Elon Musk captivated engineers at San Francisco’s AI Startup School with a rare live session.

By Aniket Chakraborty June 25, 2025 Arrow

He recalled dropping Stanford to build Zip2, starting with usefulness, not greatness.

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Musk described AI today as an “Intelligence Big Bang” with superintelligence coming soon.

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He warned that AI safety depends on truth—“even if it’s politically incorrect.”

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Musk urged engineers to “be as useful as possible” to humanity, not just brilliant.

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He revealed SpaceX was born from a failed attempt to buy ICBMs in Russia.

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With first principles thinking, SpaceX cut rocket costs and redefined the space race.

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Neuralink, Musk said, now lets ALS patients communicate with mind-speed accuracy.

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On the Fermi Paradox, Musk pondered: “Are we the only intelligence in the galaxy?”

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His closing message was clear—“Usefulness is purpose. Build things that help others.”

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