which is the best biography of elon musk

Top 9+ Elon Musk Biographies For 2024 (Ranked) – Tesla, SpaceX & X

I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary. — Elon Musk

Learning to build rockets is something that most people don’t dream of doing. So, when an aspiring entrepreneur comes across someone who has done it without most things that are deemed necessary for something like this, I tend to pay attention.

Elon Musk has done a lot of great things during his lifetime. He has had a positive influence on the world by creating technology that improves life for everyone. In fact, he’s been so impactful as an entrepreneur and as someone who created one of the most successful tech companies in history, Tesla, that there is a book being written about him. It highlights what exactly makes Elon tick as a must-read biography for those who have an entrepreneurial mindset or those who want to learn from a master, and it shows how you can move forward despite a difficult past.

What Companies Are Connected to Elon?

• Zip2 (1999)
• PayPal (2000)
• SpaceX (2002)
• Tesla (2004)
• SolarCity – Tesla Energy (2006)
• OpenAI (2015)
• Neuralink (2016)
• The Boring Company (2016)
• X formerly known as twitter (2022)

In 1995, Elon Musk started his first company, Zip2 Corporation. He and his brother, Kimbal, created an online city guide for the newspaper industry. The company was acquired by Compaq Computer Corporation in 1999 for $307 million.

In 2002, Musk co-founded PayPal, an online payments system that was later acquired by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.

In 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. In 2004, he co-founded Tesla Motors, a company that produces electric vehicles.

Musk has also been involved in several other startups, including SolarCity, OpenAI, and Neuralink. He is the founder of The Boring Company.

In 2022, Elon purchased X (Twitter) for a whopping $44 billion to turn the company into a utopian project that initially connected to his x.com vision.

xAI, a company founded by Musk in Nevada on March 9, 2023, and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, was officially announced on July 12, 2023, with Igor Babuschkin from Google's DeepMind as its Chief Engineer.

What Are Some Interesting Facts In Elon's Biography?

Elon Musk's parents, Maye and Errol, divorced when he was nine years old. He chose to live with his father, who was an engineer. Maye and Errol had very different parenting styles. Maye was more lenient, while Errol was more strict. Elon says that living with his father taught him the value of hard work and determination. Elon credits his success to his parents' divorce. He says that it made him more independent and resilient.

• In his young years, Elon Musk read 10 hours a day. This helped him develop the skills and knowledge he needed to become the successful entrepreneur he is today.
• Elon Musk learned BASIC by finishing a 6 months course. He was able to do this by using a Commodore VIC-20 computer that his father bought for him.He has written a video game called Blastar and selled it for $500. The game is a space-themed shoot-em-up in which the player must blast their way through waves of enemy ships. Musk has said that he wrote the game when he was 12 years old, and that it was “a lot of fun” to make.
• After he moved to Canada, the future founder of Tesla and SpaceX, had a new job – shoveling dirt in a boiler room for $18 per hour. As he said in social media, he had been “fired” from his previous job and needed to find a new one.
• In 1999, after he started x.com, Musk bought a McLaren F1 car for $1 million. Unfortunately, he crashed the car soon after.
• Elon has married his college girlfriend Justine in 2000. The couple met at Queen's University in Canada and have been together for eight years. Just on their honeymoon, he was kicked out from Paypal from CEO position.
• Musk has said that he learned a lot about building rockets from books. He would read about rocket science and then try to build his own models.
• In 2008, SpaceX and Tesla were literally on the edge of bankruptcy. The companies were struggling to raise money and keep their businesses afloat.
• In 2023, Twitter was rebranded as X to align with Elon Musk's visionary goal of creating a comprehensive “everything” app, that people use for a lot of cases in their everyday life, like handling payments and communicate with others.

The best people to learn from are those who have had hardships in their lives, but have moved forward anyway after they overcame them—otherwise how will they help others do the same?

Here are some of the best Elon Musk biographies to learn about one of the most exceptional entrepreneur of the 2020s.

What Are The Best Biography Books About Elon?

Elon Musk, by Walter Isaacson (2023)

After writing the bestselling biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson has penned another masterpiece. The book digs deep into Musk's past, revealing that his tough childhood in South Africa and complex relationship with his father shaped him into a person of extremes—driven yet emotionally complicated. By early 2022, Musk had hit major milestones with his companies SpaceX and Tesla, but admitted to a tendency to create dramas in his life.

The biography is the result of two years of extensive research by the author, who attended Musk's meetings, visited his factories, and interviewed people who know him well. The book aims to give readers an inside look at the entrepreneur, pondering whether the same traits that make him difficult also make him brilliant. The story sets out to explore if Musk's personal challenges are key to his ability to push the boundaries in multiple fields.

Elon Musk: “I don’t have a scheduler…Just have your secretary call me directly.” Gates felt weird having one of his assistants call Musk, so he did so directly

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, by Ashlee Vance (2017)

I read this biography of Elon Musk because of the mission to innovate. As an entrepreneur, you have to have a vision of what's possible and the fortitude to go after it. Elon is a true innovator. This book is no hagiography. It paints a picture of a man who is utterly driven to make the world a better place, but who is sometimes wrong, sometimes headstrong, and sometimes confused. Yet, the portrait that emerges is of someone who learns from his mistakes, who is evolving as a person, and who is utterly committed to his vision.

I love Elon Musk and his companies. The book really captures the essence of his drive and vision. It's an easy read and I highly recommend it for anyone who's looking to break through any obstacles in life.

This book is definitely our #1 selection for Elon Musk biography. 

The Elon Musk Mission – Making The Future Awesome (2022)

Elon Musk is a visionary entrepreneur who aims to solve the world's biggest problems by disrupting industries such as auto, trucking, utilities, energy, space, telecommunications, air transport, and robotics through the use of cutting-edge technology and top engineering talent.

He currently runs companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and X (formerly Twitter), which range from transportation, artificial intelligence, and super computers, to communication satellites and robotics.

This Elon Musk biography could be interesting for readers since it provides a comprehensive overview of Elon Musk's recent business practices and companies. It highlights his innovative approach to solving some of the world's biggest problems and his use of cutting-edge technology and engineering talent. The book also includes in-depth chapters on subjects such as artificial intelligence, super computers, robotics, communication satellites, and MechaZilla, which are relevant and emerging fields in today's world.

Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future Young Readers' Edition, by Ashlee Vance (2017)

This is a great book for young readers to get an insight into the life of Elon Musk and motivation how to achieve their own dreams. This book is full of black-and-white photos, so students can see the details, the people, the places, and the things that are important in Elon’s life. This book shows students what Elon Musk has accomplished in his life and what he still has to do.

