During the B20 plenary session on November 14 at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, in an online interview, Elon Musk was asked by Anindya Novyan Bakrie, what motivated him to send humans to Mars when there are still millions of people who believed the earth is flat.

Musk said as it is, there are and will always be many problems on earth and there are more than enough capable people trying to solve them.  By sending humans to Mars, he wanted to show the youth, millennials and Generation Z, in fact, the whole of humanity, that it is important to think about the impossibilities, try to achieve the so-called impossible, and not to be constrained by existing thinking and technology. This is how humanity progresses and this is how humans can develop and push the boundaries of human potential.

Musk urged the young generation to have a vision so that each morning when they wake up, they have something to look forward to. He said for millennials and Generation Z, he did not want them to aspire to be the Elon Musks of the east. Instead, he encouraged them to find their destinies within themselves and ask “What kind of future do you want?” and work towards achieving the dream.

In a light moment, Musk the CEO of top global companies, including SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter, said he was experiencing a power outage currently, hence the darkened background and a candle illuminating his face.

The Business 20 (B20), official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community, is tasked with formulating policy recommendations on designated issues, which are then delivered to the G20 Presidency.

Photo credit: Angiola Harry. Elon Musk (right) in an interview at B20 plenary session, November 14.