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Yeah, I don't think he's right on this one, and I think Elon Musk, or someone will prove him wrong.

Earlier this year, the opportunity was made available to make a ONE WAY trip to mars. Thousands upon thousands of people signed up, essentially willing to give their lives.

I don't know how much risk there is to the business if people are willing to go to extremes to be a part of what you're trying to do. Nevermind their progress on rocket propulsion.

There are (crazy?) people willing to stay in an enclosed space for 2 years (? Don't know how much time it takes to mars on a space shuttle) for a trip to a place they can't come back from. Elon just has to give them the chance. I think he can do that at least, in <10 years

Just because thousands of people would volunteer to go doesn't mean someone will pay for the trip.
Exactly because it's dangerous, private enterprise would be a better fit: large organizations (esp. governmental) are highly risk-averse...
I'm wondering why he thinks governments are inherently better suited to execute frontier-like missions. Is it because of the incentive structure? Isn't a government in a sense something like a big company or am I being naive here?