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When billionaires talk legacy, they usually mention foundations, endowments, or family trusts. But Google co-founder Larry Page once offered a more unconventional heir to his fortune — Elon Musk.
During a 2014 TED interview with Charlie Rose, Page said he might prefer giving his money to Musk over any traditional cause. Rose reminded him of an earlier conversation:
“You once said — actually, I think I’ve got this about right — that you might consider, rather than giving your money to a cause, simply giving it to Elon Musk because you had confidence he would change the future.”
Page didn’t hesitate:
“He wants to go to Mars — to back up humanity. That’s a company, and it’s philanthropical. So I think we aim to do kind of similar things.”
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That line — “a company, and it’s philanthropical” — summed up Page’s belief that capitalism, when guided by vision, could do more for humanity than a traditional charity check.
At the time, Rose wasn’t referencing an abstract rumor — he was echoing something that had already surfaced publicly. A year earlier, at Stanford’s 2013 ENCORE Award event, Musk was interviewed by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, who recalled being at a Google lunch where he heard Page himself say it.
Jurvetson explained that, “out of the blue” and with no expectation that the topic would come up, Larry Page started talking about how much money he had, recalled a specific number, and then said, “If I got hit by a bus today, I should leave all of it to Elon Musk.”
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The audience laughed. Musk looked genuinely surprised and asked, “Really? He said that?” before smiling and calling Page “a good friend.” He went on to reflect on how he’d met Page before he ever secured venture funding — long before either of them became household names.
And it was true. Musk and Page’s friendship was legendary in Silicon Valley. Musk often stayed at Page’s Palo Alto home during visits, and both shared late-night conversations about AI, interplanetary life, and humanity’s survival. Their ideas often overlapped — though over time, their paths diverged. Reports later suggested their relationship cooled after disagreements over artificial intelligence and its long-term risks.
