After weeks of bugging him on Twitter, Elon Musk just told me his 'dark secret'
For weeks now, I've been bugging Elon Musk on Twitter ever since he revealed that he plays "Overwatch," one of the most popular video games in the world and Business Insider's top game of 2016.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, first mentioned that he plays "Overwatch" when Y Combinator's Sam Altman asked him about video game recommendations in a video interview. But when Gizmodo approached Musk to ask which "Overwatch" character he plays as, Musk was cagey, and would only hint that the answer was "too embarrassing."
So, I reached out.
No response.
I was unsuccessful, but also undeterred.
Later that day, Musk announced that Tesla had hired Apple's Chris Lattner to be the company's VP of Autopilot Software. I used that opportunity to ask again.
Then, a response!
Now that I had his attention, I prodded further.
Again, no response.
Two weeks passed.
But then, on Tuesday afternoon, Musk tweeted his thoughts on Rex Tillerson, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, saying he would be an "excellent pick." Knowing how rarely Musk surfaces on Twitter, I took the opportunity to respond.
Then, finally, Musk revealed his "dark secret."
If you're not familiar with "Overwatch," playing as Soldier 76 isn't actually as embarrassing as Musk thinks it is. He likely thinks it's embarrassing because Soldier 76 has a reputation for being one of the easiest characters in the game, since most of his abilities are comparable to those you'd find in a traditional first-person shooter like "Call of Duty." He runs, he shoots bullets and missiles, and can create safe zones for team members to heal up. Pretty simple stuff.
Here's a montage of some sweet Soldier 76 plays in "Overwatch."
Now, full disclosure: I too main Soldier 76 in "Overwatch" (by the way, the term "maining" is parlance for the most-often used character you play in a given game). Sure, Soldier 76's abilities are easy to master, but he's one of the best characters in the game, great on both offense and defense.
And so, there you have it. Elon Musk's "dark secret" is that he plays a solid, well-rounded character in a super-popular online multiplayer game. That's not too bad as far as "dark secrets" go.
I've reached out to Musk to see which console he plays on.