Inside Elon Musk's Mind: The Grand Plan Rewriting Humanity's Future [Part 2]

Hello, this is Hamamoto from TIMEWELL. In Part 1, we saw how Tesla and SpaceX — led by Elon Musk — are advancing a transformation of industrial structure and building infrastructure for the future on the ground and in low Earth orbit. Tesla has transformed from a mere EV maker into a "physical AI company" with AI and robotics at its core, and SpaceX is trying to open the door to a new economic sphere by dramatically reducing the cost of transportation to space.

Now for Part 2. With infrastructure on the ground and in space in hand, where does Musk go from here? This is where his true colors show. We're finally closing in on the core of his audacious vision. His gaze extends beyond Earth to outer space — opening new frontiers in AI development and even trying to evolve humanity itself into a "multi-planetary species." What lies at the root of his thinking, and how should we confront this historic change? Let's look together at the climax of his grand plan.

Expanding AI Development into Space

The evolution of AI is the most important element in today's technology competition. However, that evolution faces two major constraints: "computational power" and "energy." The answer Musk came up with was to seek both of these outside of Earth — in space — which overturns common sense.

The Space GPU Server Concept: Liberation from the Energy Problem

In January 2026, Musk revealed the astonishing concept of "building a data center in space to run AI within three years" [1]. Why go to the trouble of building a data center in space? The greatest reason is to solve the energy problem.

AI training requires supercomputers running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and their power consumption continues to increase. Musk himself has pointed out that the biggest bottleneck in AI's exponential development is energy supply. Securing this much power on the ground — especially while considering environmental burden — is not easy.

So he set his sights on solar energy in space. In outer space, without being affected by weather or day and night, solar energy can be obtained about five times more efficiently than on the ground. Musk's concept is to deploy giant solar panels in orbit using SpaceX's Starship, and use the abundant power obtained there to run a cluster of GPU servers. Running AI at full throttle on the infinite solar energy of space without worrying about Earth's electricity costs. The scale of thinking is literally not at the Earth level.

This "space data center" is also closely linked to Tesla's Dojo3 project. Musk has said "AI7/Dojo3 will be space-based AI computing" [2], suggesting that the next-generation high-performance, low-power AI chips being developed by Tesla will be at the core of this space data center. SpaceX provides the transportation means and location, while Tesla provides the brain and energy technology. His ventures are again creating beautiful synergies here.

Concept	Details	Related Ventures
Space Data Center	Build an AI data center in space within 3 years	SpaceX (transport), Tesla (chips)
Power Source	Solar panels in orbit (5x efficiency vs. ground)	Tesla (solar technology)
AI Chip	AI7/Dojo3 chips operating in space	Tesla (semiconductor development)
Transport Means	Mass transport via Starship	SpaceX

The Far Side of the Moon and Quantum Computing: The Next Frontier Opened by Extreme Cold

Musk's computing concepts in space are not limited to AI. He has shown strong interest in quantum computing — the next-generation computation technology — and has named the "far side of the Moon" as the optimal location for it.

Quantum computers need to stabilize qubits at extremely low temperatures to demonstrate their astonishing computational power. But maintaining such an environment on Earth requires large-scale cooling equipment and enormous energy. Musk discerned that the "permanently shadowed craters" on the Moon are a natural laboratory solving this problem [3].

Permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's polar regions have never been reached by sunlight in billions of years, and the interior is constantly maintained at extreme low temperatures below -200°C [4]. This is truly an ideal environment for stably operating quantum computers. Musk believes that by using this natural freezer, quantum computers can be installed far more efficiently and at larger scale than on Earth.

If quantum computers become practical, they have the potential to dramatically improve drug discovery, materials development, and even AI's own capabilities. If AI operating in the space data center and quantum computers operating on the lunar surface work together, science and technology might advance at speeds beyond our imagination.

