The 15 Most Interesting Things We Learned About Kimbal Musk From His Reddit AMA

While you are definitely familiar with Elon Musk have you ever heard about his younger brother Kimbal? Elon's baby brother is as energetic and multi-talented as his older brother, albeit with a slightly different focus. 

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Kimbal Musk did a ‘Ask Me Anyting’ (AMA) on Reddit and let us get to know him a little better. Musk graciously answered questions ranging from his favorite food to predicting which technologies will change our lives.

Kimbal's oion is food and so it wasn't a surprise Redditors had lots of questions for the entrepreneur about his own culinary adventures as well as his predictions for the future of food.

We scoured the message boards and have brought you the 15 most interesting things that came out the session.

1. Vertical farming

As food security rises to the top as a priority for many nations. Being able to grow food in cities may be critical to feeding the world's growing population.

“Vertical farms are the future of urban farming. as more and more people move to the cities, and demand for local food continues to grow, the only path is vertical farming in cities," Musk says. Kimbal Musk is the co-founder of Square Roots a startup that grows food through via hydroponic technology inside shipping containers.

2. Big Green

In addition to his involvement with Square Roots, Kimbal Musk is also one of the founders of Big Green.

Big Green develops ‘Learning Gardens’ which are ‘dynamic outdoor classrooms and productive edible gardens’. These alternative learning spaces are installed in underserved schools around the country. 

3. Laboratory meat

As the world's population grows our resources for producing food are under pressure.  Reddit user DrDrankMemeS asked Musk if he planned on getting into the lab-grown meat industry. 

He responded, "I'm a proud investor of Memphis Meats. the opportunity to grow delicious animal meats without harming animals or any anti-biotics/growth hormones is super exciting."

Kimbal Musk joins Richard Branson as a key investor in Memphis Meats, a startup that aims to grow sustainable cultured meat.  

4. Starman

In 1977, NASA launched Voyager I and II, two spacecraft sent to space to explore our cosmos. On board were copies of the Golden Record a curated collection of evidence of human life and achievement.

In 2018, Elon Musk launched Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in operation. On board was Musk’s personal vehicle, a Tesla Roadster with a mannequin at the wheel nicknamed Starman.

Kimbal Musk says his brother offered him the chance to send up a letter with Starman and the Tesla Roadster, but admits he was overwhelmed by the task. He instead decided to just absorb the drama and excitement of the launch and celebrate his brother's achievement.

5. Simple old-fashioned food

Musk made his name in food so it was inevitable that he would get asked what he enjoys cooking the most.

It seems Musk has down-to-earth tastes despite his large fortune. 

He answered Reddit user Chtorr's request for an easy recipe fans could make at home with a simple method for roasting chicken.

6. Listen carefully

Kimbal Musk has had tremendous success in many of his private ventures. He was part of Elon Musk's PayPal success story and has made his own mark in business in the food industry. 

Many Reddit users were keen to know about Musk's experience as an entrepreneur and what motivates him to keep going. Kimbal Musk had plenty of good advice for the community.

When Reddit user aminomycamino asked how he deals with criticism, Musk gave sound advice about who to listen to.

7. Set the right price  

The good advice continued when Kimbal Musk was questioned about the biggest mistakes of his career. 

Aston_Martini asked what mistakes he was able to learn from and he replied wisely that that overcharging for his services was a lesson he had to quickly learn from.

8. Stick at it!

The AMA audience was obviously filled with hopeful entrepreneurs inspired by the success of Musk and his brother.

One budding business person, Reddit user, KPhun asked Kimbal Musk for some advice for people just starting out in fields outside their experience.

Kimbal Musk urged the audience to choose their dreams and persist through the tough times.

9. Be passionate

When Kimbal Musk was asked about the personality types suited to working with him in his genre-bending industry, Musk responded 'Passionate people work well with me.'  

This is a great lesson that seems to be brought up again and again by successful people, at the end of the day it is their passion for their products and ideas that push them rather than money or success.

10. Tesla give away

Kimbal Musk has been making headlines all over the internet in recent weeks because as he says, he is doing the 'unthinkable' and giving away his Tesla Model 3.

I’m giving away my Tesla Model 3—all to support @biggreen Good thing I have help designing my next car... ENTER HERE: https://t.co/M6KePkWy2q pic.twitter.com/amQSpJt8zd

— Kimbal Musk (@kimbal) February 20, 2018

Kimbal Musk has created an ingenious way to make money for his not-for-profit Big Green. Fans keen to get their hands on Musk's Tesla just need to make a donation to the organization for a chance to win.

One cheeky Reddit user shared a picture of their current ride with Musk, asking if he thought they deserved the coveted vehicle. As you can see from the image below, Luxendary is a big Elon Musk fan.

11. Walk more

Redditors were very anxious to find out what vehicle Kimbal Musk is planning to replace his Model 3 with once he gives it away. But in true Musk style, he would only say he plans to walk more.

12. Success in the Mission

Kimbal Musk has made it clear he is intent on bringing access to real food to all Americans. He is doing this through a variety of projects but the mission is relatively simple 

When asked what he strongly believes in he simply replied, 'success in the mission'. 

13. Living on the edge with Elon

Of course, many Redditors had questions about Kimbal's famous brother. While most weren't answered, when theredditgotme asked about Elon's and Kimbal's road trip when they first arrived in the U.S., Kimbal shared a personal story about the two brothers' close call with a cliff in Colorado.

14. Farm to table

While Kimbal Musk isn't shy about technology, his main passion of helping real people eat real food is very evident.

Numerous times in the discussion Musk references his love of season fruits and vegetables simply prepared, as well as his passion for cooking particularly for his friends and family. 

It's this ethos that's brought into his restaurant chain Next Door which aims to bring healthy and affordable food to people in a contemporary dining environment.

15. Be a Good Student

Musk obviously takes his down to earth approach to food and cooking into all parts of his life. He responded to Reddit user K8Russell's question urging her to be a good student rather than try and find the perfect mentor.