There are more than five interesting facts about Elon Musk, the pioneering entrepreneur behind SpaceX, Tesla, PayPal, and the Boring Company. Indeed, the man is worth around $18.4 billion and is continuously taking on new ventures, but what makes this enigmatic figure fascinating is so much more than his fortune. Read on to learn more about Musk and what makes him perhaps the most fascinating man in the world.

1. Learned Computer Programming at a Young Age

One of the most interesting facts about Elon Musk is that he was just 10 years old when he received his first computer. Soon after, he taught himself programming through trial and error, something his father encouraged. The hobby paid off two years later, when, at age 12, Musk sold his first piece of commercial software. It was a space video game called Blastar. It has been reported that he sold his first piece of programming for just $500; it was also where he began his love of computers and science.

2. Tesla’s Beginnings

Elon Musk is perhaps best known for his automotive venture; his company, Tesla, is one of the pioneering electric car businesses in the industry. But while Tesla’s origin stories can be told quite a few ways, perhaps the most interesting is the story of Musk and his F1 McLaren. The hypercar was a gift to himself after he sold off his first company, Zip2, and used that as his daily car for years until he wrecked it. After the wreck, Musk went on to build the Tesla Model S, which can go even faster than the F1 McLaren.

3. Work Ethic

Musk’s work ethic is one of the most interesting things about him. He’s founded several companies, but he continues to work diligently in three of them: The Boring Company, Tesla, and SpaceX. He has also been known to work 100 hours a week, operating on about six hours of sleep at night. However, while he has been known to consume large amounts of caffeine in order to do his job, he has since moved on to staying productive by holistic means, such as eating right and getting enough sleep.

4. Reading Habits

A fascinating fact about Elon Musk is his habit for voracious reading. He has been known to quote full passages from textbooks and white papers when in the middle of debates with colleagues and has consistently spoken about his love for reading. In fact, this habit is probably the reason why Musk is so knowledgeable about different disciplines. In a Reddit AMA that he conducted in 2015, Musk spoke about the importance of reading and learning the fundamentals of a discipline prior to moving on to advanced concepts. This learning process is buoyed by Musk’s innate curiosity and penchant for reading books on new subjects.

5. Inspiration for Iron Man

Elon Musk isn’t the original inspiration behind Iron Man; that honor goes to Howard Hughes. However, he was the inspiration behind Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the popular comic book character in the feature films. The story goes that Downey had been invited to tour the Space X headquarters ahead of production on the first film and picked up on some of Musk’s eccentricities, which later showed up in the film. The imitation was not lost on Musk, who went on to appear in Iron Man 2 in a cameo role.

From electric cars to pioneering space tourism, Elon Musk is not only a polymath but an interesting figure and role model to millions of people around the world. With these five interesting facts about Elon Musk, one can begin to learn more about how he operates and his meteoritic rise.