Let me organize this a bit. The overall picture of the "space computing" Musk envisions is as follows:

Computing	Location	Advantage	Use
AI (GPU) Servers	Low Earth orbit	Infinite solar energy, no cooling needed	AI training / inference
Quantum Computer	Far side of Moon (permanently shadowed craters)	Natural -200°C environment	Drug discovery, materials development, AI advancement

Shift to Lunar City Concept: A Realistic Step Toward Mars

For years, Musk has publicly stated that "making humanity emigrate to Mars" is his ultimate goal. However, in February 2026, he modified part of that strategy — announcing that he would prioritize first building a "self-sustaining city" on the lunar surface within ten years [5].

Don't be too quick to think "so he's given up on Mars." The Moon, just three days' travel from Earth, is an ideal training ground for accumulating the technologies and know-how needed for an expedition to Mars. Mining resources on the Moon, making construction materials, establishing life support systems — accumulating such experience will make the challenge of the far harsher Martian environment more realistic. The lunar city is humanity's first foothold for leaving Earth, its only home, and sustainably living in space.

Furthermore, the lunar city is not merely a "practice ground." It also holds enormous economic value as a location for the quantum computers mentioned earlier, and as a mining base for lunar mineral resources (such as rare earths and helium-3). Using resources mined on the Moon to build structures in space would dramatically reduce the cost of launching materials from Earth's gravity well. The Moon is a "relay base," a "resource mining site," and a "quantum computing center" in humanity's advance into space. Musk is positioning the Moon as such a multifunctional hub.

xAI and Musk's "AI-Native Organization"

How does one realize such a grand space concept and AI development? The key lies in the AI company "xAI" that Musk founded in 2023, and his unique organizational philosophy.

Grok and "AI That Pursues Truth"

The founding of xAI has as its background strong concerns about OpenAI, of which Musk was one of the co-founders. He harshly criticizes OpenAI for deviating from its originally stated principle of "open-source AI that benefits all of humanity" and transforming into a closed organization under Microsoft pursuing profit [6].

The AI "Grok" developed by xAI — established as a counter to that — has as its ultimate goal "understanding the truth of the universe." Additionally, Grok has the unique feature, unavailable to other AIs, of being able to access X's (formerly Twitter's) vast real-time data. This enables it to understand what is happening in the world right now and generate responses interwoven with irony and humor.

The episode of Musk making a $97.4 billion acquisition offer to OpenAI — rejected by CEO Altman [6] — speaks to how important Musk considers maintaining leadership in AI development. For him, AI is not merely a business tool but the most important technology for humanity's future. That is precisely why he absolutely refuses to allow its development to be distorted for the benefit of specific companies or individuals. That conviction is the driving force behind xAI's founding.

Restructuring and Transformation into a Team of Specialists

xAI's organizational management deeply reflects Musk's philosophy. From 2025 through 2026, the company carried out a large-scale organizational restructuring. While dramatically reducing the headcount of "data annotation" teams that label data, the company increased "specialist AI tutors" with knowledge in specialized fields such as science, finance, and medicine [7]. Furthermore, in February 2026, executives and engineers — including half of the founding members — departed one after another [8].

This bold move is categorically different from mere "layoffs." Musk believes that in AI development, a small elite team with top-level specialist knowledge in each field is far more important than general-purpose labor. He detests having human judgment or work become bottlenecks, and is aiming for an "AI-native" organization in which AI itself autonomously learns and evolves. Prioritizing quality over quantity, always seeking the highest performance. This thorough efficiency- and meritocracy-based approach is the source of the astonishing execution capability of the organizations Musk leads.

However, this approach naturally also carries risks. Rapid organizational transformation can lead to the departure of talented people — and in fact, at xAI, key members including co-founders have been departing one after another. Musk's management style that prioritizes "speed" and "efficiency" above all can sometimes sacrifice organizational stability. This is something that should be calmly assessed as the light and shadow of his leadership.

The SpaceX Mafia Ecosystem

Musk's influence does not stop at the companies he directly leads. Engineers and executives who have graduated from SpaceX are independently launching startups one after another, forming a large economic sphere called the "SpaceX Mafia." As of 2026, the number exceeds 140 companies, with total fundraising surpassing $11 billion [9].

