Career Timeline of Elon Musk: Major Achievements and Milestones

1994: Silicon Valley Internships

In 1994, Elon Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley: one at Pinnacle Research Institute and another at Rocket Science Games.

1995: Move to California and Co-founding Zip2

In 1995, Elon Musk moved to California to attend Stanford University and co-founded the software company Zip2 with his brother Kimbal.

1995: Zip2 Founding

In 1995, Elon Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri founded web software company Zip2.

February 1999: Compaq Acquisition of Zip2

In February 1999, Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash, with Elon Musk receiving $22 million for his share.

1999: Zip2 Acquired and Co-founding X.com

In 1999, Compaq acquired Zip2. That same year, Musk co-founded X.com, a direct bank that later formed PayPal.

1999: Co-founding of X.com

In 1999, Elon Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company.

2000: Ousting as CEO of X.com

In 2000, Elon Musk was ousted as CEO of X.com and replaced by Peter Thiel due to software and business model disagreements.

2001: Involvement with Mars Society

In 2001, Elon Musk became involved with the nonprofit Mars Society and discussed funding plans to place a growth-chamber for plants on Mars.

2001: Foundation of the Musk Foundation

In 2001, Elon Musk founded the Musk Foundation, whose stated purpose is to provide solar-power energy systems in disaster areas, with an interest in human space exploration, pediatrics, renewable energy, and "safe artificial intelligence".

2001: Renaming to PayPal

In 2001, the company focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal.

May 2002: Founding of SpaceX

In May 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX and became the company's CEO and Chief Engineer.

2002: U.S. Citizenship and Founding SpaceX

In 2002, Elon Musk acquired U.S. citizenship, and eBay acquired PayPal. Using the money he made from the sale, Musk founded SpaceX, a spaceflight services company.

2002: PayPal Acquired by eBay

In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, with Elon Musk receiving $175.8 million as the largest shareholder.

July 2003: Tesla Motors Incorporation

In July 2003, Tesla Motors was incorporated by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.

February 2004: Musk Leads Tesla's Series A Investment

In February 2004, Elon Musk led the Series A round of investment in Tesla, investing $6.35 million, becoming the majority shareholder and chairman.

2004: Investment in Tesla

In 2004, Elon Musk became an early investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, becoming its chairman and later CEO.

2006: SolarCity Founding

In 2006, Elon Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive founded.

2006: First Launch of Falcon 1

In 2006, SpaceX attempted its first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket.

2007: Conflicts within Tesla

In 2007, a series of escalating conflicts led to Martin Eberhard's ousting from Tesla.

2008: Musk Assumes Leadership of Tesla

In 2008, Elon Musk assumed leadership of Tesla as CEO and product architect.

2008: George Low Transportation Award

In 2008, Elon Musk received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low Transportation Award for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets.

2008: Successful Falcon 1 Launch and NASA Contract

In 2008, SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon 1 into orbit and received a $1.6 billion NASA contract for Falcon 9-launched Dragon spacecraft flights to the International Space Station (ISS).

2008: Tesla Roadster Delivery

In 2008, Tesla began delivery of the Roadster, its first mass production all-electric car.

2009: Tesla Co-founder Designation

In 2009, a lawsuit settlement designated Elon Musk as a Tesla co-founder, along with Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, and two others.

2010: Cameo appearance in Iron Man 2

In 2010, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Iron Man 2.

2010: Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Gold Space Medal

In 2010, Elon Musk received the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Gold Space Medal for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets.

2010: Tesla Initial Public Offering

In 2010, Tesla had its initial public offering.

2011: Space Shuttle Retirement

In 2011, the Space Shuttle retired, with SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft flights replacing it to the International Space Station (ISS).

2012: Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal

In 2012, Elon Musk received the Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets.

2012: Launch of Model S

In 2012, Tesla launched the four-door sedan Model S.

2012: Dragon Docks with ISS

In 2012, the Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS, a first for a commercial spacecraft.

August 2013: Musk Announces Vactrain Plans

In August 2013, Elon Musk announced plans for a version of a vactrain, assigning engineers from SpaceX and Tesla to design a transport system between Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

2013: SolarCity Ranking

By 2013, SolarCity was the second largest provider of solar power systems in the United States.

2013: Cameo appearance in Machete Kills

In 2013, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Machete Kills.

2014: Announcement of SolarCity Production Facility

In 2014, Elon Musk promoted the idea of SolarCity building an advanced production facility in Buffalo, New York.

December 2015: Musk Co-founds OpenAI

In December 2015, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial intelligence research company.

2015: Appearance on The Simpsons

In 2015, Elon Musk appeared in The Simpsons episode "The Musk Who Fell to Earth".

2015: Honorary doctorate from Yale University

In 2015, Elon Musk received an honorary doctorate in engineering and technology from Yale University and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Honorary Membership.

