What Elon Musk thinks about aviation

@elon-musk · 66 positions · On ppll ↗

Founded SpaceX in 2002, joined Tesla's board in 2004 and became its chief executive in 2008, and later founded Neuralink, The Boring Company and xAI. Bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X. Posts as @elonmusk, which is where almost everything he says publicly now appears.

Elon Musk did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

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Only Elon Musk on aviation. See everyone on aviation

2 dated positions, 2012, in their own words. Our reading of what Elon Musk has said — not written or endorsed by them.

2 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

1. 21 Oct 2012

   Our readingBig aerospace firms have an aversion to risk that keeps them using legacy components even when better technology is available.

   Their wordsOne is the incredible aversion to risk within big aerospace firms. Even if better technology is available, they're still using legacy components, often ones that were developed in the 1960s.

   ↗Elon Musk's Mission to Mars (WIRED interview with Chris Anderson)wired.com 3rd of 5 in this piece

3. 21 Oct 2012

   Our readingAerospace outsources to a ridiculous degree, and every layer of subcontractor above the one doing the work adds profit and overhead.

   Their wordsSecond, there's this tendency of big aerospace companies to outsource everything. That's been trendy in lots of industries, but aerospace has done it to a ridiculous degree. They outsource to subcontractors, and then the subcontractors outsource to sub-subcontractors, and so on. You have to go four or five layers down to find somebody actually doing something useful—actually cutting metal, shaping atoms. Every level above that tacks on profit—it's overhead to the fifth power.

   ↗Elon Musk's Mission to Mars (WIRED interview with Chris Anderson)wired.com 4th of 5 in this piece