BlockBeats News, July 22nd, Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio once advised Elon Musk not to invest most of his funds from selling PayPal into Mars exploration, but Musk responded at the time saying, "I don't need to do that."

Dalio recently recalled on a podcast that he first met Musk in 2002 when studying the character types of entrepreneurs. He believed Musk belonged to the "shaper" type, someone with a grand vision who is passionate about turning ideas into reality.

According to Dalio, Musk received about $180 million after selling PayPal, most of which he then invested in startup projects, including around $1 billion into SpaceX, about $70 million into Tesla, and about $10 million into solar energy company SolarCity.

Dalio stated that he had advised Musk at the time to keep some cash as a safety net: "If things don't go smoothly, at least you still have some funds." But Musk replied, "No, I don't need to do that."

Dalio believes that Musk is not primarily driven by wealth accumulation but is focused on achieving long-term goals. One of SpaceX's current goals is to establish the technological system that would make humanity a "multi-planetary species."

After SpaceX completed its largest-ever IPO this summer and landed on the Nasdaq, investors were able to gain deeper insights into the company's strategy. The company stated in its prospectus that its mission is to "develop the systems and technology needed for life to become multiplanetary."

At the same time, Dalio pointed out that characteristics of such "shapers" like Musk include having a grand strategic vision from a high altitude while also paying extreme attention to detail. He recalled that Musk had shown him details of Tesla vehicles and discussed specific ideas such as sending a plant watering device to Mars.

Currently, Mars exploration remains a long-term strategic focus for SpaceX, and Musk continues to bet on the rocket, satellite, and artificial intelligence fields.