This is a great book for students to read to get an overview of Elon Musk and his life. The author uses different language to find the attention of the younger generations.

Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX, by Eric Berger (2021)

SpaceX is enjoying a spectacular decade. It has pioneered reusable rockets, owns the largest constellation of commercial satellites in orbit and has proved that it can launch human beings into orbit! It was founded less than 20 years ago, but already it has added 22 new satellites to its orbital fleet sending the total over 50.

SpaceX currently sends up more rockets each year than any other operation no matter if they are private or state-owned. What made SpaceX achieve all this? Mostly, it’s innovation and reliability.

When SpaceX was just starting out, the company's founder Elon Musk probably didn't have many people believing SpaceX would eventually become so powerful. After all, it wasn't long ago that SpaceX was essentially a fledgling startup with only one rocket workable out of an entire fleet.

The engineering task ahead if they wanted to stay afloat financially seemed almost insurmountable to other private companies attempting similar things in the past! But then again, there was no lack of determination and ambition driving Musk and his partners towards their end goal: among numerous other goals for SpaceX , they sought to compete for government contracts against huge aerospace companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing who had hundreds of billions dollars in revenue each year!

Liftoff traces SpaceX’s challenging road to success. Without the support of the aerospace industry, Elon Musk risked everything working on something he believed in, while seeking counsel from other creative people once his idea was up and running. The lessons learned along the way about teamwork, leadership, and customer service are vital to anyone looking for inspiration or reassurance that achieving your dreams really is possible.

Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World, by Anna Crowley Redding (2019)

I like Elon Musk's style, he's an eccentric guy who sees the world differently than the rest of us, this book the author takes you on his journey. Behind the awe-inspiring headlines is the story of an emotionally tormented school boy who through creativity and determination decided to rewrite his story and find his own way to make the world a better place. And to do so with a sense of humor and style.

You'll learn what pushed him to build his empire and how he did it, the book is well published and the author knows what she's talking about. The format and language is created for young adult readers to keep them engaged with the pages of the book.

Elon Musk: The Life, Lessons & Rules For Success, by Influential Individuals (2017)

The secret to the incredible success of Tesla and SpeceX, his two most popular companies, is that Elon Musk does everything himself. It's simple really: you can't build a better future off the back of somebody else's hard work — this is true for your business and it's equally true in your personal life. The more people you involve in an effort, the less efficient they become; everyone needs to do their own thing.

Elon called the real-life Tony Stark, and not accidentally, he is the person of technology and dreams, this book tries to unfold this idea to the readers. The books also summarizes Elon's so called “rules of success” which is collected by the author group.

Elon Musk: The Biography of a Modern Genius and Business Titan, by Nate Whitman (2019)

Few people in history have had as big of an impact as Elon Musk. The founder of Tesla, SpaceX, and several other startups, Musk has changed the way we think about technology, space travel, and the environment. But how did he get to where he is today?

This book is a detailed account of his life, from his humble beginnings in South Africa to becoming one of the most influential people in the world. It describes his successes as well as some of the challenges he has faced, such as the failed launch of his space exploration company, SpaceX. The biography also delves into Musk's personal life, including his marriages and divorces.

Hence this book heavily refers Ashlee Vance's book and research on Elon Musk.

Elon Musk: A Biography of Billionaire Entrepreneur Elon Musk, by Robert Hanson (2020)

Elon Musk has always been a big inspiration for businesspersons. The author did a great job at detailing Elon's life from his childhood to his early ventures to creating SpaceX and Tesla, and then on to his latest ventures.

The short 70 pages biography was written in a way that was very easy to follow, and was written in a light manner that wasn't too technical. If you are looking for a biography to read in your limited spare time, this is the one.

This book details the life to date of Elon Musk, the visionary and entrepreneur who we now know.

Elon Musk: Biography of a Self-Made Visionary, Entrepreneur and Billionaire (Audible), by B Storm (2014)

Hence the book is written in 2014, this short biography contains interesting early information about Elon Musk. The book is less overwhelming than other biographies with extensive footnotes. It is unpretentious, which makes for a very pleasant mood, and it gives the reader an upbeat portrayal of Elon’s life.

The book also mentions some of the most important early ventures of Elon like Zip2, X.com and PayPal. Not to mention SolarCity and Hyperloop which was years before Tesla Motors.

This is another short 76 pages biography contains the most important facts and events to Elon Musk.

My Favorite Elon Musk Quotes

A source of strength, hm. That’s really not how I think about things. For me it’s simply: This is something that is important to get done, and we we should just keep doing it or die trying. I don’t need a source of strength.

— Elon Musk

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds aren’t in your favor.

The duty of a leader is to serve their people, not for the people to serve them.

69.420% of statistics are false

I hope that one of these Elon Musk biographies resonates with you, offering a glimpse into the extraordinary life of a man who is not just the force behind groundbreaking companies like SpaceX, Tesla Motors, X, SolarCity, and PayPal, but also a visionary with a deep-rooted passion for humanity's future.

From his early days of reading two books a day to his relentless pursuit of making life multiplanetary, Elon Musk's story is a testament to the power of dreams, resilience, and unyielding curiosity. I'm confident that as you turn the pages of these books, you'll not only learn about the entrepreneur but also connect with the human being who has faced immense challenges and yet continues to redefine what is possible.

Thank you for reading, we hope you enjoyed this article about Elon Musk biographies if you interested more in Elon check out some of the books he personally recommends.

My profession is online marketing and development (10+ years experience), check my latest mobile app called Upcoming or my Chrome extensions for ChatGPT. But my real passion is reading books both fiction and non-fiction. I have several favorite authors like James Redfield or Daniel Keyes . If I read a book I always want to find the best part of it, every book has its unique value.

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What Makes Elon Musk Tick?

Walter Isaacson, a biographer who has written about Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs, is working on a book about the world’s richest man.

By Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris

What drives Elon Musk?

Musk, the world’s richest man, has long been an object of fascination as the founder of the electric car company Tesla and the rocket maker SpaceX. But during the past few weeks, as he flirted with buying Twitter and then offered about $44 billion for the influential social platform, all under blanket media coverage, curiosity about what moves him has grown.

Several biographies dig into his life and work so far, including “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future ,” by Ashlee Vance, which was published in 2015, and “Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century ,” by Tim Higgins, which came out last year.

Another book, which Musk announced last summer — on Twitter — is also in the works, this one by the biographer Walter Isaacson, who has written best sellers on Leonardo da Vinci , Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs . Isaacson’s longtime publisher, Simon & Schuster, plans to release the book, which doesn’t yet have a scheduled publication date.

