$8 billion in visionary philanthropy to date by Elon Musk paves the way for his liftoff to an IPO

Nineteen years ago, our executive editor, Vanessa Valkin, offered an introduction to an unknown, highly unusual fellow South African named Elon Musk.

We talked about sustainable energy and space travel.

It was obvious Musk had huge ambitions.

That cover story started a connection that’s lasted all these years.

Enter Jeff Skoll.

Jeff was eBay’s first full-time employee and president in the late ’90s, helping build it into a powerhouse.

When eBay acquired PayPal, Jeff and Elon clicked right away, starting a friendship that has endured ever since.

Jeff later founded Participant Media in 2004 to create films that actually mattered—like An Inconvenient Truth and Spotlight—stories that entertained while driving real social impact.

I’ve advised him on some of those projects, and he joined our governing board at Lifestyles Magazine.

Working together on paradigm-changing initiatives that have helped millions has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.

Jeff invested early in Tesla and SpaceX, moves that paid off handsomely and fueled even more philanthropic giving.

Musk’s path from the PayPal days—merging his X.com with the team that built the payment system—to leading Tesla and SpaceX has been something extraordinary to watch up close.

One vivid memory that stands out is when Elon Musk first hosted us at his SpaceX rocket factory.

Seeing Elon’s vision realized on such an unprecedented scale was nothing short of astonishing.

Since that memorable visit, Elon Musk has given more than $8 billion to philanthropy, and our mutual friend, our board member Jeff Skoll, has contributed $1.3 billion so far to worthy humanitarian causes.

Today, with the SpaceX IPO, Elon is well on his way to becoming the first trillionaire in human history.