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Why Larry Page Would Leave His Fortune to Elon Musk

By Elon Musk · Leadership · 2 min read

At a Google lunch, Larry Page said if he got hit by a bus, he'd leave everything to Elon Musk. Not a charity. His logic: a corporation pursuing the right mission gets more done than any nonprofit.

Key Points

Larry Page believes a mission-driven corporation beats a nonprofit — 'a lot less would get done'
Musk told shareholders profits are not Tesla's primary goal. He said it at IPO too. The stock went up.
Purpose-driven companies in Musk's circle actually grow revenue faster than profit-first ones

I could give my money to a nonprofit and a lot less would get done than a corporation that's pursuing things directly aligned with things I care about.

The Google Lunch

An investor at a Google event described the moment: I was at a lunch and out of the blue, Larry Page turned to me and goes — you know, if I were to get hit by a bus today, I should leave all of it to Elon Musk.

Musk: Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. I met Larry before he got venture funding.

If I were to get hit by a bus today, I should leave all of it to Elon Musk.

Why a Corporation, Not a Charity

The investor continued: Larry said — I could give my money to a nonprofit and a lot less would get done than a corporation that's pursuing things that are directly aligned with things I care about. Like getting off oil and colonizing other planets.

He believes in those missions and thinks that a corporation, endowed with the right business purpose, is the best vehicle out there. He compared it to software executives in the Pacific Northwest who do evil for the first half of their career, then do good for the second half. And the sad story of others who never get to the second half — like Steve Jobs.

I could give my money to a nonprofit and a lot less would get done than a corporation pursuing things I care about.

Profits Are Not the Primary Goal

Musk: I started off the shareholder letter saying profits are not our primary goal. Some board members questioned that statement. It's not that I think they're unimportant — it's just not the primary goal. I actually told people that at IPO as well. It's not new information. The stock went up after that.

The investor: The companies that have that kind of founding principle actually make more profit and grow their revenue more quickly than the ones that don't.

I started off the shareholder letter saying profits are not our primary goal. The stock went up after that.

Investing in the Future

Musk: We have to generate enough cash flow to fund future developments, which requires having a good gross margin. At any given point you could say — we could be profitable in a significant way. But we've got these great things we want to develop for the future. They're good investments. And that's what we're doing.

We've got great things to develop for the future. They're good investments. That's what we're doing.