“I’ve always been interested in innovators and people who push the boundaries, and he’s pushing the most important and difficult boundaries,” Isaacson said.

This week, after Twitter accepted Musk’s bid, Isaacson prepared for a reporting trip that includes traveling with Musk and visiting people from his past. He has already interviewed about 200 people around Musk, Isaacson said, and spent days talking to him and shadowing him.

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Isaacson spoke about the challenges of writing a biography about a figure who is constantly evolving and expanding his empire: It’s like “trying to take notes while drinking from a fire hose,” he said.

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Manic moods and 3 a.m. texts: How Walter Isaacson navigated Elon Musk and his demons

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When celebrated biographer Walter Isaacson set out to write about Elon Musk, his subject was not just one of the richest men on the planet but the most polarizing of global billionaires.

How to steer the narrative of a man he considered a visionary but also “crazy at times,” plagued by “manic moods” and self-destructive “demons”?

And how to earn his trust?

“I don’t have an agenda,” said Isaacson, 71, in an interview with The Times. “There’s a large percentage of this country that thinks he’s a villain. They hate him. And there’s, I think, an equally large percentage of people who are wide-eyed fans and think he walks on water.”

When a close friend of Musk’s suggested Isaacson undertake a biography, “I was, like, wow! That would be cool,” he said. “It was at a time when he was bringing us into the era of electric vehicles and becoming Time’s [2021] Person of the Year and making rockets that can land and be reused and was the only person shooting astronauts from the U.S. to space.”

But in a meeting with the tycoon running Tesla and Space X, the author set conditions.

“I said, here’s the two things I’d like,” recalled Isaacson, who has written biographies of Steve Jobs, Henry Kissinger, Jennifer Doudna and Leonardo da Vinci. “One is: I don’t just want a few interviews. I want to spend two years at your side, at all times, at all meetings — nothing excluded, nothing off-limits. And to watch you in action rather than give you a set of questions. Secondly, I want you to have no control over the book.”

And, Isaacson said, “Surprisingly, he agreed.”

The 688-page opus details Musk’s brutal treatment of workers and colleagues, his impulsive business moves and his chaotic romantic life.

The biggest ideas and pettiest rages in Walter Isaacson’s Elon Musk biography

Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk distilled, from fierce mood swings and Ukraine intervention to his ‘dumb’ Pelosi tweet and that time he had the 405 repainted.

Sept. 11, 2023

But it also delves into how Musk’s abusive father and childhood bullying in South Africa shaped his character. Isaacson writes that Musk’s “reality-distorting willfulness” and his “readiness to run roughshod over naysayers” may be “superpowers that produced his successes along with his flame-outs.”

The ferocious drive of the 52-year-old entrepreneur may not be balanced with empathy for others, Isaacson suggested, but, “As Shakespeare writes, the best are molded out of their faults. So he’s got a lot of faults. To what extent did that mold him?”

Musk gave Isaacson full access to contentious private meetings; encouraged colleagues, family members, ex-wives and girlfriends to speak to him candidly; and, in interviews and 3 a.m. texts, opened up about turmoil in his businesses and his relationships.

It was, the author recalled, “Elon, being up late at night and vomiting because of the stress but also channeling some of the things his father said.”

Controversially, Musk shared — and Isaacson published — encrypted messages with a top Ukrainian official over limits on the Starlink communications satellites that Space X was donating to foil Russian hackers.

The book describes Musk as cutting off Starlink access around Russia-annexed Crimea to stop Ukrainian drones from targeting Russia’s Black Sea fleet. But over the weekend Musk claimed, “At no point did I or anyone at Space X promise coverage over Crimea. Our terms of service clearly prohibit Starlink for offensive military action.” Musk denied Kyiv’s “emergency request” to activate the network in order to avoid “conflict escalation.” Isaacson acknowledged the clarification, but whatever the details, the episode drew new scrutiny of Musk’s foreign policy influence.

Despite Musk’s impetuousness and his open hostility toward journalists, Isaacson said the unpredictable billionaire never backtracked on allowing him unfettered reporting.

“For better and for worse, he has an epic sense of his place and mission in our world, that he’s going to get us to Mars and he’s going to get us sustainable energy,” said Isaacson. “And if you’re that way, you don’t mind having a biographer ride by your side.”

Isaacson’s strategy was to shadow his subject relentlessly. He tailed him along clangorous Tesla assembly lines as Musk micromanaged manufacturing and jetted on a moment’s notice to the hot, dusty town of Boca Chica, Texas, where Space X launched rockets and where Isaacson slept in an Airstream trailer a few hundred yards from Musk’s house.

In April 2022, on the day Twitter’s board accepted Musk’s offer to buy the company, Isaacson assumed a celebration would take place. “But oh no, it was [rush] down to Boca Chica to deal with a methane leak on a Raptor engine,” he said.

“You just always learned to have a very small overnight bag and a couple of changes of shirts,” said Isaacson.

Musk would often lapse into long reflective reveries, and the biographer would learn not to interrupt.

“Sometimes after a meeting, we’d be sitting in the conference room, just the two of us,” Isaacson said. “When he is mentally processing things, he goes silent for two, three, four, five minutes. You are a reporter — imagine restraining yourself from trying to start up the conversation again. [But] that turned out to be a useful approach.”

Also, there is Isaacson’s innate fascination with technology. His father and uncles were electrical engineers, he recounts in his book “The Innovators,” a survey of digital pioneers, and he grew up as an “electronics geek.” At Harvard, he majored in history and literature, but he also learned programming.

Isaacson spent years as a journalist, rising to editor of Time magazine and, after a stint at CNN, heading the Aspen Institute. But he looks back to his childhood in New Orleans, where he now teaches history at Tulane, and recalls, “We had a workshop. We fixed cars. We fixed TV sets. We made ham radios together.”

In hours spent with Musk in engineering meetings or on factory floors, Isaacson said, “I was genuinely curious about, ‘OK, stainless steel for the axial skeleton of the Cybertruck? How are you going to make the chassis?’ These were questions I asked. … A key to the story is understanding how caring about assembly lines, valves and chassis is important to the successes he has had.”

Musk emigrated from South Africa to Canada at 17 and then to the U.S., where, after college, he made millions from his involvement and part ownership in PayPal. He had homes in Silicon Valley, where he ran Tesla, and in Los Angeles, where he built Space X.

Musk has fathered 11 children with three women, including musician Grimes , sharing custody and even bringing his toddler, X, to work with him at Space X. Nothing has hurt Musk more, Isaacson said, than the loss of his first-born to sudden infant death syndrome and the estrangement from his transgender daughter Jenna after he said she embraced Marxism.