They are developing innovative businesses in various fields — space, energy, AI, and manufacturing. For example, Relativity Space, which manufactures rockets using 3D printers, and Impulse Space, aiming for logistics services in space, are representative examples. They all share the "first-principles thinking" (a way of thinking that returns to the most fundamental principles of things) cultivated at SpaceX, and the mindset of fearlessly challenging difficult problems. This alumni network is broadening the base of the Musk economic sphere and becoming fertile ground for generating further innovation.

Just as PayPal alumni including Peter Thiel and Elon Musk himself were called the "PayPal Mafia" and led the Silicon Valley tech industry, the "SpaceX Mafia" is becoming a treasure trove of human talent to drive the next industrial revolution. Musk's greatest legacy may be not the companies he built, but the "people" he cultivated.

SpaceX Mafia	Overview
Number of Companies	Over 140 (as of 2026)
Total Fundraising	Over $11 billion
Representative Companies	Relativity Space (3D-printed rockets), Impulse Space (space logistics), Astra (small rockets), etc.
Common Characteristics	First-principles thinking, rapid decision-making, challenging difficult problems

Neuralink: The Fusion of Human and AI

Up to now we have looked at three pillars — Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI — but Musk's business portfolio contains one more extremely important piece. That is "Neuralink," which develops technology to directly connect the brain and computers.

What Neuralink is developing is the ultra-small chip "N1" implanted in the brain, and the surgical robot for safely implanting it. This chip can read neural signals from the brain and transmit them to external devices. The original purpose is to enable patients with physical paralysis from spinal cord injuries and similar conditions to operate computers and robotic arms through thought alone.

However, Musk's long-term vision goes far beyond medical applications. What he envisions is directly connecting the human brain with AI to dramatically expand human cognitive capabilities. As AI acquires superhuman intelligence, humans need to fuse with AI themselves in order to not be "left behind" by AI. Neuralink is the "interface" for that.

If humans could access AI's computational power and vast knowledge simply by thinking? Language barriers would disappear, the speed of learning would leap forward, and human creativity might reach a completely different level than before. This is truly an "upgrade" of humanity as a species.

Of course, the act of implanting a chip in the brain involves a mountain of ethical issues and privacy concerns. However, Musk believes that since AI's evolution is inevitable, humans must also evolve — otherwise a future where AI dominates humans awaits. Neuralink is also "insurance" for humanity to avoid that future.

The Boring Company: Changing Cities from Underground

What might look like a somewhat understated presence among Musk's ventures is "The Boring Company." But this company too plays an important role in his grand plan.

The Boring Company aims to dig tunnels underground and build high-speed transportation systems there. In Las Vegas, a tunnel transportation system called the "Vegas Loop" is already operational, with Tesla vehicles running through tunnels transporting passengers.

At first glance it appears to be merely a tunnel-boring company, but Musk's true aim goes deeper. First, underground tunnel technology is a means of fundamentally solving urban traffic congestion. Roads on the surface are two-dimensional, but by digging multiple layers of tunnels underground, a three-dimensional transportation network can be constructed. And running through these tunnels in the future will be autonomous vehicles and robotaxis equipped with FSD.

Even more important is that this tunnel-boring technology can be applied to building habitable spaces on the lunar surface and Mars. The lunar and Martian surfaces are exposed to space radiation and extreme temperature fluctuations, making the use of underground spaces indispensable for long-term habitation. The tunnel-boring technology cultivated at The Boring Company can become precisely the technical foundation for that. Building an underground transportation network in cities on Earth while simultaneously refining habitat technology for space. No matter where you cut Musk's ventures, they ultimately connect back to space.

Elon Musk's Thinking and Philosophy

What is the fundamental philosophy that runs through all of these ventures? It comes down to the extremely simple yet grand goal of "maximizing the probability of human civilization's survival."

AI Ethics and the Ultimate Goal

One of Musk's motivations for establishing OpenAI is said to involve a conversation with Larry Page, who at the time was leading AI development at Google (now Alphabet). Musk feared that Page was too optimistic about AI safety, and launched OpenAI as a non-profit research institution to avoid the risk of AI development leadership becoming concentrated in a single company. His consistent advocacy for AI safety, and his aim with xAI of "AI that pursues truth," stem precisely from his above-all fear that AI will run amok with wrong purposes and values.

