendary and diligent 20 years;

Confirmed what Zeng Guofan said:

Only the sincerity in the world can win the falsehood in the world;

Only the clumsiest person in the world can win the cleverest person in the world.

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A certain moment in life determines the wealth and adversity of a lifetime.

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People who are lovelorn, unemployed and worried about youth;

You are floating, struggling, trying to survive in the vast sea of people;

Middle-aged dilemma, you have the old and the young, no savings, only loans.

May you be like Musk;

Those tears of sleepless nights;

Will bring you more mature hope at every dawn.

Those who can't kill you;

It will eventually make you stronger;

Also like Musk's 20 years, it is Xiao Qiang who can't be killed.

202 1 1 month;

Tesla shares exceed $800.

When the 50-year-old Musk is worth $209 billion;

When you surpass Bezos and become the richest man in the world;

He recalled 12 years ago;

It seems a long dream to struggle on the brink of bankruptcy for many years.

For Musk's life;

Most importantly;

The bankruptcy documents of 2008 have been placed in front of us, ready to be signed with tears.

Before writing, I suddenly stopped;

After a long exam, I decided to sell iron and sell my family property and stick to it;

From then on, I turned over from the bottom and walked all the way.

This is life;

Life is a yearning for heaven and a yearning for hell;

A certain moment in life, a certain crossroads;

It determines the wealth of your life, good or bad.

But without tenacity, you and I are doomed to mediocrity.

In the ups and downs of life;

Vision is a lighthouse, and tenacity is a sail.

Peaks and cliffs are high above and close at hand;

A person who climbs to the top;

I must be on the cliff.

If you cross, you are the peak;

If you can't cross it, it is the trough of fate.

There is still endless room for decline.

In this sense, life is a link;

Step by step, step by step;

Step by step.

Yang Yifan (film screenwriter, journalist, writer, trader)

(former deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper, former special contributor to Southern Weekend and Window of the South, former special correspondent of International Herald Tribune of Xinhua News Agency, member of Fujian Writers Association.

The original Taiwan Strait, finance and international news reports have been reported by hundreds of newspapers and websites at home and abroad, such as Sina, Sohu, Tencent, Phoenix, CCTV, Xinhua, Southern Metropolis Daily, Beijing Youth Daily, Lianhe Zaobao, Oriental Morning Post, Nanjing Morning Post, Huaxi Dushi Bao, Guangzhou Daily and Metropolitan Express 10.

(Note: I have a journalist's card issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication, a training certificate for news editors, and many news awards. The supervision report I edited has many explanations. )