What drove Elon Musk — onetime Democratic ‘fanboy’ — to troll progressive politics

In his ‘Elon Musk’ biography, Walter Isaacson examines the billionaire’s political evolution, from fundraising for Democrats to trolling progressive politicians.

Sept. 8, 2023

Musk has said he has Asperger’s, a form of autism, and that “gives him a very analytical engineering mind-set,” said Isaacson. “Autism manifests itself in a thousand ways in different people. But it means he doesn’t have good receptors for other people’s emotions, nor does he have a craving to make people like him.”

The book describes Musk’s obsessions with science fiction, with violent video games, with establishing a “multiplanetary civilization” and with founding colonies on Mars via Space X rockets.

Is the Mars fixation crazy? Isaacson isn’t sure: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can do that may be the ones who do.”

Nonetheless, Isaacson shakes his head recalling how Musk relished his weekly “Mars Colonizer” meetings. “They’d spend an hour, sometimes two hours, and they’d talk about, What would the cities look like on Mars? What would people wear? What would the robots do? How would they govern themselves? What form of decision-making would they use? I’m going, whoa! I’d have to pinch myself.”

Isaacson acknowledges he is “not a big fan” of Musk’s Twitter purchase: “Enabling extremists to blather on conspiracy theories on Twitter turns me off.”

Let’s put a stake in the ‘great man’ biography — starting with Isaacson’s ‘Elon Musk’

Call it the ‘Isaacson Accord’: the agreement behind Walter Isaacson biographies, including ‘Elon Musk,’ to leave the assumption of difficult genius untouched.

But he also allows, “It probably wasn’t bad to open the aperture to more debate on some of these topics.” And he contends that despite Musk’s attacks on “woke-mind virus,” he doesn’t have “just have one set of politics. He’s not always pushing views on the far right or far left. There are times when he’s very moderate. So, like in everything, he’s mercurial.”

In the final analysis, Isaacson considers Musk to be “one of the three great innovators of our time.”

“Steve Jobs brings us into the era of the digital revolution with human-friendly computers and a thousand songs in our pocket, and smartphones. Jennifer Doudna brings us into the era of life sciences by showing us how to edit our DNA. And Musk is bringing us into a future of electric vehicles and space adventures — as well as blowing a few things up, including Twitter.

“But they’re each people who, 50 years from now, you’ll look back and say they’ve touched the surface of history and you can still feel the ripples.”

Book Club: Walter Isaacson

What: Bestselling author Walter Isaacson joins the L.A. Times Book Club to discuss “Elon Musk” with Times columnist Anita Chabria .

When: 2 p.m. Pacific Oct. 1

Where: The El Segundo Performing Arts Center. Get tickets on Eventbrite.

Join: Sign up for the Book Club newsletter for the latest books, news and live events.

How to support the L.A. Times Book Club and Book Prizes

Do you enjoy our book conversations? Here’s how to support the Los Angeles Times Community Fund and the newspaper’s literary and literacy programs.

Aug. 24, 2023

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Elon Musk: The Complete Biography of an Extraordinary Innovator

• by history tools
• March 26, 2024

Elon Musk is one of the most famous entrepreneurs and business leaders of the 21st century. As the co-founder of PayPal, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and driving force behind many other companies, Musk has had an outsized influence on technology, space exploration, and solving some of humanity‘s biggest challenges.

Let‘s take a closer look at Musk’s remarkable life story, complex persona, monumental successes and occasional setbacks, and what makes him such a polarizing character.

Childhood and Early Life in South Africa

Musk was born on June 28, 1971 in Pretoria, one of South Africa’s wealthiest and most segregated cities during apartheid. His mother Maye was a famous dietitian and model who grew up in Canada, while his father Errol was a wealthy white South African electromechanical engineer.

As a child, Musk was an avid reader and self-taught computer programmer. At age 12 he created and sold a video game called Blastar to a computer magazine for $500. But his relationship with his father was difficult – his parents divorced when he was 9 years old. Musk chose to live mostly with his father, which he would later regret considering they became estranged.

Discovering His Calling

After spending two years in the South African military, Musk moved to Canada at age 19. He studied at Queen‘s University in Ontario for two years, avoiding mandatory service in the South African military, before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania.

At Penn, Musk pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Physics as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Most notably, he rekindled an early passion by taking extra classes at the Stanford School of Engineering. It was a harbinger of innovations to come.

Founding Zip2 and PayPal

In 1995 Musk dropped out of Stanford’s PhD program to found his first startup Zip2 Corporation with his brother Kimbal. Zip2 provided online city guides to newspapers like the New York Times and Chicago Tribune.

Compaq bought Zip2 in 1999 for $307 million, earning Musk $22 million. He soon co-founded X.com, one of the first online banks providing services like checking accounts and money transfers.

X.com merged with its rival Confinity in 2000 to become PayPal, with Musk serving as the new CEO. Despite internal struggles at the new company, PayPal went on to revolutionize online payments. In 2002 eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion in stock, of which Musk received $175 million.

“If something‘s important enough you should try, even if the probable outcome is failure.”

Making History with SpaceX

Flush with cash from the PayPal sale, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in 2002 with an audacious long-term goal: make humanity multi-planetary by establishing a human colony on Mars.

SpaceX develops rockets, spacecraft and satellites aimed at revolutionizing space transportation to eventually make it affordable for private citizens to travel into orbit and to other planets. It almost went bankrupt in 2008, but Musk kept it afloat with personal funds.

In 2012 SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial spaceship to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. And in 2020 SpaceX sent astronauts to the ISS for the first time, effectively resurrecting American manned spaceflight.

Tesla Accelerates Ahead with Musk at the Helm

Also in 2004 Musk made the series A investment round in Tesla Motors and joined Tesla’s board of directors as chairman. Founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003, Tesla aimed to prove electric cars could be better than gasoline-powered cars.

The original Roadster sports car impressed critics, but by 2007 Tesla was also on the verge of bankruptcy. Musk invested heavily in Tesla and took over leadership of the company, serving as CEO and product architect.

Under his guidance, Tesla went public in 2010 to raise funds and the Model S sedan was named Motor Trend‘s 2013 Car of the Year. By 2023 Tesla had become the world‘s most valuable automaker, dominating the rapidly growing EV market.

Expanding His Entrepreneurial Portfolio

In addition to SpaceX and Tesla, Musk has founded or co-founded a number of new companies over the last two decades. These include:

• The Boring Company (2016) – Develops tunnels aimed at eliminating street traffic to reduce transportation time
• Neuralink (2016) – Develops implantable brain-machine interfaces to connect human brains with computers
• OpenAI (2015) – Non-profit AI research company working to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits humanity
• Starlink (2019) – SpaceX project to provide global satellite Internet access coverage

Not all of these companies have proven successful so far. But Musk continues to think big while attracting top talent to bring innovative new technologies to reality.

