Why Elon Musk Says Refining Lithium Is a No-Brainer for Entrepreneurs

NickCammarata
2 min readFeb 7, 2024

Turning Lithium into Gold: The Entrepreneur’s Guide

Elon Musk, the enigmatic genius behind Tesla and SpaceX, recently dropped a gem of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: get into the lithium refining business. But why lithium, you ask? Buckle up, because we’re diving into the electrifying world of battery materials.

  1. The Lithium Rush

• Lithium: It’s the secret sauce powering our electric vehicles, smartphones, and even our dreams of colonizing Mars. But here’s the catch: raw lithium isn’t enough. We need it refined into battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide — purity levels that would make a monk jealous.

2. The Mining vs. Refining Game

• Mining: Sure, digging up lithium is relatively straightforward. But refining? That’s where the real magic happens. Imagine minting money, but instead of printing bills, you’re churning out battery-grade lithium. It’s like Willy Wonka’s factory, minus the Oompa Loompas.

3. The Insane Margins

• Lithium Pricing: Elon Musk called it “insane.” And he’s not wrong. Lithium prices have skyrocketed faster than a SpaceX rocket. Entrepreneurs, listen up: these margins are practically software-level. Forget stocks; invest in lithium…

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NickCammarata
NickCammarata

Written by NickCammarata

Writer, and aspiring think tank for Solarpunk, imagine hopeful futures where tech and ecology thrive together! we ink, we become! outhttps://nickcammaratabooks.

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