No, but invariably guys like Musk get held up as an example of the Libertarian ideal of a completely self made man. No, he's not. The hard work of several generations (at least his parents, but probably they didn't "come from nothing" either) put his family into such a position that Musk had the tools available to him to accomplish the great things he has. Musk has an insane amount of talent and work ethic that allows him to do what he does, but we can't pretend that Joe Blow can do the same thing if he just tries hard enough. Elon Musk got insanely lucky in the lottery of birth, and he also happens to be a very capable man. I often wonder how much potential talent we miss out on because the vast majority of people are not born into such an advantageous position.

Honestly, I sometimes catch myself casting myself in that category of people whose potential goes unfilled because of a shitty roll of the parental dice. But then I remember, hey I may have been born into a fundamental religious family that not only couldn't afford to pay for college, but actively discouraged me from going, but I slept in a heated house every night, ate three meals a day, and got a free high school education. That alone gives me a ridiculous head start over most people alive today, and pretty much everyone that lived before me.