Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

In Chapter 3, Vance depicts Musk’s journey to Canada in 1989 as a crucial turning point in his life. At the age of 17, Musk left South Africa, partly to avoid compulsory military service and the apartheid regime. His initial plan was not well thought out; he arrived in Montreal with little more than hope and determination, finding himself without a place to stay after discovering his uncle moved to Minnesota. Musk eventually traveled across Canada, staying with various relatives and working a series of odd jobs, from tending grain bins on a farm to cleaning a hazardous boiler room at a lumber mill.

Musk’s experience in Canada was formative, exposing him to different aspects of life and work. He worked physically demanding jobs, such as cutting logs and cleaning out the boiler room, where conditions were dangerous. Despite the hardships, Musk was determined to succeed and eventually enrolled at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Here, he continued to pursue his interests in science and technology, reading extensively and discussing innovative ideas with his brother, Kimbal. The two brothers cold-called notable people they admired, such as Peter Nicholson, a top executive at the Bank of Nova Scotia, who later became a mentor to Musk and offered him a summer internship.