Elon
Musk

Born Elon Reeve Musk on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, to Maye Musk (Canadian-born model and dietitian) and Errol Musk (South African engineer and property developer). Grew up in a privileged household with access to books, computers, and international travel, showing early signs of exceptional intelligence and introspection.

Parents divorced in 1979; chose to live primarily with his father in the suburbs of Pretoria, gaining access to an Encyclopædia Britannica and home computer, though he later regretted the decision and became estranged from his father, describing him critically in interviews.

Received his first computer (a Commodore VIC-20) and taught himself programming from manuals in just a few days; developed a deep interest in computing, video games, science fiction (reading works like Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide), and fantasies of building advanced technology.

Created and programmed his first commercial video game, Blastar—a space shooter inspired by classic arcade games—and sold the BASIC source code to a South African computer magazine (PC and Office Technology) for approximately $500, marking his first entrepreneurial success.

Left South Africa in 1988/1989 to avoid mandatory military service under apartheid; immigrated to Canada (via his mother's birthplace for citizenship eligibility), arriving with limited funds; worked grueling odd jobs including farm labor, lumber mill shifts (earning $18/hour for dangerous boiler cleaning), and vegetable tending to support himself.

Enrolled at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, studying subjects leading toward business and science; lived modestly while adapting to North America and planning further moves to the United States for tech opportunities.

Transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; pursued dual degrees while hosting large house parties to help pay tuition and immersing himself in physics, economics, and entrepreneurial ideas.

Completed summer internships in Silicon Valley: one at Pinnacle Research Institute (researching supercapacitors for energy storage) and another at video game startup Rocket Science Games, gaining early exposure to renewable energy and tech innovation.

Accepted to Stanford PhD program in materials science but dropped out after two days to capitalize on the internet boom; co-founded Zip2 with brother Kimbal and Greg Kouri—an online city guide providing maps, directions, and business listings; lived frugally, sleeping in the office and showering at the YMCA while building the company.

Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in physics from the College of Arts and Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the Wharton School (degrees awarded in 1997); continued intense work on Zip2, securing major contracts.

Zip2 grew rapidly with partnerships including The New York Times and Chicago Tribune for online content; Musk was ousted from CEO role by the board but remained involved as the company positioned itself as a leader in web-based city guides.

Sold Zip2 to Compaq for $307 million in cash and stock (receiving ~$22 million personally); immediately co-founded X.com with $10 million of proceeds—an online bank offering email payments and high-yield accounts, one of the first FDIC-insured internet banks.

Married Canadian author Justine Wilson in January 2000; X.com merged with Confinity (forming PayPal); ousted as CEO during honeymoon due to disagreements over technology stack (favoring Microsoft over Unix); traveled to Russia attempting to buy ICBMs for private space ambitions but failed.

Continued involvement in PayPal post-merger; conceived Mars Oasis project to spark public interest in space; made additional unsuccessful rocket purchase attempts in Russia, leading to decision to build rockets affordably himself.

Founded SpaceX in May 2002 with $100 million personal investment to reduce space travel costs and enable Mars colonization; PayPal sold to eBay for $1.5 billion (Musk received ~$175 million); tragically, firstborn son Nevada Alexander died at 10 weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Led Series A funding round for Tesla Motors (founded by others in 2003), investing $6.5 million and becoming chairman; welcomed twin sons Griffin and Xavier via IVF with Justine Wilson; focused on early Tesla Roadster design oversight.

Welcomed triplet sons Kai, Saxon, and Damian via IVF; provided concept and funding for cousin-founded SolarCity (solar energy); SpaceX faced multiple Falcon 1 launch failures but secured NASA contracts for resupply missions.

Assumed CEO role at Tesla amid 2008 financial crisis, personally investing to prevent bankruptcy; divorced Justine Wilson (shared custody of five sons); SpaceX achieved first private orbital launch with Falcon 1 after four attempts.

Married British actress Talulah Riley; Tesla went public with IPO on NASDAQ (raising $226 million); began deliveries of Tesla Roadster, the first production electric vehicle using lithium-ion batteries.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station; unveiled Tesla Model S, a premium electric sedan that later won multiple Car of the Year awards.

Co-founded Neuralink for brain-machine interfaces; divorced Talulah Riley (after second marriage/remarriage cycle); released Tesla Autopilot hardware; announced Master Plan Part 2 focusing on solar roofs, autonomous driving, and vehicle expansion.

SpaceX successfully launched Falcon Heavy (most powerful operational rocket), reusing side boosters and landing them simultaneously; founded The Boring Company for urban tunneling and infrastructure.

Began public relationship with musician Grimes; Tesla unveiled Cybertruck and began Model Y production; SpaceX ramped up Starlink satellite constellation for global internet.

Welcomed son X Æ A-Xii with Grimes (name later legally changed); SpaceX conducted first crewed Demo-2 mission to ISS; Tesla stock surge made Musk the world's richest person temporarily.

Disclosed Asperger's syndrome while hosting Saturday Night Live; relocated Tesla headquarters to Texas; Starlink provided emergency internet in crises; welcomed daughter Exa Dark Sideræl via surrogate with Grimes.

Acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, rebranding to X later; implemented major changes including staff reductions, verification subscriptions, and reduced content moderation; welcomed twins with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.

Founded xAI in July 2023 to 'understand the true nature of the universe' through AI; stepped down as X CEO but remained executive chairman; continued Starship development tests amid explosions and regulatory hurdles.

Became largest political donor in 2024 U.S. election cycle (over $250 million supporting Republicans and Donald Trump); welcomed additional children, expanding family to at least 12 known living children; Tesla faced competition and stock volatility.

Appointed co-leader (with Vivek Ramaswamy) of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the second Trump administration in 2025, serving briefly to cut federal spending before stepping back; Tesla shareholders approved record compensation package; advanced Optimus humanoid robot and full self-driving efforts amid ongoing SpaceX Starship orbital tests.