Career Timeline of Elon Musk: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Elon Musk, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Elon Musk is a prominent businessman, best known for leading Tesla, SpaceX, and X. As of 2025, he serves as a senior advisor to President Donald Trump and effectively heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has held the title of the world's wealthiest individual since 2021, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $345 billion as of March 2025. He was recognized as Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2021.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1994: Internships in Silicon Valley

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

1995: Co-founded Zip2

In 1995, Elon Musk co-founded Zip2, a software company.

1995: Accepted to Stanford and applied to Netscape

In 1995, Elon Musk was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University but did not enroll, deciding instead to join the Internet boom and applying for a job at Netscape.

February 1999: Compaq acquired Zip2

In February 1999, Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash, and Elon Musk received $22 million for his 7-percent share.

1999: Co-founded X.com

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

2000: Ousted as CEO of X.com

In 2000, Elon Musk was ousted as CEO of X.com and replaced by Peter Thiel due to technological issues and lack of a cohesive business model.

2001: Became involved with the 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: X.com renamed PayPal

In 2001, under Peter Thiel, X.com focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal.

May 2002: Founded SpaceX

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

2002: Founded SpaceX

In 2002, Elon Musk founded the space technology company SpaceX, becoming its CEO and chief engineer, spearheading innovations in reusable rockets and commercial spaceflight.

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, Inc. was incorporated

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

February 2004: Musk led the Series A round of investment in Tesla

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

2004: Joined Tesla as an early investor

In 2004, Elon Musk joined the automaker Tesla as an early investor.

2006: SolarCity Founded

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

2006: First launch of Falcon 1

In 2006, SpaceX attempted its first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket, which failed to reach Earth orbit but was awarded a NASA contract.

2008: Became CEO of Tesla

In 2008, Elon Musk became the CEO and product architect of Tesla, which later became a leader in electric vehicles.

2008: SpaceX launched the Falcon 1 into orbit

In 2008, SpaceX succeeded in launching 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 delivering the Roadster, an electric sports car, which became the first mass production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells.

2008: Musk assumed leadership of Tesla

In 2008, following the financial crisis and the ousting of Martin Eberhard, Elon Musk assumed leadership of Tesla as CEO and product architect.

2009: Lawsuit settlement designated Musk as a Tesla co-founder

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

2010: Tesla Initial Public Offering

In 2010, Tesla had its initial public offering.

2012: Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS

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

2012: Tesla Model S Launch

In 2012, Tesla launched the Model S, a four-door sedan, as part of its growing line of electric vehicles.

August 2013: Musk Announces Plans for Vactrain

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

2013: SolarCity Second Largest Provider

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

2014: Musk Promotes SolarCity Factory

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

December 2015: OpenAI Co-founded

In December 2015, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial intelligence (AI) research company, with the aim of developing safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence.

2015: Co-founded OpenAI

In 2015, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI to advance artificial intelligence research.

2015: SpaceX began development of Starlink

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

2015: SpaceX landed the first stage of a Falcon 9 on a land platform

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

2015: Tesla Model X Launch

In 2015, Tesla launched the Model X, a crossover vehicle, adding to its range of electric cars.

2016: Neuralink Co-founded

In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup, with a $100 million investment. The company aims to integrate the human brain with artificial intelligence through implantable devices.

2016: Co-founded Neuralink

In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded the neurotechnology company Neuralink.

2016: Tesla Acquires SolarCity

In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity for $2 billion and merged it with its battery unit to create Tesla Energy. The announcement led to a drop in Tesla's stock price due to SolarCity's liquidity issues.

2017: Boring Company Founded

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

2017: Founded The Boring Company

In 2017, Elon Musk founded the tunneling company The Boring Company.

2017: Purchased X.com domain

In 2017, Elon Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount.

2017: Tesla Model 3 Launch

In 2017, Tesla launched the Model 3, a mass-market sedan, marking a significant step in making electric vehicles more accessible.

2017: SolarCity Factory Completed

In 2017, the construction of the SolarCity factory in Buffalo, New York, was completed.

2017: Musk Expresses Interest in Buying Twitter

In early 2017, Elon Musk expressed initial interest in buying Twitter, questioning its commitment to freedom of speech.

2018: Musk Leaves OpenAI Board

In 2018, Elon Musk departed from the OpenAI board.

2018: Launch of Starlink prototype satellites

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

2018: SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy

In 2018, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy, carrying 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. It used Tesla Model Xs but was reported to be a rough ride.

May 2019: Deployed the first large Starlink constellation

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

2019: SpaceX developed Starship

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

May 2020: Musk Resigns as Chairman of Tesla Board

In May 2020, Elon Musk resigned from his position as chairman of the board at Tesla. This action was part of a settlement with the SEC following a lawsuit concerning his tweet about securing funding to potentially take Tesla private.

2020: SpaceX launched its 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: Tesla Model Y Launch

In 2020, Tesla launched the Model Y, a crossover vehicle, expanding its offerings in the electric vehicle market.

2020: SolarCity Joint Venture Ends

In early 2020, the joint venture between SolarCity and Panasonic came to an end.

2020: Tesla Becomes Most Valuable Carmaker

In the summer of 2020, Tesla became the most valuable carmaker, and later that year, it entered the S&P 500.

October 2021: Tesla Reaches $1 Trillion Market Cap

In October 2021, Tesla achieved a market capitalization of $1 trillion, becoming the sixth company in U.S. history to reach this milestone.

2021: Neuralink Releases Video of Macaque Playing Pong

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 by The Boring Company.

October 27, 2022: Musk Buys Twitter

On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter for approximately $44 billion.

2022: Acquired Twitter

In 2022, Elon Musk acquired the social network Twitter, later rebranding it as X.

2022: Neuralink Announces Clinical Trials

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

2022: Musk Acquires Twitter and Implements Changes

In 2022, following the acquisition of Twitter, Elon Musk fired top executives, became CEO, instituted monthly subscriptions for a "blue check", laid off staff, and lessened content moderation.

July 2023: Musk Launches xAI

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

September 2023: FDA Approves Neuralink Human Trials

In September 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved Neuralink to initiate six-year human trials.

2023: Rebranded Twitter as X

In 2023, Elon Musk rebranded the social network Twitter as X.

2023: Tesla Cybertruck Launch

In 2023, Tesla launched the Cybertruck, a pickup truck, representing another addition to its electric vehicle lineup.

December 2024: Musk Suggested DOGE Could Cut Federal Budget

In November and December 2024, Elon Musk suggested that the organization could help to cut the U.S. federal budget, consolidate the number of federal agencies, eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that its final stage would be "deleting itself".

2024: NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to deorbit the ISS

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

January 2025: Appointed head of DOGE

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

January 2025: DOGE Created by Executive Order

In January 2025, the organization was created by executive order, and Elon Musk was designated a "special government employee". Trump said two days later that he had put Musk in charge of DOGE.

April 30, 2025: Musk Begins Departure from DOGE

On April 30, 2025, Elon Musk would begin his departure from DOGE after exiting the White House. He plans to work remotely until his 130 day deadline as a special government employee expires.