The Magnanimity of Elon Musk: A Lesson in Leadership
Photo of Elon Musk with a rendering of Mars in the background.
Courtesy of pixabay.com
When we think of billionaires, we do not often think of them being magnanimous. Millionaires still give to the arts and their alma matters, but to become a billionaire you really need to have every cent working for you to reach that level. Even when billionaires do give, it is usually because there is an upside in the form of a tax write-off or some hope of immortality through naming rights.
Musk is not known for his charity either, despite the many good things that the Musk Foundation has done for disaster relief, Wikimedia, and other smaller non-profits. The fact is that Musk is a scientist, a futurist, and a visionary. His gift to the world will be the things he will have built.
So why would we feature an article about Elon Musk and Space X in the Gig-Zine? The reason is that the entire Space X program as well as the mission to Mars, is for the benefit of mankind. It demonstrates Musk’s vision and leadership. It serves as an example to everyone who leads, even if only for a small home-based micro-business. Having vision that goes beyond one’s own welfare and beyond the welfare of one’s business, is perhaps the single most important lesson for a leader, no matter the size of the business.
Space X and interplanetary settlement
One large part of Musk’s contribution to humanity will be through his push for accelerated space exploration and interplanetary settlement. Since the beginning of 2021, Musk and his Space X organization have been making extremely ambitious statements about the possibility of beginning the settlement of Mars, according to a January 17th article in Business Insider.
This article, like many others that followed, made some startling predictions such as:
Return to the moon by 2022, and offer tourist flights to the moon by 2023
Start manned flights to Mars in the next 10 years
Building a fleet of thousands of reusable starships to ferry people and supplies
Building a city of 1M inhabitants on Mars in 50 years
Bring the cost of each flight down to about $2M each
There have been some revisions to these predictions already, especially since there have been accidents with starship prototype test flights. It is likely that the figures will be adjusted further over time. That said, it is an extremely ambitious project, the likes humanity has never attempted before. This would certainly be a new “giant leap for mankind.”
Overcoming impediments
When Musk claimed that he would revolutionize the automobile industry with his Tesla cars, few people took the prediction seriously. There have been setbacks and some of them were tragic. Yet, Tesla did revolutionize an industry that had not changed much in the last 50 years. It is now apparent that electric cars will reach price-parity with gasoline-powered cars this year.
The Tesla Model 3 is currently the best-selling electric car in the world.
Courtesy of pixabay.com
We can only assume that as prices of electric cars continue to drop, their numbers will continue to increase. With them, will grow an entire infrastructure of electric power delivery. Musk did revolutionize the automobile industry, even if his prediction on that timeline was overly optimistic.
It is also becoming quite apparent that Musk is now revolutionizing the space industry. By allowing government initiatives to collaborate with the private sector, in this case, Space X, the space industry is already growing faster than it has in decades. This is not only reflected in the actual output of space projects, but also in the minds of people all over the globe.
While we could argue that it has been an uneasy relationship, and perhaps even a heavy-handed one, Musk is demonstrating that with projects as great as space exploration, a collaboration between the private sector and government is the best way forward. Perhaps this will become the future model for addressing all global concerns from climate change to the next virus outbreak, but I digress.
There are many obstacles to a successful permanent Mars settlement. He fully acknowledges that there will be setbacks and that people will even die. His solution, therefore, is to increase the number of attempts, significantly. He plans to build a fleet of thousands of starships to travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Starship SN9 sitting on the launch pad with the build site in the background ahead of its test flight. The SN9 is the latest version of the Starships that Musk plans to mass-produce for future interplanetary space travel.
Image courtesy of wikimedia.
The risks involved, even if tragic, are not stopping him from proceeding. He predicts, perhaps correctly, that risk does not deter people from trying again and again. In a way, it is in our nature and not unlike the way humans thought of it in the past.
An example that comes to mind is Ferdinand Magellan’s attempt to circumnavigate the world, a feat most Europeans at the time was also too risky. Yet the voyage succeeded, even if Magellan himself did not. It eventually returned to Europe with just a skeleton crew almost near death. Even so, it did not deter others from making the same voyage again and again. It was just a statistical fact that over time survival rates would increase.
It should also be mentioned that it took Magellan’s ship three years to complete the trip, while the world record today is 40 days to circumnavigate the earth. Currently, the voyage to Mars is estimated to take about 7 months on the Space X starships. However, it is quite possible this will be a considerably shorter trip 50 years from now.
It is also probable that by increasing numbers, we are more likely to discover more efficient ways to reach Mars and do so sooner. With thousands of ships and as many flights, it is a statistical probability that this should lead to engineering innovations and speedier travel solutions, as well.