To understand his principles of action, the concept of "first-principles thinking" is essential. This is a method of thinking that returns to the most fundamental principles, without relying on existing common sense or precedents. "Why are rockets expensive?" "The materials themselves are cheap. It's expensive because of the manufacturing process." "Then if we revolutionize the manufacturing process, it can be made cheaper." This way of thinking gave birth to SpaceX's reusable rockets, Tesla's Gigafactories, and the unconventional idea of space data centers.

"Amazing Abundance" and the Future of Employment

A future in which AI and robots replace human labor causes anxiety for many people about job losses. However, Musk takes an extremely optimistic view of this future. What he envisions is a world where the cost of productive activities approaches zero — reduced to only energy costs.

From mineral mining, to parts manufacturing, product assembly, and transportation — all processes handled by autonomous trucks and excavators and humanoid robots like Optimus. The energy that serves as their power source, supplied almost infinitely through solar energy in space and renewable energy on the ground. If that happens, the prices of all goods and services will drop dramatically, people will be freed from labor, and no one will suffer from hunger or poverty. This is the true nature of the "amazing abundance" he champions as Tesla's mission.

Of course, the question "So what do humans do?" naturally arises. Musk believes that by being freed from labor, humans will be able to spend time on more creative activities, art, scientific research, or simply enjoying life. Just as the industrial revolution freed humans from physical labor, and the information revolution freed humans from simple clerical work, the AI-robotics revolution will free humans from almost all "work." It may be the greatest paradigm shift in human history.

Why Aim for Mars: A Backup for Civilization

And the final chapter of this story is "Mars colonization." Why does he cling so strongly to Mars? It is to save human civilization from its vulnerable state of dependence on the single planet of Earth.

Asteroid impacts, massive volcanic eruptions, uncontrollable viral pandemics, or nuclear war from humanity's own foolishness — risks capable of extinguishing life on Earth always exist. Musk believes that humans becoming a "multi-planetary species" and establishing living spaces in places other than Earth is the only way to perpetuate the light of civilization. Mars is, so to speak, a backup drive for human civilization.

This thinking might sound exaggerated at first glance. But looking back at Earth's 4.6-billion-year history, mass extinctions have occurred five times in the past. Events like the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs could happen again at any time. Musk argues that we should prepare now for this "crisis that will surely come someday." And that preparation means nothing other than humanity acquiring the ability to independently survive on planets other than Earth.

The Grand Puzzle in Which All Ventures Connect

If you've read this far, you may have already noticed. Musk's ventures don't exist separately from each other — they are all organically connected and converging toward a single grand goal.

Let me organize the overall picture once more.

Venture	Role	Contribution to the Ultimate Goal
Tesla (EV / Energy)	Energy revolution on the ground, building sustainable foundation	Escape from fossil fuels, realization of infinite energy society
Tesla (FSD / Robotaxi)	Automating transportation, transportation revolution	Reducing human transportation costs, transforming urban structure
Tesla (Optimus)	Automating labor, fully automating productive activities	Realizing "amazing abundance," eliminating hunger and poverty
Tesla (Dojo / Semiconductors)	The heart of AI development, self-sufficiency in computational power	Independence from NVIDIA, accelerating AI evolution
SpaceX (Rockets)	Dramatic reduction in space transportation costs	Mass transport to Moon and Mars, building space economy
SpaceX (Starlink)	Global communication infrastructure	Data communication foundation for FSD and Optimus, space communication network
xAI (Grok)	AI development pursuing truth	Ensuring AI safety, realizing AI beneficial to humanity
Neuralink	Brain-computer connection	Expanding human cognitive capabilities, coexistence with AI
The Boring Company	Underground tunnel-boring technology	Innovating urban transportation, building habitable spaces on Moon and Mars

Tesla revolutionizes energy and labor on the ground, SpaceX opens the road to space, xAI drives the evolution of intelligence, Neuralink upgrades humans themselves, and The Boring Company creates underground and space habitable spaces. And with all of these interconnected, humanity becomes a "multi-planetary species" and civilization endures.

