“Elon Musk Reveals He Struggles With ‘Demons Of The Mind’ And Questioned His Existence: ‘Is It All Pointless? Why Exist?’”, 2023-12-04 (; backlinks):
Renowned tech mogul and Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk opened up about his deep-seated personal struggles during a recent interview at the DealBook 2023 with Aaron Ross Sorkin of The New York Times. [It was an emotional day for Musk.]
Facing An Existential Crisis At A Young Age: At age 12, Musk experienced what he describes as an “existential crisis”, leading him to contemplate the meaning of life and even suicide: “It is all pointless? Why not just commit suicide? Why exist?”
…The Creative Storm Within: Musk explained his mind is often engulfed in a “very wild storm” of relentless ideas, a constant surge of creativity and thought. He said these inherent traits were exacerbated by a challenging childhood marked by intense bullying, which shaped his mental landscape.
His mother, Maye Musk, has also spoken about the difficult family dynamics during her son’s upbringing, highlighting the alleged abuse by his father, Errol Musk. This tumultuous background profoundly influenced Musk’s early life, as shared by Maye during the promotion of her book A Woman Makes a Plan.
Channeling The Inner Chaos: Musk exhibited exceptional intellectual capabilities from a young age. He read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica by age 9 and taught himself programming in just 3 days, eventually selling a video game he created when he was 12.
Despite facing large personal challenges, Musk has harnessed his mental “demons” to fuel his extraordinary achievements. “These demons of the mind are, for the most part, harnessed to productive ends”, he said, acknowledging his large contributions to technology and entrepreneurship. “Once in a while, they, you know, go wrong.”