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Most people spend their lives trying to prove they’re right. Elon Musk? He’s trying to prove himself less wrong.
"I actually really take the position that I'm always to some degree wrong, and the aspiration is to be less wrong."
Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
This mindset might sound counterintuitive, but it’s one of the core reasons Musk has built world-changing companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. Instead of clinging to his ideas, he constantly questions, refines, and improves them.
It’s a philosophy that has driven innovation for centuries—and one that can change the way you approach business, problem-solving, and even life.
The Power of Admitting You’re Wrong
In 1903, the Wright brothers proved human flight was possible. But did they get everything right on their first attempt? Not even close. Their early gliders barely lifted off the ground, and their calculations about air resistance were completely wrong.
But instead of defending their flawed models, they questioned their own assumptions. They built wind tunnels, tested new designs, and kept refining their ideas. The result? The first successful airplane.
Musk applies the same principle. Instead of assuming he’s right, he operates under the assumption that he’s wrong—he just needs to figure out how.
"We're always to some degree wrong, it doesn't matter who you are."
This mindset has allowed him to challenge conventional wisdom, push the boundaries of what's possible, and correct mistakes faster than anyone else.
Fail Fast, Fix Faster: How Musk Builds Companies
Musk doesn’t just accept being wrong—he expects it. That’s why SpaceX has a policy of failing fast and learning faster.
Take the early Falcon 1 rockets. Between 2006 and 2008, SpaceX had three consecutive failures. Each launch cost millions, and failure meant bankruptcy was on the horizon.
Most companies would have played it safe, avoiding risks to prevent more failures. But Musk? He doubled down.
He studied what went wrong, rapidly iterated on new designs, and in 2008, Falcon 1 finally reached orbit. That single success secured a $1.6 billion NASA contract—saving the company from collapse.
This ability to course-correct quickly comes from Musk’s philosophy:
Never get attached to your ideas.
Be brutally honest about what’s not working.
Fix problems faster than competitors.
The "Less Wrong" Mindset: How to Apply It
If you want to succeed like Musk, you don’t need to be a genius. You just need to be less wrong over time.
1. Seek Out Contradictory Evidence
Most people only listen to information that confirms what they already believe. Musk does the opposite.
He actively seeks out people who disagree with him, whether it’s engineers, scientists, or even random Twitter users. His goal? To find weaknesses in his thinking before they turn into major failures.
🔹 How to apply this: Instead of defending your opinions, ask yourself: What if I’m wrong? Talk to people who challenge you. Their perspective might save you from making a costly mistake.
2. Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
The first version of Tesla’s Model S wasn’t perfect. Neither was the Model 3, and neither will the Cybertruck.
But Tesla’s edge isn’t about getting it right the first time—it’s about getting better faster.
Every Tesla vehicle improves through constant software updates, user feedback, and new engineering breakthroughs. Musk doesn’t wait years for a “perfect” product—he launches, learns, and upgrades.
🔹 How to apply this: Stop waiting for perfection. Launch your product, business, or idea, and then make it better based on real-world feedback.
3. Focus on First Principles, Not Opinions
Musk doesn’t just take expert advice at face value. Instead, he breaks problems down to their fundamental truths.
When starting SpaceX, aerospace experts told him that rockets were too expensive to build from scratch. Instead of accepting that, he calculated the actual cost of raw materials—and found that rockets could be built for a fraction of what competitors charged.
That insight led to SpaceX disrupting the entire industry.
🔹 How to apply this: When faced with a problem, question assumptions. Break it down into fundamental facts and rebuild from there.
Final Thoughts: The Aspiration to Be Less Wrong
Musk’s success isn’t about being right all the time. It’s about being wrong less often than his competitors.
"We’ll aspire to make more progress in the future."
By constantly challenging himself, iterating rapidly, and refining his ideas, he has built some of the most revolutionary companies in history.
The question is: Are you willing to do the same?
If you want to think like a world-changing entrepreneur, start by questioning yourself.
Because in the race for success, the winner isn’t the one who’s always right—it’s the one who figures out they’re wrong the fastest.
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