In a familiar critique of corporate structures, Musk also weighed in on the ideal environment for fostering such long-term, existentially focused AI. He declared, “For long-term optimization, it is better to be a private than a public company, as the latter is punished for long-term optimization beyond the reward cycle of stock portfolio managers.”

Musk's business ventures have turned him into the wealthiest person. Although he has many companies, none of them have impacted his wealth more than Tesla.

The money behind Elon Musk’s trillion-dollar empire is increasingly flowing in one direction: toward artificial intelligence.