Ultimately, it is about time
While Musk has been quite ambitious in his predictions, his timelines have tended to be exaggerated. It will likely take longer to send tourists into space, establish a permanent base on the moon and eventually settle on Mars. This is not to say it will not happen, but what it does suggest is that it is not likely to happen in Musk’s lifetime.
Therein lies the point of my original statement about Musk’s magnanimity. Like a Mozes of the 21st century, he is not deterred at all that he will only gaze upon the red planet through a telescope, sending others to complete the quest. My minister used to say that God had a knack for humor in his greatest deeds: is it any wonder Musk will not reach Mars considering that the “tablets” he brings down from the mountain are science and money?
In all seriousness, Musk knows full well that he will never set foot on Mars. Yet he is not the least bit concerned about this. This is because he knows that this quest is far greater than himself. It is greater than any one person alive. Reaching Mars will change human society in the same way that reaching the New World changed European society, regardless of the tragic consequences such a leap will have. It is that great of an endeavor for mankind.
…and it is also about humanity
One thing that puts Musk on a level playing field with everyone else is the fact that he needs others to achieve his goals. Over thousands of years, humans have learned to work together to succeed. It is one of the things that makes us human: our ability to collaborate and we do this better and more efficiently than any other creature on earth.
It is therefore a mystery, some would even say a tragedy, that humans also work against each other in the most vicious way. Despite thousands of years of working together, we have also spent those years competing, subjugating, fighting and killing each other. One could argue that this has allowed some people to rise above others and founding nation-states that have moved society forward. Perhaps, but is that the best we can achieve?
What if a meteor where to strike the earth? What if a nuclear war were to break out? What if a virus spread across the globe? When those events occur, our ability to cooperate is critical to the survival of all. Our competition needs to be put aside so that we can work together to address the immediate threat before us.
Going to Mars is not necessarily a global threat, but it is of tremendous importance to humanity. Many people in governments all over the world believe so as well. This is what gave rise to the International Space Station. Space exploration is a project of such magnitude that it is not something that a single nation can or should undertake on their own.
Elon Musk understands this. This is why he has no reservations about working with the Chinese or the Russians, or anyone else, in the same way that he is working with NASA. Other countries have already made their own advances in space exploration, and it would be a step backwards to ignore those advances because of a misguided belief in superiority.
A forward view of the International Space Station with limb of the Earth in the background.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia.
If we are to succeed in endeavors as great as these, we need to shed our outdated tendencies towards racism, sexism, nationalism, and political partisanship. The mission to Mars will require the collaboration of all humanity if it is to be successful. There are many obstacles, so Musk’s drive and vision will not be enough to get us there if we are not willing to work together.
While Musk is not directly saying so, his willingness to work with all partners foreign and domestic is key in moving forward. He understands the difficulty of the mission to Mars and it will require working together. That is another example of his magnanimity. Again, it is not measured in how much he donates to any cause that might combat racism, war, or any other social justice. It is measured in the way he sets the example to work with others.
This is something we could all learn from.
Conclusion
We can argue at length about whether billionaires are good. In the end we would both be wrong. Billionaires just are. I think Musk only sees the money as another tool to achieve something incredible for humanity. If he were only a millionaire, or even a middle-class high school science teacher, he would still be doing something to advance science for others. Ultimately it is about the leap forward.
If I had started this post about how great of a leader Musk was, it would have received the same ho-hum nonchalance that it received when I suggested he was magnanimous. He is not known to be either a great leader or magnanimous. Yet, when we consider what he will have accomplished for humanity, even if the Mars quest stumbles, it is what leadership and magnanimity are. In his own way, he forged a path to be both. As is our human nature, we fail to see this because we focus too much on the man and not enough on his works.
This is not to say that the end justifies the means. I for one sincerely hope that the risks will not lead to tragedies, but I cannot fault Musk for being realistic about those risks. I do not believe this is unemotional utilitarianism nor a belief that the progress of science supersedes the welfare of people. I believe that if he had the opportunity to be one of the first to go to Mars, even at great risk to himself, he would be on that first starship. Again, this speaks to magnanimity and leadership.
Having money allows Musk to have a greater impact on the scientific advances of our time and to possibly push them forward faster. If he were smarter, richer, or lived longer, he could possibly do even more. Yet none of those things are not stopping him from actually doing it.
What he shows us, is that no matter where we are in life, we can all do what we can to have a positive impact on humanity. That is a model of humanity that we should all try to follow. To all those who wonder about the meaning or purpose of life, there it is: think beyond yourself and have a positive impact on others.
Most importantly do this in the way you know best, where you are an expert, and where you are leading in your field. You do not need to be the only or top leader in your field – Musk is not either – but you should stand up and forge ahead whenever you are able to do so.
That is magnanimity and that is leadership.
NASA concept drawing for first humans on Mars, with a habitat and rover.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia.
