Elon Musk on Clubhouse LIVE| 2/1
Tonight, at 1 AM EST, Elon Musk went live on Clubhouse, an invite-only social media platform that allows people to spontaneously join or host meetings. After staying up till the dark hours and initially getting locked out of the room due to how fast the 5000 people limit was surpassed, I was able to squeeze my way into the room by spamming to join. Below are some of my personal highlights on Elon’s talk.
Neuralink is the Key to Human Immortality!?
Elon described Neuralink’s long term goals as similar to those of what is displayed in Altered Carbon, where human personality constructs can be immortal and death only means a small lapse in memory. In the future, according to the Netflix series, a person’s memories and consciousness are recorded onto a disk-shaped device called a cortical stack. People can import their consciousness into different bodies, and only truly die when their stack is destroyed. Even now, as humans become more cyborg-like with our inseparability from technology like phones and computers, it becomes only a matter of time before our minds are completely integrated with computer interfaces that can interact with material around us with this ability to interact with mechanical devices simply with neuro-electrical stimulus. Whether if it’s bionics to restore mobility in the present, or interacting with programmable nanomaterials in the far future, Neuralink’s development is integral to humans becoming ever-more intertwined with the mechanical world.
Elon also pointed out that Neuralink sets us on an equal playing field as artificial intelligence-powered machines. In the case that those machines would always continue to want to work for us, Neuralink can provide a more efficient way to interact with them. However, should they want to replace us, we would have augmented brain-powers to fight back.
Why aren’t there more Elons in the World?
Startup entrepreneurs asked Elon: “Would you happen to have any encouraging words for those starting on their new business?” His reply was: “If you need words of encouragement, you shouldn’t start something up.” Elon described his day as something that he wouldn’t recommend to others, and filled with “chores” which, although certainly not fun, must be completed to not incur consequences. His day is filled with back-to-back meetings, with 1–2 hour blocks of learning time. Elon especially cites “context switching” as difficult, because all of his different companies demand his attention. He acknowledges his day as being extraordinarily difficult, but still chooses to lead others by example.
Given the fact that most people wouldn’t work for 18–20 hours a day, 7 days a week, and sleep on their factory’s floor to inspire their employees, Elon’s success mindset is heavily focused on a discipline that allows one to push their limits. Leading by example, he represented his willingness to embrace discomfort along with the rest of the team during periods where the group had to sprint.
Despite this, his memes are still one of the things that he spends his time on daily.
Dogecoin: The Most Possible Joke to Become Reality
When asked about his opinion regarding Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, Elon stated that a decentralized currency is beneficial for people around the world. The recent surge around Dogecoin seems to him as “obviously a joke”, but he also claims that the most ridiculous joke is oftentimes the most likely to become a reality. Elon even claims that Dogecoin can become the new global digital currency.
Cryptocurrencies are humanity’s first method of mutual, trustless, and unregulated monetary exchange method. As an alt-coin, Dogecoin leverages the blockchain to create legitimate transactions by bypassing the problem of the internet that has limited digital currency up until now — double spending. Perhaps this comment doesn’t necessarily apply to Dogecoin in particular, but more so for the larger-scale cryptocurrency community. More and more decentralized applications for things from gaming to finance are being deployed every single day. Bitcoin is securing its status as a highly-valued asset in the markets. As blockchain-powered cryptocurrency develops more use-cases applicable for our daily lives, humanity gradually welcomes a new economy based on global currencies not impacted by governments.
TL;DR:
Neuralink has the potential to make us immortal, but for now it can at least restore mobility and limb functions to those who lost it.
Being Elon Musk is extremely difficult. Even Musk himself does not recommend it, but it’s the way he got to where he is now.
Cryptocurrencies (in particular, Bitcoin and Dogecoin) can become the new global common currency.
I’m Xiangan — a 17 year old blockchain developer wanting to change the world for the better, and I appreciate you reading! If you enjoyed the article, please feel free to follow me on my LinkedIn. Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts.
