In this post Elon Musk has been vocal about his skepticism toward higher education, viewing universities as outdated institutions that prioritize social experiences over practical knowledge. He famously stated that colleges are “basically for fun and to prove you can complete chores, but they’re not for learning.” Musk argues that with the abundance of free online resources, formal degrees are unnecessary for acquiring skills. “You can learn anything you want for free,” he has emphasized, pointing out that the internet democratizes education far better than brick-and-mortar schools.

This view stems from Musk’s own journey. He dropped out of a PhD program at Stanford after just two days, opting instead to build companies like Zip2 and PayPal through self-study and hands-on experimentation. As a child, he taught himself programming by devouring books and coding late into the night, completing what would be a university-level course in days. Musk extends this philosophy to his hiring practices at SpaceX and Tesla, where he doesn’t require college degrees. Instead, he values proven ability, stating, “A college degree is not required at all.” As stated in this post, he has criticized elite universities for producing graduates lacking real-world engineering skills, insisting companies must “test people independently for engineering abilities.”

Musk’s disdain goes deeper, targeting what he calls the “woke mind virus” infiltrating education. He believes modern curricula promote anti-meritocratic ideologies, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and anti-American sentiments at the expense of core skills. He has lambasted the U.S. Department of Education for wasting billions on bureaucracy and DEI grants rather than improving outcomes, noting that student performance hasn’t risen despite massive spending increases since its creation in 1980. Musk supports abolishing the department entirely, arguing it hinders true progress. In his view, American education has been “broken for a quarter century,” with bloated administrative staff diverting resources from actual teaching

For Musk, practical, curiosity-driven learning trumps formal academia. He encourages dismantling objects—like engines or toasters—to understand physics and engineering intuitively. He even compares learning to drive in the AI era to riding a horse: useful but optional, as technology advances. At xAI, he eliminated the distinction between “researchers” and “engineers,” calling everyone “engineers” to reject academic hierarchies and focus on accountability.