So many good stories from my Biz colleagues this week:@JohnCarreyrou on Eric Schmidt's very expensive, never-ending break-up with a mistress https://t.co/3nNkbtk6yw@KirstenGrind w/Musk's plan for a Noah's ark to Marshttps://t.co/iZWAWfwq9P
How to destroy a billion dollar…
— Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) July 13, 2024
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and father of 12, has denied claims that he volunteered his own sperm to help seed a colony on Mars. The rumor had been circulating after a New York Times article suggested otherwise. Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to refute the claims.
I do hope I live long enough to watch the broadcast of the first human footsteps on Mars. via @nytimes https://t.co/j5D5pxESJB
— Marko Prelec (@mprelec) July 13, 2024
He responded to a screenshot of the article, stating, “I have not fwiw ‘volunteered my sperm,'” adding a laughing emoji. Despite these denials, Musk’s commitment to Mars colonization is well-documented. He has repeatedly emphasized that life on Mars could be a reality within our generation.
My 2010 Climatopolis book did not discuss building new cities on Mars. My book did discuss how a system of cities provides an urban nation with a spatially diversified menu of places to live and work to choose from. This menu fosters competition.https://t.co/auiaB5pWax
— Matthew E. Kahn (@mattkahn1966) July 12, 2024
In April, he told SpaceX employees that in merely 20 years, 1 million people could be living on the Red Planet. Mars colonization is a daunting task.
Musk refutes Mars sperm claims
No human has set foot on Mars as of 2024, although robotic missions have been ongoing. SpaceX is working on various elements of the plan, from designing habitats to creating specialized spacesuits. Musk is also a vocal advocate of pronatalism, the belief that underpopulation is a significant long-term risk for civilization.
#ElonMusk plans to colonise Mars- via @NYTimes
Will he go there himself?
🙏🏿https://t.co/6IM4NduVRb— Bonnie Greer (@Bonn1eGreer) July 11, 2024
He has frequently discussed his concerns regarding declining birth rates, asserting that this issue poses a greater threat than global warming. His pronatalist views resonate with other Silicon Valley heavyweights, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Skype cofounder Jaan Tallinn. Altman has invested in reproductive technology startups, while Tallinn has financially supported prominent pronatalist advocates.
Musk has publicly aligned his personal life with his pronatalist convictions. After a Business Insider report leaked that he had fathered twins with a top executive at Neuralink, another of his companies, Musk tweeted, “Doing my best to help the population crisis.”
In summary, while Musk vehemently denies volunteering his sperm for a Martian colony, his commitment to human survival and expansion—whether on Mars or Earth—remains unshaken.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