Taking Over Twitter for $44 Billion

In January 2022, Musk started acquiring shares of social media company Twitter. By March he had accumulated a 9.2% stake to become Twitter‘s largest shareholder. This set in motion a tumultuous year that eventually led to his purchase of Twitter for $44 billion on October 27, 2022.

Shortly after acquiring Twitter, Musk laid off roughly half the company‘s 7,500 employees and radically changed the platform‘s operations. Many users have quit the platform over concerns about misinformation as Musk grants "amnesty" to suspended accounts. The long-term implications of his takeover remain uncertain.

“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”

Marriages, Relationships and Family

In 2000, Musk married Canadian author Justine Wilson. Their first son died unexpectedly from SIDS at 10 weeks old. They share custody of 5 sons – a set of twins and a set of triplets – born through IVF. Musk and Wilson separated in 2008.

From 2010 to 2012, Musk was married to English actress Talulah Riley. After divorcing, they remarried in 2013 before finalizing their divorce again in 2016. Musk also had an on-and-off relationship with musician Grimes which began in 2018. They had 2 children – a son born in 2020 and daughter born in 2021 via surrogate.

In 2022 it was revealed that Musk secretly had twins in 2021 with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at his company Neuralink. He now has 10 children from 3 relationships. But his 18-year-old transgender daughter has disowned him, changing her name in opposition to Musk‘s "public transphobia."

Losing and Regaining Title of World‘s Richest Person

Thanks mostly to his shares in Tesla Motors, Musk experienced an astronomical rise in his personal net worth. He became the richest person in the world for the first time in January 2021 when he surpassed Jeff Bezos.

But his net worth dropped in 2022 and early 2023 as Tesla‘s share price declined. On January 6, 2023 Musk lost the title of world‘s richest person to Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH.

What‘s more, with an estimated $183 billion loss between November 2021 and January 2023, Musk holds the record for the largest loss of personal fortune in history according to Guinness World Records. Despite these setbacks, Musk’s supporters are betting he’ll reclaim the top spot someday.

What Makes Musk Such a Polarizing Figure

Musk has earned both ardent fans and vocal critics. So what makes him such a polarizing public figure?

Reasons supporters are drawn to Musk include:

• Daring vision for future innovations
• Willingness to take risks
• Commitment to tackling climate change with sustainable energy
• Power to make things happen that others consider impossible
• Relatable sense of humor on social media

However some people are strongly critical of Musk for:

• Poor treatment of employees by demanding unrealistic hours and goals
• Controversial public stances on issues like pandemic lockdowns
• Spreading misinformation and making questionable promises on Twitter
• Brash communication style and vindictiveness towards naysayers
• Concerns about concentration of power held by billionaires

But there‘s no questioning the outsized impact Musk already made on multiple industries. Even his detractors admit they‘re curious to see what he’ll achieve next.

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Early Life and Education

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Who Is Elon Musk?

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Elon Musk, born in Pretoria, South Africa, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. Musk has achieved global fame as the chief executive officer (CEO) of electric automobile maker Tesla ( TSLA ) and the private space company SpaceX. Musk was an early investor in several tech companies, and in October 2022, he completed a deal to take X (formerly Twitter) private.

His success and personal style have given rise to comparisons to other colorful tycoons from U.S. history, including Steve Jobs , Howard Hughes, and Henry Ford . He was named the richest person in the world in 2021, surpassing Amazon ( AMZN ) founder Jeff Bezos. However, as of June 22, 2024, Bezos has regained the title of richest man on Earth, making Musk the second richest man.

Let’s look briefly at the life of the man who has scaled the pinnacle of the business world.

Key Takeaways

• Elon Musk is the charismatic CEO of electric car maker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX.
• Following a contested process, Musk completed a deal to buy the company behind X in October 2022, becoming the owner of the social media company.
• Born and raised in South Africa, Musk spent time in Canada before moving to the United States.
• Educated at the University of Pennsylvania in physics and business, Musk started getting his feet wet as a serial tech entrepreneur with early successes like Zip2 and X.com, which merged with a company that became PayPal.
• Musk has behaved eccentrically from time to time.

Bailey Mariner / Investopedia

Elon Reeve Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa, the oldest of three children. His father was a South African engineer, and his mother was a Canadian model and nutritionist. After his parents divorced in 1980, Musk lived primarily with his father. He would later dub his father “a terrible human being...almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done."

“I had a terrible upbringing. I had a lot of adversity growing up. One thing I worry about with my kids is they don’t face enough adversity,” Musk would later say.

Bullied as a Child

Musk attended the private, English-speaking Waterkloof House Preparatory School—he started a year early—and later graduated from Pretoria Boys High School. A self-described bookworm, he made few friends in those places.

“They got my best (expletive) friend to lure me out of hiding so they could beat me up. And that (expletive) hurt,” Musk said. “For some reason, they decided that I was it, and they were going to go after me nonstop. That’s what made growing up difficult. For a number of years, there was no respite. You get chased around by gangs at school who tried to beat the (expletive) out of me, and then I’d come home, and it would just be awful there as well.”

Early Accomplishments

Technology became an escape for Musk. At 10, he became acquainted with programming using a Commodore VIC-20, an early and relatively inexpensive home computer. Before long, Musk had become proficient enough to create Blastar—a video game in the style of Space Invaders. He sold the BASIC code for the game to a PC magazine for $500.

In one telling incident from his childhood, Musk and his brother planned to open a video game arcade near their school. Their parents nixed the plan.

Musk’s College Years

At 17, Musk moved to Canada. He would later obtain Canadian citizenship through his mother.

After emigrating to Canada, Musk enrolled at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. It was there that he met Justine Wilson, an aspiring writer. They would marry and have six sons together, a first son which died shortly after birth, twins, and then triplets, before divorcing in 2008.

Entering the U.S.

After two years at Queen’s University, Musk transferred to the University of Pennsylvania. He took on two majors, but his time there wasn’t all work and no play. With a fellow student, he bought a 10-bedroom fraternity house, which they used as an ad hoc nightclub.

Musk graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics and a second bachelor's degree in economics from the  Wharton School . The two majors foreshadowed Musk’s career, but it was physics that left the deepest impression.

“(Physics is) a good framework for thinking,” he would say later. “Boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there.”

Musk was 24 years old when he moved to California to pursue a Ph.D. in applied physics at Stanford University. But, with the Internet exploding and Silicon Valley booming, Musk had entrepreneurial visions dancing in his head. He left the Ph.D. program after just two days.