This is the full picture of the "master plan" inside Elon Musk's head.

Summary: How Should We Confront This Historic Change?

As Hamamoto from TIMEWELL, and as one human being, I have chased Musk's vision of the future this far. His plan, piece by piece, sounds like a science fiction movie — too grand, and sometimes bordering on absurd. But at its root, there is a surprisingly simple, coherent single trunk. It is the sole purpose of "maximizing humanity's future." Tesla's EVs, SpaceX's rockets, xAI's Grok — all of them are calculated-to-the-last-detail pieces for achieving that grand goal.

Of course, there is no guarantee anywhere that all of his plans will proceed smoothly. Technical challenges, regulatory hurdles, and the formation of social consensus — there are countless obstacles to overcome. In particular, job displacement by AI and robots involves major transformation of social structures, and careful discussion and preparation are necessary. Rather than uncritically accepting Musk's optimism, it will be essential for society as a whole to prepare for the coming changes.

Also, a level-headed view of Musk's own personality is necessary. His management style can be authoritarian at times, and excessive demands on employees and extreme statements on social media frequently cause controversy. We must not be so dazzled by the grandeur of his vision that we overlook its shadow side. It is important to view him with a balanced perspective — as simultaneously a great visionary and a single human being with flaws.

However, what is certain is that we are now standing at a major turning point in civilization — rare even in history. There is no doubt that the single entrepreneur named Elon Musk is serving as the catalyst for that change. It's easy to dismiss his actions as mere "eccentricities" or "pipe dreams." But by trying to understand the grand plan inside his head, we can glimpse the outline of which direction the future is heading.

As a person who has invested in Tesla for eight years, driven a Model 3, experienced FSD, and invested in Twitter too — I feel both fear and overwhelming excitement at the future he envisions. Whether everything will work out, I don't know. But I believe that what he is challenging itself has incalculable value for humanity.

If reading this article gave you even a little of a "Elon Musk is interesting!" or "So this is what the future will be like!" feeling — nothing could make me happier. We are not mere bystanders to this historic change — we are participants. What will we learn in this change, how will we act, and what future will we choose? That question is being posed to each one of us.

References

[1] Musk Says He'll Build Space Data Center to Power AI "Within Three Years" - Nikkei (https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOGN22DBJ0S6A120C2000000/) [2] Elon Musk restarts Dojo3 'space' supercomputer project as AI5 chip design gets in 'good shape' - Tom's Hardware (https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/supercomputers/elon-musk-restarts-dojo3-space-supercomputer-project-as-ai5-chip-design-gets-in-good-shape-will-be-first-tesla-built-supercomputer-to-feature-all-in-house-hardware-with-no-help-from-nvidia) [3] Elon Musk on Quantum Computing - Quantum Zeitgeist (https://quantumzeitgeist.com/elon-musk-on-quantum-computing/) [4] Water Ice Confirmed in Moon's "Permanent Shadow" by US Team for First Time - Nikkei (https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOGN09B8Y0Z00C26A2000000/) [5] SpaceX Prioritizes Building "Self-Sustaining City" on Moon's Surface = Musk | Reuters (https://jp.reuters.com/markets/global-markets/G2JR3HFSDBLGDCNTFU77KSVBRQ-2026-02-09/) [6] Musk Makes $97.4 Billion Acquisition Bid for OpenAI — CEO Altman Rejects It | Reuters (https://jp.reuters.com/business/technology/KIJA76EBXFKP5CFP2GF43HPVZE-2025-02-10/) [7] Elon Musk's xAI lays off hundreds of workers tasked with training Grok - Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-xai-layoffs-data-annotators-2025-9) [8] Elon Musk suggests spate of xAI exits have been push, not pull - TechCrunch (https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/11/senior-engineers-including-co-founders-exit-xai-amid-controversy/) [9] From The School Of Elon Musk To Billion-Dollar Startups: Meet SpaceX's Alumni Founders - Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2026/01/05/from-the-school-of-elon-musk-to-billion-dollar-startups-meet-spacexs-alumni-founders/)