Before the rockets landed and the EVs took over the world, there was this 2007 interview. Watch as Elon Musk dismisses the threat of legacy giants like Lockheed Martin and Boeing to focus on disrupting the supercar market. But the real highlight? When pressed about the 'Billionaire Space Race' against Bezos and Branson, Musk delivers one of the most legendary lines in tech history: 'We have no competition.' Increased Speed to save you time Added Captions Source: Musk on PBS thread on NASA Space Flight Forum 01/04/2007 #ElonMusk, #Tesla, #SpaceX, #TechHistory, #RareInterview, #ElonMusk2007, #YoungElonMusk, #BusinessMotivation, #Innovation, #futuretech --- Elon Musk appears here in early 2007 as a newly rich internet entrepreneur turning his attention to rockets and an all‑electric sports car, laying out a surprisingly clear roadmap for SpaceX, Tesla, and his broader “make life multiplanetary” vision.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## State of SpaceX in 2007 - SpaceX is positioned as a young launch company whose primary customer is NASA, not a competitor to it.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - Musk explains that when the Space Shuttle retires in 2010, the plan is for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to take over servicing the International Space Station with both cargo and astronauts starting around 2011.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He describes Falcon 9 as the booster that lifts the Dragon spacecraft to orbit, likening it to a semi‑truck that hauls payload, while Dragon docks with the ISS, transfers crew and cargo, then returns to Earth.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He emphasizes that rocket science is “really hard,” saying SpaceX’s focus is entirely on making its rockets successful, highly reliable, and low‑cost, and that internal mistakes—not competitors—are the main existential risk.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - Operationally, he says he is CEO and “day‑job” leader at SpaceX, spending about 80% of his time there, working roughly 9:00/9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in a cubicle surrounded by colleagues.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## State of Tesla in 2007 - Tesla is presented as an early‑stage electric car company, with Musk as chairman, principal owner, and product/strategic leader, but not the day‑to‑day CEO.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - The company’s first product is the Tesla Roadster, a pure electric sports car (not a hybrid) that does 0–60 mph in under four seconds, with better acceleration than any Porsche then in production and any Ferrari except the Enzo.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He claims the Roadster is roughly twice as energy‑efficient as a Toyota Prius, giving buyers both “the moral high ground” and sports‑car performance.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - In 2007 they are just finishing development and have “almost sold out” that year’s production; customers can place deposits online or through planned customer centers in major U.S. cities.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He outlines early plans for a retail/service model that feels “somewhere between like a Starbucks and an Apple store,” with bright, clean centers and glass partitions so customers can watch cars being serviced.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## Musk’s Predictions and Long‑Term Vision ## SpaceX and space exploration - He predicts that after Shuttle retirement, Falcon 9 and Dragon will replace the Shuttle for ISS resupply and astronaut transport starting around 2011, effectively forecasting commercial crew and cargo services.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He articulates the “holy grail” of SpaceX as helping to make life “multiplanetary,” starting with Mars, which he calls “the only viable planet” for human settlement.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He argues that humanity’s long‑term future should follow the path where we become a spacefaring civilization exploring the stars, which he says would create a richer, more diverse human experience than remaining confined to Earth.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He predicts that even if SpaceX fails, its work will add to the body of knowledge so that others can make fewer mistakes and carry the mission forward.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He expects NASA to remain a major customer and insists SpaceX is not “competing with NASA” but providing launch services to it.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## Tesla, EVs, and energy - He states that Tesla’s role is to prove two things the big car companies don’t believe: that a viable electric vehicle is technically possible and that people will actually want to buy it.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He lays out a multi‑stage product roadmap: - Start with a high‑cost, low‑volume sports car (the Roadster) as the natural entry point for a new technology.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - Follow with a “Model 2” four‑door, five‑passenger sedan around a 49,000‑dollar price point, aimed at a broader market.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - Then introduce a “Model 3” around a 30,000‑dollar price point to make EVs affordable for almost anyone who can buy a new car.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He predicts solar power will become “a really big deal” and insists the only real way to address global warming is to pair electric vehicles with zero‑emission generation such as solar.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He explicitly says that selling Tesla to a major automaker would “really slow things down,” and that Tesla’s greatest value is to serve as an example that forces the auto industry to change.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## Society, leadership, and the future - He argues that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, people assumed that by the 21st century we would have bases on the Moon and Mars; compared with that expectation, he says, merely reaching low Earth orbit today is “a step backwards.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He believes U.S. space progress stalled due to poor technological choices and a lack of political will, and says presidential leadership setting clear goals—like Kennedy’s Moon shot—is critical.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He supports the Bush‑era redirection of NASA but criticizes the idea of returning to the Moon, arguing that focus should be on Mars instead because the Moon is too small, barren, and resource‑poor to host a second human civilization.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He emphasizes that his personal criterion for starting or joining a venture is whether its success would “matter to the world,” citing his work on the internet, climate change and EVs, and space as all tied to benefiting humanity.