In 1995, with $15,000 and his younger brother Kimbal at his side, Musk started Zip2, a web software company that would help newspapers develop online city guides.

In 1999, Zip2 was acquired by Compaq Computer Corporation for $307 million in cash and $34 million worth of stock options. Musk used his Zip2 buyout money to create X.com, a fintech venture before that term was in wide circulation.

X.com merged with a money transfer firm called Confinity, and the resulting company came to be known as PayPal. Peter Thiel ousted Musk as PayPal CEO before eBay ( EBAY ) bought the payments company for $1.5 billion, but Musk still profited from the buyout via his 11.7% PayPal stake.

“My proceeds from PayPal after tax were about $180 million,” Musk said in a 2018 interview. “$100 (million) of that went into SpaceX, $70 (million) into Tesla, and $10 (million) into SolarCity. And I literally had to borrow money for rent.”

In 2017, Musk purchased the X.com domain name back from PayPal, citing its sentimental value.

Musk became involved with the electric cars venture as an early investor in 2004, ultimately contributing about $6.3 million, to begin with, and joined the team, including engineer Martin Eberhard, to help run a company then known as Tesla Motors. Following a series of disagreements, Eberhard was ousted in 2007, and an interim CEO was hired until Musk assumed control as CEO and product architect. Under his watch, Tesla has become the world’s most valuable automaker.

In addition to producing electric vehicles, Tesla maintains a robust presence in the solar energy space, thanks to its acquisition of SolarCity. The company currently produces rechargeable solar batteries and other solar power equipment. The Powerwall is a battery developed for home backup power. Tesla also produces commercial energy infrastructure including grid management programs.

Musk used most of the proceeds from his PayPal stake to found Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the rocket's developer commonly known as SpaceX. By his own account, Musk spent $100 million to found SpaceX in 2002 .

Under Musk’s leadership, SpaceX landed several high-profile contracts with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Air Force to design space launch rockets. Musk has publicized plans to send an astronaut to Mars by 2025 in a collaborative effort with NASA.

The company was founded in March 2006 as Twitter by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams. Originally a private company, it went public in November 2013. It raised $1.8 billion through its initial public offering (IPO) .

Musk joined the site in June 2009. A frequent poster on the messaging network, Musk disclosed a 9.2% stake in Twitter in March 2022. The company responded by offering Musk a seat on the board, which he accepted before declining days later. Musk then sent a bear hug letter to the board proposing to buy the company at $54.20 per share.

The company’s board adopted a poison pill provision to discourage Musk from accumulating an even larger stake, but they ultimately accepted Musk’s offer after he disclosed $46.5 billion in committed financing for the deal in a securities filing.

In July 2022, Musk attempted to cancel the deal , arguing that X had failed to provide certain information regarding fake accounts. The company sued Musk to require him to complete the deal.

After months of legal wrangling, the billionaire’s plan to buy the social media platform came to fruition, and Musk took control of the company on October 28, 2022. The company was renamed X the following year.

During his May 8, 2021, appearance on the TV show Saturday Night Live , Musk revealed that he has Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. “I’m actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL . Or at least the first to admit it,” he said. How does the neurodevelopment condition manifest itself? “I don’t always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak, which I’m told makes for great comedy,” Musk explained.

On September 7, 2018, Musk smoked cannabis during a filmed interview for The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Just a month earlier, Musk posted an infamous tweet claiming he was considering taking Tesla private and had secured the needed funding. Musk subsequently settled a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) complaint alleging he knowingly misled investors with the tweet by paying a $20 million fine along with the same penalty for Tesla and agreeing to let Tesla’s lawyers approve tweets with material corporate information before posting.

In March 2022, Musk filed a court motion to overturn the consent decree stemming from that case. In April 2022 during a live TED Talk, Musk called the SEC regulators on the case “bastards.”

Is Elon Musk Married?

Elon Musk has been divorced three times—twice from his second wife, Talulah Riley. From 2018 to 2022, he was in a relationship with Canadian singer/songwriter Claire Elise Boucher, professionally known as Grimes, with whom he had a son in 2020, a daughter in 2022, and a third child revealed in 2023. They remain best friends. He also has six boys (five living, one died after birth) from his first marriage to Justine Musk. He also shares twins with Shivon Zilis. Musk has a total of 11 children.

How Rich Is Elon Musk?

Elon Musk’s net worth was estimated at $207 billion as of June 24, 2024, making him the second wealthiest person on the planet.

Was Elon Musk Born Rich?

No, Elon Musk was born into a middle-class family. In 1995, when he founded Zip2, he reportedly had more than $100,000 in student debt and struggled to pay rent.

What Does Elon Musk Do at Tesla?

Elon Musk is officially listed as the co-founder and chief executive officer of Tesla on the company’s website. In a 2021 securities filing, the company disclosed an additional Musk title as “Technoking of Tesla.”

What Companies Does Elon Musk Own?

Elon Musk is a large stakeholder in several companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Co., Neuralink, and X Corp .

Musk’s early interests in philosophy, science fiction, and fantasy novels are reflected in his idealism and concern with human progress—and in his business career. He works in fields he has identified as crucial to humanity’s future, notably the transition to renewable energy sources, space exploration, and the Internet.

Musk has defied critics, disrupted industries, and made the most money anyone ever has from PayPal, Tesla Motors, SolarCity, and SpaceX—game changers all, despite the inevitable missteps.

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Elon Musk Biography

Birthday: June 28 , 1971 ( Cancer )

Born In: Pretoria, South Africa

Elon Musk is one of the greatest and most prolific modern inventors and is responsible for monumental advancements in futuristic technology like renewable energy and space travel. Many of his innovations seem to be right out of a science-fiction movie, but throughout his career he has brought about huge scientific breakthroughs. After making his first fortune from the internet payment service ‘PayPal’, he invested $100 million in his space travel company, ‘SpaceX’ and began building satellites, launch vehicles and other spacecraft both for NASA and for his own company, creating new milestones with his privately funded spacecraft. Many of his revolutionary ideas and inventions focus on space travel, renewable energy, commercial electric cars and other technologies, that look to a future where fossil fuels and other resources may be in shorter supply. His futuristic and visionary ideas have won him both scientific and philanthropic recognition and awards. The pop culture sometimes portrays him as a sort of real life super hero, dedicated to providing worldwide solutions to international problems. Musk looks to the future, hopes for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and continues to plan far-reaching futuristic goals such a human colony on Mars. Scroll down to learn all about this illustrious personality.

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Girlfriend: Grimes (2018)

Also Known As: Elon Reeve Musk

Age: 53 Years , 53 Year Old Males

Spouse/Ex-: Justine Musk (m. 2000–2008), Talulah Riley (m. 2010–2012; m. 2013–2016)

father: Errol Musk

mother: Maye Haldeman

siblings: Kimbal Musk , Tosca Musk

children: Damian Musk, Griffin Musk, Kai Musk, Nevada Alexander Musk (died), Saxon Musk, Xavier Musk

Born Country: South Africa

CEOs Automobile Industry

Ancestry: German American, South African American, South African Canadian

Personality: INTJ

City: Pretoria, South Africa

Founder/Co-Founder: PayPal, SpaceX, Zip2, X.com, Musk Foundation, Tesla Motors

education: University Of Pennsylvania

You wanted to know

What companies does elon musk own, what is elon musk's role at tesla, what is neuralink and what is elon musk's involvement with it, what is the hyperloop and how is elon musk associated with it, what are some notable achievements of spacex, founded by elon musk.

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Elon Musk was briefly in a relationship with American actress Amber Heard in 2016, but the couple split owing to their conflicting schedules.

Elon Musk started dating Canadian musician Grimes in 2018. In May 2020, Grimes gave birth to their son. In March 2021, Musk stated that he was single. In March 2022, Grimes revealed that they have broken up and she further stated that they welcomed a daughter through surrogacy in December 2021. 

In 2022, Insider, an American financial and business news website published court documents stating that Musk fathered twins with Shivon Zilis, the company's top executive, in November 2021. As of June 2022, Elon Musk has nine children with three different women.

See the events in life of Elon Musk in Chronological Order

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A Complete Timeline of Elon Musk’s Business Endeavors

W ith Elon Musk close to claiming a new role as owner of Twitter after a winning bid to purchase it for $44 billion this week , the billionaire entrepreneur can add the social media app to a long list of business ventures he has led, invested in, and supported over his lengthy career . Here’s a timeline of Musk’s most notable business endeavors—both successful and not—over the past three decades.

Along with his brother, Musk founded Zip2, an online business directory, as an online alternative to the standard paper yellow pages. (Google would not launch until 1998.) He sold it for over $300 million in 1999 to Compaq Computer Corporation. Musk was ousted as CEO in 1996, however, when the board of directors decided to install a more experienced leader in his stead.

1999: X.com

Musk invested some of his windfall from the Zip2 sale into his next venture: X.com, an online bank, launched with three other co-founders. X.com’s business model was innovative for its time, in that it incentivized sign-ups and eased the process of transferring funds digitally, with no need for mail or traditional banking infrastructure. In an interview with CBS MarketWatch at the time of the launch, Musk explained his business: “There are no minimum balances. You can open an account and receive a $20 promotional offer in your checking account. You can move $8 to your S&P fund, $3 each to your money market and bond fund, and be left with $6 in your checking.”

He went on to expand more philosophically on the new company: “In my view, the Internet had gone through a couple of stages and was ready for another stage,” he said. “The first stage was where people could trust the Internet for information. This was perhaps ’95 or ’96. The second was to trust the Internet for purchases and begin to use credit cards online to buy books, toys, pet food and that kind of thing. I think we’re at the third stage now where people are ready to use the Internet as their main financial repository.”

2000: PayPal

X.com merged with software company Confinity just one year later, forming PayPal , a secure online payments platform with a foundation in payments conducted for PalmPilots. PayPal would go on to be one of his most successful companies; Musk and his partners, including Confinity co-founder Peter Thiel , sold it to eBay in 2002 for a $1.5 billion stock deal. However, it was a rough start. PayPal was named at one point as one of the “worst business ideas” of 1999, and Musk himself was again removed from his role as CEO while on honeymoon in 2000 , replaced by the board with Thiel.

After going public on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 2002, eBay snapped up PayPal. They would hold onto PayPal until 2015, spinning it off into a separate entity.

2002: SpaceX

Musk next set his sights on a lofty goal: space exploration, and the future colonization Mars. In the past 20 years, SpaceX has dealt with a series of rocket launch failures and Starship explosions. But it has also become a heavy-hitter in the space industry with a number of records to its name, including being the first private company to send a craft to the International Space Station and send astronauts to orbit. It is known for its reusable rockets.

SpaceX is also behind the development of Starlink , a constellation of satellites intended to offer commercial internet service around the globe.

2002: The Musk Foundation

Founded as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Musk Foundation is one of Musk’s least-talked-about endeavors. Its stated goals including supporting renewable energy and pediatric research and education, and the developing of “safe artificial intelligence to benefit humanity.” Between 2002 and 2018 it handed out around $25 million , about half of that to OpenAI, a company owned by Musk himself. (Since 2012, Musk has also been a signatory of The Giving Pledge, in which many of the world’s richest people have committed to giving away the majority of their wealth at some point.)

2004: Tesla

These days, Musk is perhaps best known for his leadership at Tesla , the electric car company named after famed inventor Nikola Tesla. Valued at over $1 trillion at one point in 2021, Tesla was founded in 2003 by two other men; Musk entered a Series A funding round with an investment of $6.5 million, and eventually took an increasingly active role in the company. He has been CEO since 2008. The Model 3 is the most popular electric car in production today, with over one million units sold globally.

Tesla has come in for its fair share of controversy , however, from dealing with long production and fulfillment delays to safety issues with its vehicles and employee complaints about working conditions and management practices.

2006: SolarCity

Founded by his cousins in 2006, SolarCity received Musk’s patronage from the offset; he was their primary financial backer. A solar energy company that became the leading residential solar installer in the U.S. by the mid-2010s, SolarCity installed solar energy systems that were leased to residential users. Musk, via Tesla, acquired SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion in stock and incorporated it into its operations as Tesla Energy.

2015: OpenAI

Musk co-founded OpenAI as a non-profit in 2015, with a for-profit artificial intelligence research lab component; it was started with a $1 billion collective pledge from its founders. Musk has been open about his interest in developing “friendly” AI that supports humanity, but he ended up resigning from the board in 2018 due to conflicts with Tesla’s AI projects.

2016: Neuralink

Another research endeavor, Musk co-founded Neuralink in 2016 with the goal of working on “brain-machine interfaces,” or BMIs, that can be implanted directly into the body. Neuroscientists have been skeptical of Neuralink’s research and claims. While they currently conduct experiments on animals, they moved plans to begin working on human subjects to 2022.

