They’ll Remember.

Brace yourself.

Elon Musk: A slight rise in heart-rate and temperature. The body prepares itself for flight or fight.

This is what happens when the mind expects to encounter controversy, whether it be a topic, political belief, or person. Donald Trump. Wherever you are on the political spectrum, you can’t help but feel. As you read, your mind searches for clues and evidence to indicate which side of the heated positions the writer is on. As the reader, do I agree or disagree with what I’m about to read? Defences are up…

Elon Musk falls into this category. For some, he’s a hero. Others denounce him, making bold accusations against his character. But in the grand scheme of time, none of this matters. It’s all noise. Men like Elon Musk likely understand this. It’s probably why they are outliers. They think and move to their own song. They trust the evidence they believe to be right, regardless of what others may think. Steve Jobs was one of those men. And while alive, he also, had both fans and haters, believers and doubters.

What happened to all the Steve Jobs haters once he passed on? Like Jobs himself, they ceased to exist. They found something else and someone else to hate on. But the fans and the believers, they live on. And through them, so does Jobs.

I’d argue Musk is one of our top ten contentious (perhaps hated) men of our time. Convictions against the man span across a variety of topics. ‘toxic management style,’ ‘brash and immature behaviour,’ ‘unfair labour practices.’ Some even argue he’s ‘far-right’ or ‘socially and politically immoral’ Are these claims true? No, and yes. Musk is human, and humans are flawed. Elon has a massive platform, magnifying his flaws, so it’s easy to see why some people dislike the man. But that’s not what we’ll be talking about in one hundred years.

Will historians of the future care much about the oddball statements Elon made on X? Or his stance on politics? I don’t know. But I do know that he’ll be remembered for a long time, perhaps forever. If I were a betting man, I’d say he would be remembered for centuries alongside great men like da Vinci, Galileo, Fibonacci, and Euclid. He’ll be remembered for defying the Gods of the Automotive Industry and making electric cars a reality. He’ll be remembered for revolutionizing space exploration and building the first reusable rocket. He’ll be remembered for co-founding OpenAI, the world leader spearheading artificial intelligence. He’ll be remembered for popularizing the Hyperloop Concept. He’ll be remembered for the building Gigafactories, and founding PayPal, the Boring Company, and Neuralink.

And if the honest historian decides to dig deeper into the man who did so much for humanity, they’ll find a man who was purpose-driven, oftentimes to a fault. A man who repeatedly bet it all, defying the odds again and again. They’ll learn of a man who was profoundly complicated in his flaws and his genius. They’ll learn of a man who struggled, as a child and as a man, with both family and self. They’ll read testimonies from those close to him, praising his kindness and generosity. They’ll learn ofa man who, at the heart of it all, meant well for humanity.

It’s a peculiar thing, being an icon. Only the Foolish dream of being famous. The truth is fame can be a miserable existence. If you’ve ever been hurt and let down by someone, imagine that multiplied by thousands when you stumble. Fame brings glory, but it also puts a target on your back. The Wise wish only to be known by their close ones and not many more.

But it’s hard not to be known when you accomplish super-human feats. It’s a double-edged sword of greatness. Michael Jordan lived through it. Princess Diana died from it. Elon Musk endures it now.

Whether history labels them heroes or villains, one thing is certain: Such figures will live on in the pages of history, and their contributions will echo into infinity through our cultural DNA.

And what about us?
Will you and I be remembered?

I’m a founder and CEO. And so, like everyone, I’m biased. Of course, I am. That said, I’ve met many great founders throughout my career. Men and women who I’ve admired, learned from, and would proudly stand up for. I’ve also seen many a great person be misunderstood, and even attacked. It’s easy to strike when you have little to lose. Often, it is wise for people in positions of authority and stature to restrain from defending themselves. The professionals in the world shrug it off, go about their day, focus on the mission at hand, and don’t lose sleep over such things…

But they do lose sleep. They feel the burn of unkindness just like anyone else.

The above article was inspired by a recent scenario I experienced. A fellow entrepreneur whose name was being dragged in the mud. In this case, I know the person very well. And like many entrepreneurs, she is eccentric and downright weird, according to many. But it doesn’t make her a bad person. If being judged, one would think it is fair to judge on the entirety of the character, not the rarity or one dimension of things.