At age 12, Elon Musk made $500 coding a video game. Today, he leads Tesla, SpaceX, X, and Grok, some of the world’s most disruptive companies. What changed? Surprisingly little. Because that same coding mindset is still driving him today. This is the story of how learning to code gave Elon Musk a lifelong edge and how it could do the same for you.
Fast Facts
- Project: Elon Musk’s coding journey from childhood to billionaire innovator
- Started Coding: Age 10, taught himself BASIC on a Commodore VIC-20
- First Sale: Sold his game Blastar for $500 at age 12
- Key Lesson: Early coding developed logic, persistence, and a builder’s mindset
- Impact: Skills shaped ventures like Zip2, PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, and Grok
The Geeking Journey: How a Self-Taught Kid Built His First Game
Elon Musk’s tech journey began not in a classroom but with a book. At age 10, he got a Commodore VIC-20, an early personal computer. The machine came with a six-month coding manual and Musk finished it in three days.
Imagine a young Elon hunched over the green glow of the VIC-20’s screen, typing lines of BASIC code with the focus of someone twice his age. While others played games, he was building them.
By 12, he created his first real project: a video game called Blastar, built in BASIC. It wasn’t just a fun project. He sold the code to a computer magazine for $500, equivalent to over $1,200 today. That small win gave him more than money. It proved he could turn knowledge into income and ideas into products.
“It was a trivial game… but better than Flappy Bird.”
When Elon Musk was 12 years old, he created a space-themed game "Blastar" which he later sold to a computer magazine for $500.
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) February 2, 2023
The source code was published on "page 69" of the magazine. 🤣@elonmusk pic.twitter.com/nNlmn4VS1d
The game featured a space battle where you destroyed alien freighters. Nothing revolutionary, but Musk had figured out how to design, build, and sell a working digital product before he hit puberty. That’s rare.
This moment is well-documented. The code for Blastar is still available online, and the sale marked Elon’s first entrepreneurial success. More importantly, it taught him how tech and business could connect, a lesson that stayed with him.
The Knowledge Boost: How Coding Shaped Musk’s Thinking
Musk didn’t just learn to code. He learned how to solve problems, how to think logically, and how to build from scratch. These skills laid the foundation for his first ventures:
- Zip2: Musk wrote most of the code himself for this early online directory
- X.com: Became PayPal, one of the world’s biggest online payment systems
Even after he stopped coding day-to-day, those habits shaped the way he tackled engineering at Tesla and SpaceX. From self-driving software to rocket control systems, his ability to think like a programmer made him a better problem solver, faster learner, and visionary CEO.
“Just read books and talk to experts. Particularly books. The data rate of reading is much greater than when someone’s talking.”
He taught himself rocket science the same way he taught himself code, through books. That approach continues today with AI. Musk is currently leading xAI and Grok, an AI assistant project. And while he may not write the code anymore, the logic-first mindset of a programmer still defines his leadership.
Why Early Coders Think Differently
Early coding teaches skills that go far beyond software:
- Debugging: Learning to fix mistakes trains you to break big problems into smaller ones.
- Logic trees: You learn how to plan outcomes, test decisions, and adjust.
- Resilience: Code rarely works the first time. Persistence becomes a habit.
Musk developed all of these by age 12. That’s why, when it came time to tackle the complex challenges of building electric cars and rockets, he already had the mindset to figure things out.
“Learning to code taught me how to think.”
He didn’t just copy others. He learned how to reverse-engineer, how to simplify, how to start with a blank page.
Timeline: From Coding to CEO
| Age | Skill | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Learned BASIC on VIC-20 | Built foundation in logic and persistence |
| 12 | Coded and sold Blastar | Gained confidence and business skills |
| 24 | Built Zip2 | First tech startup sold for $307M |
| 30 | Launched SpaceX | Applied software mindset to rockets and logistics |
| 51 | Leads xAI and Grok | Still applying logic-based thinking to AI development |
Lessons from a Kid Who Built and Sold at 12
Elon Musk’s story isn’t just about money. It’s about what happens when curiosity meets commitment.
- You don’t need a classroom to learn something life-changing
- You don’t need to wait to start selling or building
- Self-learning through books or online tools can beat formal education
And most importantly:
Learning to code taught Elon Musk how to think and thinking is the foundation of everything he’s built.
Scientific studies back this up: early coders tend to have stronger problem-solving skills, better creativity, and higher career flexibility.
Want to Learn Like Elon?
- Start with beginner-friendly coding platforms like Scratch, Replit, or FreeCodeCamp
- Build something small, like a game or website
- Try to share it online, or even sell it
- Most importantly, stay curious. You don’t need permission to start learning
Elon Musk and Other Geek Icons
Musk isn’t the only billionaire who started with code:
- Bill Gates: Wrote his first computer program at 13
- Steve Wozniak: Built the first Apple computer by hand
- Mark Zuckerberg: Created messaging tools before Facebook in his teens
What do they all have in common? Early curiosity. Self-teaching. And the courage to build, fail, and try again.
Musk’s story fits right into this pattern. The difference? He built rockets, too.
What Are You Geeking On Today?
Elon Musk’s journey from coding a simple game to becoming the richest man alive shows how powerful a single skill can be when nurtured by curiosity and persistence. His $500 game didn’t just launch his career. It launched a mindset. A belief that if you can build things and solve problems, the world will pay attention.
So, what are you geeking on today?
Whether it’s coding, design, storytelling, or something entirely different, the best time to start building is now. Dive into your passion, create something that matters to you, and see where it leads.
FAQs
Did Elon Musk teach himself to code?
Yes. At age 10, he taught himself BASIC programming using a Commodore VIC-20 manual and completed a 6-month course in 3 days.
What was Elon Musk’s first tech project?
A space-themed video game called Blastar, which he built at age 12 and sold to a magazine for $500.
How did coding influence Elon Musk’s career?
It shaped his logical thinking, product-building skills, and problem-solving mindset, foundational to Zip2, PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX.