When speaking to journalist Aaron Ross Sorkin at the DealBook Summit 2023, the CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc. also admits to having 'demons of the mind.'
- Dec 1, 2023
AceShowbiz - Elon Musk revealed that he contemplated suicide when he was a pre-teen. When making an appearance at the DealBook Summit 2023, the CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc. blamed "existential crisis" for his suicidal thoughts at the age of 12 years old.
In a video from the event published on Thursday, November 30, 52-year-old Elon and Aaron Ross Sorkin from the New York Times were talking about Elon's motivation, which led him to his success. "If I were to sit to describe My Philosophy it is a philosophy of curiosity," he stated.
Elon went on to spill, "I did have this existential crisis when I was around 12 about 'What's the meaning of life, isn't it all pointless? Why not just commit suicide? Why exist?' " He recalled, "I read the religious texts. I read the philosophy books, especially the German philosophy books that made me quite depressed frankly." He noted that he doesn't recommend teens to read them.
"Then I read [Douglas Adams' book titled 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'] which is a book on philosophy in the form of humor," he continued. He shared that the book gave him an insight that he should find out what questions he should be asking rather than finding a simple answer in order to find the meaning of life.
During the same chat, Elon got candid with Aaron that he felt "a rage of forces in [his] mind constantly" even when he was in a "happy moment" during his childhood. He added, "These demons of the mind are, for the most part, harnessed to productive ends."
Before the conversation, Elon was said to have suffered from "demon-like" mood swings and had "many personalities" by former CEO of CNN Walter Isaacson. In an interview, via OK! Magazine, Walter said, "He'll go from being very giddy or being in engineering mode where he can figure out the valve of a raptor engine and suddenly the clouds come."
"And the amazing thing is, after he's gone dark and been demon-like and really tough on people, he'll snap out of it," he explained. "And then I'll ask him, 'What was that all about?' And he hardly remembers it. So when you ask about what's it like dealing with the Elon Musk, I say there are many Elon Musks in this book."