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He envisions his cultural impact as helping to build the internet, accelerate a transition away from oil to clean, sustainable energy, and help humanity become a multiplanet species.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## “We have no serious competition” - When the interviewer lists Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, Paul Allen, ESA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, China, and Russia and asks who his competition is, Musk replies: “We have no serious competition. Not presently.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - Pressed further on “who’s chasing you,” he reiterates that none of them have a serious chance of catching SpaceX, and says he worries far more about SpaceX’s own potential errors than external rivals.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He praises Richard Branson personally but downplays Virgin Galactic’s technical challenge, noting its suborbital vehicle would reach about Mach 3 while SpaceX needs Mach 25 and roughly 625 units of energy versus about 9 units for Branson’s system—a “monumental” difference in difficulty.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He likens Virgin Galactic’s challenge to building a craft that can cross the English Channel, while SpaceX is building one that can circumnavigate the globe, and says even though he bought a ticket on Branson’s flight, it is “not in the same league technologically.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - He acknowledges that Jeff Bezos aspires to orbit and beyond, but frames Blue Origin’s contemporary work as still suborbital and at a lower technology level than SpaceX’s orbital ambitions.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ## Interesting quotes from the interview Below is a curated list of notable lines that capture his thinking and tone in this 2007 conversation.[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On his core focus areas after college: “There were three areas that I thought would be most impactful to the future of humanity… the internet, space exploration and… changing the economy from a mine and burn hydrocarbon based economy to one which is solar electric.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On humanity’s future in space: “If you consider two paths, one where we’re forever confined to Earth and the other where we are a spacefaring civilization out exploring the stars, I think the latter is far more exciting and will result in a richer and more diverse human experience.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On the stagnation of space progress: “In 1969 we were able to go to the Moon and here we are over three decades later and we can barely get to low Earth orbit. And I think by any measure that is a step backwards.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On the Moon versus Mars: “I don’t think we should be going back to the Moon. I think we should be focused on Mars… The Moon is kind of like the Arctic… a very barren place, very little resources. It’s not really a place that we could establish another human civilization.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On Moon‑landing conspiracies: “Did we really go to the Moon? Yes. Yes. We definitely did… The government is incapable of suppressing a conspiracy of that nature.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On competition in space: “We have no serious competition. Not presently.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) “The things that can really hurt SpaceX are… our own foolishness, our own errors can hurt us, but none of the competition that I’m aware of.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On how hard rockets are: “There’s a reason why there’s an idiomatic expression about rocket science being hard. It really is really hard. So rocket science… really is rocket science. It looks hard and it’s harder than it looks.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On SpaceX’s ultimate goal: “The long‑term ultimate objective, the holy grail, is we would like to help make life multiplanetary.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On Tesla’s Roadster: “0 to 60 under 4 seconds. It’s faster… than any Porsche currently in production and any Ferrari except the Enzo, and it’s twice the energy efficiency of a Prius. So you really have the moral high ground and you get to leave the Ferrari guy in your dust.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On why start with a sports car: “Tesla’s first car is a sports car, not because we think the world needs another sports car, but because it is the right entry point for the market… The right place to enter is high unit cost, low unit volume.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On Tesla’s planned lineup: “Model 2 of Tesla is a 49,000‑dollar four‑door five‑passenger sedan… And the Model 3 is intended to be around a 30,000‑dollar price point.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On climate and EVs: “We have a very important environmental problem that needs to be addressed, which is driven by the burning of fossil fuels and the increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and global climate change… The only way to really get around that in my view is with an electric vehicle paired with zero‑emission power generation such as solar power. I think solar power is going to be a really big deal.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On Tesla’s role in the auto industry: “Right now the big car companies believe that a viable electric vehicle is not possible and even if it was, people wouldn’t buy it. So we need to show that neither of those are true.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) “If we were to sell the company to one of the big car companies, I think it would really slow things down.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On startups and risk: “A startup business is like eating glass and staring into the abyss.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On his personal criteria for ventures: “For me it’s always about, does what I’m doing matter? If we are successful, does it matter to the world?”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On retirement fantasies: “If I made that money, I’d sit on a beach, I’d drink beer, and I would just watch the sunset… I find that really pretty boring. That would be torture if I had to do that every day.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) - On his hoped‑for legacy: “I think what I’d like to do is help solve some important problems… the transition from oil and other hydrocarbons to something which is clean and sustainable, and with respect to space, help make humanity a multiplanet species.”[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCOvT1Y5YQ&list=TLPQMDQwNTIwMjbiMO5qGIZLQA&index=3) ---