2015: Starlink Development

In 2015, SpaceX began development of the Starlink constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to provide satellite Internet access.

2015: Successful Landing of Falcon 9

In 2015, SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9 on a land platform, working toward reusable rockets.

2015: Launch of Model X

In 2015, Tesla launched the crossover Model X.

2016: Musk Co-founds Neuralink

In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup, investing $100 million into the company.

2016: Cameo appearance in Why Him?

In 2016, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Why Him?

2016: Tesla Acquires SolarCity

In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity for $2 billion and merged it with its battery unit to create Tesla Energy.

2017: Completion of SolarCity Factory

Construction of the SolarCity factory, announced in 2014, was completed in 2017.

2017: Appearance on Young Sheldon

In 2017, Elon Musk appeared in the Young Sheldon episode "A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®".

2017: Musk Founds the Boring Company

In 2017, Elon Musk founded the Boring Company to construct tunnels, with plans for specialized, underground, high-occupancy vehicles.

2017: Launch of Model 3

In 2017, Tesla launched the mass-market sedan Model 3.

2017: Musk Expresses Interest in Buying Twitter

In early 2017, Elon Musk expressed interest in buying Twitter and questioned the platform's commitment to freedom of speech.

2018: Musk Leaves OpenAI Board

In 2018, Elon Musk left the OpenAI board.

2018: Fellow of the Royal Society

In 2018, Elon Musk was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

2018: Starlink Prototype Satellites Launch

In 2018, SpaceX launched prototype satellites for the Starlink constellation.

2018: Launch of Falcon Heavy

In 2018, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy; the inaugural mission carried Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster as a dummy payload.

2018: Los Angeles Tunnel Debuts

In 2018, the Los Angeles tunnel, less than two miles in length, debuted to journalists, utilizing Tesla Model Xs.

2018: SEC Lawsuit

In 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Elon Musk for fraud, alleging he falsely announced that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla. He stepped down as chairman and paid a fine.

March 2019: Release of 'RIP Harambe'

In March 2019, Elon Musk released a rap track, "RIP Harambe", on SoundCloud through his own label Emo G Records.

May 2019: Deployment of Starlink Constellation

In May 2019, SpaceX deployed the first large constellation of Starlink satellites.

2019: Cameo appearance in Men in Black: International

In 2019, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Men in Black: International.

2019: Starship Development

Since 2019, SpaceX has been developing Starship, a reusable, super heavy-lift launch vehicle intended to replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.

January 2020: Settlement of SolarCity Lawsuit

In January 2020, Tesla directors settled the shareholder lawsuit regarding the SolarCity acquisition, leaving Elon Musk as the sole remaining defendant.

2020: Starlink Project Cost Estimation

In 2020, SpaceX estimated the total cost of the decade-long Starlink project to be $10 billion.

2020: First Crewed Flight

In 2020, SpaceX launched its first crewed flight, the Demo-2, becoming the first private company to place astronauts into orbit and dock a crewed spacecraft with the ISS.

2020: Launch of Model Y and Market Leadership

In 2020, Tesla launched the crossover Model Y, became the most valuable carmaker, and entered the S&P 500.

2020: End of Panasonic Joint Venture

In early 2020, the SolarCity factory operated as a joint venture with Panasonic until early 2020.

October 2021: Tesla Market Capitalization Reaches $1 Trillion

In October 2021, Tesla reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion, becoming the sixth company in US history to do so.

2021: Neuralink Releases Pong-Playing Macaque Video

In 2021, Neuralink released a video showing a macaque playing the video game Pong via a Neuralink implant.

2021: Las Vegas Convention Center Tunnel Completed

In early 2021, a tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center was completed, with local officials approving further expansions of the tunnel system.

October 27, 2022: Musk Buys Twitter

On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk bought Twitter for approximately $44 billion after initially backing out of the deal.

2022: Acquisition of Twitter

In 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter.

2022: Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

In 2022, Elon Musk was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

2022: Neuralink Announces Clinical Trials

In 2022, Neuralink announced that clinical trials would begin by the end of the year.

2022: Musk Changes Twitter Leadership and Policies

In 2022, after acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk fired top executives, instituted a monthly subscription for "blue check", laid off a significant portion of staff, and lessened content moderation.

July 2023: Musk Launches xAI

In July 2023, Elon Musk launched the artificial intelligence company xAI, aiming to develop a generative AI program to compete with offerings like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

September 2023: FDA Approves Neuralink Human Trials

In September 2023, Neuralink received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin six-year human trials.

2023: Launch of Cybertruck

In 2023, Tesla launched the pickup truck Cybertruck.

2024: NASA Contract to Deorbit ISS

In 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to deorbit the ISS at the end of its lifespan.

January 2025: Appointment to DOGE

In January 2025, Elon Musk was appointed head of Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).