16 of 44
BACKNEXT
16. Elon Musk
Co-founder and CEO, Tesla; founder/CEO, SpaceX; chairman, SolarCity
Age: 39
Rank change: New
Industry: Automotive

Some predicted the death of electric-car maker Tesla, but the naysayers had to bite their tongue this past year when Tesla struck a partnership with Toyota in May and then pulled off a $226 million IPO in June. Whether you like his brash style or not, Musk has made the electric car a reality and forced mainstream automakers to respond.

Tabloid fodder: His recent divorce and personal cash-flow problems were popular topics of online gossip, as was his marriage to British actress Talulah Riley. He can avoid the spotlight if he fulfills his goal to retire some day to Mars (yes, really).

By Michael V. Copeland, senior writer


NEXT: 17. Boaz Weinstein
Last updated October 14 2010: 1:25 PM ET
40 under 40
Highest paid under 40
Highest paid under 40
Which young executives at public companies brought home the most bacon this year? And exactly how much bacon are we talking about? More
Where is the economy heading?
Where is the economy heading?
This year's innovators offer their economic predictions for the next few years and beyond. More
Ones to watch
Ones to watch
They may not have made the list this year, but we're keeping an eye on these rising stars. More
Contact Us Closed Captioning Manage Cookies+ Site Map

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.