Chapter 2: Elon Musk's College Days and First Start-Up

 Before diving into today's chapter, make sure to read Chapter 1: Elon Musk's Path to Success: Rising from the Dot-Com Rubble to follow Elon Musk's journey from the beginning.

Musk had a difficult time in Canada. He arrived with no place to stay and it took him a while to find his relatives. For his 18th birthday, he celebrated with some neighbors and the relatives he had just met. Musk worked odd jobs such as tending vegetables and cutting logs. Later on, Kimbal also arrived in Canada. In 1989, Musk enrolled at


Queen's University in Ontario, where he met his ex-wife, Justine Wilson. Justine stood him up for their first date, but Musk was persistent. Justine said, "He can sweep you off your feet."

A lot changed for Musk in college. He still talked a lot about space and energy, and his classmates would just laugh it off. Musk found people who shared the same interests. He made extra cash by fixing computers and selling spare parts to his dorm mates. After two years, Musk got a scholarship and continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied both economics and physics. At Penn, Musk found friends who enjoyed discussing physics over lunch. He also rented a frat house with a close friend, where they held wild parties for $5 per head.

Musk wrote interesting business plans for his classes. One was titled "The Importance of Being Solar," where he predicted advancements in solar power technology, including large solar plants and powerful solar cells. He also wrote about ultracapacitors, battery cells that can store huge amounts of energy and recharge quickly. Musk was already thinking of electric cars and rockets. His professors praised him for his concise analysis and ability to tackle complex physics concepts while also understanding how to profit from them.

Initially, Musk considered creating video games after college, but he wanted a career with a big impact on the world. He often dreamed about space, renewable energy, and the Internet, seeing their great market potential and significant future impact. While Silicon Valley was busy sharing baby photos, Musk was working to save humanity from annihilation.

Elon's First Start-Up

In 1994, Kimbal and Elon had many road trips and came up with the idea of a business on the Internet. Eventually, Musk became an intern in Silicon Valley. After finishing school, he and Kimbal started the company Zip2, an online version of the Yellow Pages, a directory and map of all business establishments. Elon did the website coding, and Kimbal was responsible for selling the site.

Kimbal did door-to-door sales, but business owners didn't understand what Zip2 was for. It took a while before they found an investor. Finally, a capitalist invested $3 million. Zip2 expanded to include newspaper classified ads. As the company grew, Musk was removed from management and became the chief technical officer. Zip2 moved to a larger office and hired programmers to improve its codes. In 1998, the company merged with CitySearch in a $300 million deal. CitySearch was a competitor.

Compaq bought Zip2 in 1999. The Musk brothers had turned their dot-com idea into a reality, but it wasn't easy. Elon Musk wanted to be CEO.