Elon Musk is a unique chief executive. His critics and his detractors admit this.
The billionaire and chief executive of Tesla, who has mastered the art of communication on a base of 136.5 million Twitter followers, has built a reputation as a maverick in global business circles. He does things that other CEOs don't dare.
A few days ago, he announced the launch of Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world, for April 20, aka 420 and 4/20, the holiday for fans of marijuana. No matter that his critics remind his fans that Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. For the tech mogul, the number 420 relates only to weed.
On April 17 Musk and SpaceX, his aerospace company, postponed the first orbital flight of Starship, the rocket with which Musk has promised to revisit the moon and conquer Mars. They then announced that they would attempt this historic flight on April 20, much to the delight of stoners.
Musk Sends a Subtle Message to Stoners
"SpaceX is targeting as soon as Thursday, April 20, for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas," the company said.
"Perhaps inevitable," Musk added the same day.
In the uncertain universe of rocket launches, the historic Starship flight took place on April 20 as planned. While the gigantic next-generation rocket exploded after a few minutes, it did manage to lift off, raising hopes that humans might live on Mars in the coming decades as Musk has promised.
A week after this crucial flight, the billionaire has just winked at the stoners. He subtly celebrates the fact that the Starship launch was on 4/20, suggesting that the history of mankind is now tied to their special day.
"Hard to believe Starship actually did launch on 4/20," the billionaire tweeted on Apr. 24. "Lol."
Putting SpaceX in the Cannabis History Books
Contrary to what the tweet suggests, Musk is not surprised, since he and SpaceX chose the date. On the other hand, all the elements that were outside SpaceX's control, like the weather, were perfect. As he said on April 17, launch was inevitable.
He also suggests that his name and that of his company and his mission to rekindle the space dream are now in the cannabis history books. They should be a reference, he seems to say. And vice versa because whenever Starship's first orbital flight is mentioned, people will often think of weed.
The reference surely didn't escape Twitter users, who commented on the post using numerous marijuana references.
"All good things happen on 4.20," one Twitter user tweeted.
"It got pretty high," quipped another user.
"So whos gonna be the first person to get high in space," said another user.
Starship exploded during its first orbital flight.
Even if Musk took the explosion in stride, it was a shock for the aerospace industry and those hoping to conquer space. According to SpaceX, the explosion was a "rapid unscheduled disassembly” before stage separation. It was the first test flight, without passengers, of this vehicle SpaceX developed.
Musk didn't wait long to bounce back. On April 22 he said SpaceX would attempt a new Starship orbital flight in no more than two months, which targets the third week of June.
The orbital launch of Starship is viewed as a stepping stone for man again reaching the moon, and then Mars, while carrying tons of cargo.
Starship is designed to quickly replace the entire current range of SpaceX launchers and separate freight and manned transport systems. These are the Falcon Heavy and the Falcon 9, used for launching satellites, resupplying the International Space Station, and rotating crews.
Musk and Cannabis: Previous References and Uses
This isn't the first time Musk has referenced cannabis. Last February, he tweeted 420 to the delight of weed's fans across the world.
The three numbers are a rallying code for marijuana enthusiasts. April 20 or 4/20 is indeed Weed Day, practically a holiday for pot lovers. Smoking weed on April 20, preferably at 4:20 a.m. or p.m., has become something of a custom for cannabis aficionados.
In addition, Musk has smoked cannabis in public: In September 2018 he smoked a joint live during a podcast with the controversial celebrity podcaster Joe Rogan.
Last year, the tycoon used 420 in the financial terms for his offer to buy Twitter: he offered $54.20 a Twitter share to the platform's holders.
Marijuana is being legalized in different U.S. states after decades of being banned. It remains illegal at the federal level.
