Trouble in Paradise 209
After the divorce with Riley, Elon got a reputation
for being a playboy. It was after he told a reporter he’s
90 percent engineer and 10 percent playboy.^4 It’s true he
visited the Playboy Mansion since it was only a five minute
drive from his house. But in reality, he’s not a playboy,
and the Playboy Mansion is often rented out for corporate
events that don’t involve any nakedness. With five kids and
several jobs at several companies, Elon is only out once
each six month, and then his friends have to drag him out.
Elon work 60 percent of his time available at SpaceX, 35
percent at Tesla, and 5 percent at SolarCity. “It’s very busy.
I definitely would not recommend it. It is not the path to
a happier life,” Elon said. “My new year’s resolution was
to have a little bit more fun this year [2013].”25,67In the
future, Elon would like to decrease these numbers in a way
so he can work 60 percent at SpaceX, 25 percent at Tesla, 5
percent with the rest of his projects – and spend the last 10
percent with his family.^354 “I’d like to dial it back 5 percent
or 10 percent and try to have a vacation that’s not just e-
mail with a view,” he said.^25
So how can someone like Elon motivate himself to
work so many hours? “I think you have to enjoy what you
are doing,” Elon said. “Otherwise, it is hard to do it. There
are three things you look for. You have to look forward
in the morning to doing your work. You do want to have
a significant financial reward. And you want to have a
possible effect on the world. If you can find all three, you
have something you can tell your children. I would like to
allocate more time to dating, though. I need a girlfriend.