Elon Musk’s Impact on Humanity: How Tesla, SpaceX, and More Are Shaping a Better Future
From electric vehicles to Mars colonization, explore the groundbreaking contributions of Musk and his engineers to society and the planet.
Elon Musk has been derided lately, mostly due to his recent association with President Donald Trump and his work to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in America’s federal government. Now, while I am no Musk fanboy, I think what many must have forgotten, or perhaps put aside, is all the good that Musk and his engineers have done and continue to do for humanity. Hear me out.
TESLA
Let’s take a look at Tesla and how it helped move the electric vehicle industry forward after GM abandoned it. Now, where do you think EVs are good or bad for a net reduction of carbon emissions, Teslas are going to be and already are helping in ways many do not think of, i.e. helping seniors better able to drive at night, helping marginally drunk people get home safe without hurting others, and helping those with various disabilities get back on the road safely so they can have their autonomy back.
In addition to car operations, he and his engineers have begun a revolution in car manufacturing, reducing the time needed to produce a vehicle and eliminating waste. In the not-too-distant future, Tesla Semis will revolutionize the trucking industry by dramatically lowering operational costs and having safer trucks on the road.
Let’s not forget about the Tesla Gigafactories around the world, which are producing not only electric vehicles but also batteries used for scaling renewable energy adoption. They have created new jobs while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
Another part of Tesla is solar roofs and power systems, which allow homeowners to give back to the grid while serving as their own independent power station, offering clean energy. These systems are especially helpful in areas with unreliable power, especially in disaster-prone areas. While this is still a small party of Tesla, it is growing.
NEURALINK
Some have heard that Neuralink was founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and a team of scientists and engineers to help those with neurological disorders restore their mobility. Under human trials now, it looks promising for helping those with paralysis and epilepsy. The technology being developed at Neuralink will benefit mankind dramatically and, over time, will reduce healthcare costs while improving humans’ quality of life.
SPACEX
SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, and it has dramatically revolutionized space travel, most notably with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX engineers have done the unthinkable, which is why the company is moving 90% of the world’s cargo to space, and NASA and the DoD have hired them to do what they, as government agencies, could not.
Outside of their other work, Starlink is going to save innumerable lives over the coming years while also allowing rural areas broadband internet service. Imagine being in the middle of the Pacific and getting broadband internet service, not like the old days, but like you are in a metro area of the U.S. Starlink has helped the Ukrainians immensely in their fight against Russia.
SpaceX has the vision to colonize Mars with its huge Starship project. Tests are underway in Texas, and in the not-too-distant future, the Starship will launch out of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Elon Musk founded the Boring Company after he proposed the concept for a Hyperloop system. He never engaged in Hyperloop, so Shervin Pishevar and Brogan BamBrogan formed that company. Although they have wildly different ideas, they operate on the same principle: focusing on a frictionless mode of travel that would enable faster, more efficient transportation. In the future, Hyperloop may enable people to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes, for example. Musk recently floated the idea of a transatlantic tunnel to go from New York to London in 54 minutes.
The Boring Company has tested and shown that it works to reduce traffic congestion utilizing underground tunneling, which can be seen at the Las Vegas Convention and Entertainment Center Loop (often referred to as the ‘Tesla Loop’). Their technology can also be adapted to improve city planning for water and sewage systems.
xAI was formed in 2023 to develop an Open AI (Chat GPT) competitor. And it has rapidly surpassed ChatGPT with its Grok 3 model. xAI has also created the world’s largest supercomputer, Colossus.
PHILANTHROPY
The Musk Foundation, formed by Elon and his brother Kimbal Musk, raises awareness about climate change and sustainable energy. It also funds critical research for renewable energy initiatives, pediatrics, and space exploration.