2016: The Boring Company

Founded with the intention of helping dispel city traffic via underground tunnels as a subsidiary of SpaceX, the Boring Company is one of Musk’s side projects. Its aim: build tunnels. They first experimented by tunneling under the SpaceX factory in California. The Boring Company became an independent entity in 2018, and in 2021 completed a tunnel project in Las Vegas to shuttle visitors beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is currently working on further tunnel projects in Las Vegas for underground transport. Other projects are primarily speculative.

Musk once spoke boldly about an ambitious “Hyperloop” system, creating tunnels across the country to revolutionize and speed up underground mass transport between cities. However, Hyperloop mentions have been scrubbed from the Boring Company’s website.

2022: Twitter

After buying up enough stock to make him a majority shareholder by April 1, Musk made the move to purchase Twitter for $44 billion at the end of April. His plans include making Twitter “better than ever” by “enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.”

🚀💫♥️ Yesss!!! ♥️💫🚀 pic.twitter.com/0T9HzUHuh6 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022

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Who is Elon Musk? A Look Inside the Innovator’s Life

When asked about how close Tesla came to bankruptcy, Elon Musk responded on his Twitter account, “Closest we got was about a month. The Model 3 ramp was extreme stress & pain for a long time—from mid-2017 to mid-2019. Production & logistics hell.” At this time, the company hemorrhaged as Musk ramped up production, often working 120 hour work weeks. Nevertheless, his drive to meet his production goals paid off in more than one way. In January 2021, Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX briefly surpassed Jeff Bezos as the world’s wealthiest person according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index . A rise in Tesla’s stock price is what caused the changing of hands. 

Elon Musk’s Companies

Zip2 corporation .

Musk was an early adopter of building companies using the World Wide Web. For this reason, he and his brother Kimbal started Zip2 Corporation. In summary, the business created city guide software and licensed it out to organizations like The New York Times, Hearst, Chicago Tribune, and Knight-Ridder . 

The Musks’ hard work paid off. Four years later, Compaq bought Zip2 for $307 million. Musk walked away from the deal with $22 million. This success was the foundational building block that made founding his future companies possible. 

After receiving his PayPal payout, Musk said in his 2012 commencement speech at the California Institute of Technology, “Going from PayPal, I thought, well, ‘What are some of the other problems that are likely to most affect the future of humanity?’ Not from the perspective, ‘What’s the best way to make money?’ but instead, ‘What do I think is going to most affect the future of humanity?” 

Top History-Making Launches

After Falcon 1, Musk developed and launched Falcon 9. This two-stage rocket transports supplies, satellites, and people. It made history by becoming the first reusable orbital rocket to make a vertical propulsive take-off and landing. As of 2020, rockets in the Falcon 9 family have been launched 107 times. 

Falcon 9 uses the Dragon and Dragon 2 spacecraft to deliver cargo and carry up to seven passengers to the ISS. The Dragon 2 had its first crewed flight to the ISS on May 30, 2020. This achievement made SpaceX the first private company to send astronauts to space.

The 2018 Falcon Heavy launch marked a historic moment when SpaceX became the first company to have a private spacecraft orbit the sun. Most notably, Musk sent his red Tesla Roadster on the mission with a mannequin (Starman) that looks like an astronaut sitting at the wheel. 

With all of the time and energy Musk has poured into SpaceX, it’s hard to imagine he’s also simultaneously running another wildly successful company: Tesla. Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning incorporated Tesla in 2003. Musk initially invested 6.5 million into the company and became chairman of their board of directors. He helped lead the company in receiving sufficient funding to begin the production of Tesla’s first electric vehicle, the Roadster. 

Tesla’s Rocky Start with the Roadster

Although the Roadster made its debut in 2006, general production didn’t actually begin until 2008, which was a rough year for Musk. Amidst a divorce and SpaceX quickly running out of money, Tesla was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Then the Christmas miracle happened. SpaceX received funding from NASA and Tesla’s investors pulled through. Reflecting back on this moment years later, Musk tweeted , “That funding round completed 6pm on Christmas Eve in 2008. Last hour of last day possible, as investors were leaving town that night & we were 3 days away from bankruptcy. I put in all money I had, didn’t own a house & had to borrow money from friends to pay rent. Difficult time.” 

Other Tesla Models 

Since the Roadster debacle, Tesla has produced the Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model, and Model Y. In 2013, the Model S was the first electric car to ever win Motor Trend’s “Ultimate Car of the Year.” The Model 3, another production nightmare for Musk, launched in 2019 after significant delays. Nevertheless, critics widely revere the Model 3 as an affordable, safe, luxury vehicle. In 2020, it became the world’s highest-selling plug-in electric car.

SolarCity Acquisition

In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity, a solar energy production company, for $2.6 billion. The business deal is part of Musk’s “ Master Plan Part Deux ” for Tesla. He explains in the post that providing solar power was always a part of his vision for Tesla. The acquisition allows him to “Create a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar-roof-with-battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world.” The move gets the company one step closer to making this feat a reality. 

Shareholders brought a lawsuit against Musk for purchasing SolarCity. Many felt the acquisition was nothing more than a bailout. Two of his cousins were the company’s founders and Elon was the largest shareholder. When acquired, SolarCity was actually losing money. The complaint states that Musk and the Tesla board failed shareholders by breaching their fiduciary duties. The lawsuit settled in 2020 for $60 million. 

Business Success

The boring company (tbc).

Each project builds “loops.” As described on The Boring Company website a “Loop is an all-electric, zero-emissions, high-speed underground public transportation system in which passengers are transported via compatible Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AEVs) at up to 150 miles per hour through Main Artery Tunnels between stations. AEVs are Tesla vehicles (Model S, 3, and X) that operate autonomously within the Loop system.”

Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Ilya Sutskever, and Greg Brockman founded OpenAI, a capped-profit company, in 2015. As described on their website , the business launched for “research and deployment” purposes that ensure artificial general intelligence (AGI) “benefits all of humanity.” It is no wonder Musk invested in this type of organization. On numerous occasions, he’s warned the public about the potential deadly outcomes of AI. When sharing a few insightful reads about AI development on Twitter, he added, “We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.” He also told CNBC correspondent Kelly Evans, “I like to just keep an eye on what’s going on with artificial intelligence. I think there is a potential dangerous outcome there.” 

In 2018, OpenAI shared in a blog post that Musk had left the board. The company announced, “Elon Musk will depart the OpenAI Board but will continue to donate and advise the organization. As Tesla continues to become more focused on AI, this will eliminate a potential future conflict for Elon.”

Neuralink Corporation

Elon Musk has a grand vision of what Neuralink can do for human civilization. In 2020, he revealed Neuralink’s first brain implant prototype that helps paralyzed individuals operate robotic limbs and smartphones using their minds. In a live demonstration showing the device working on a pig, he stated that the implant’s correction or alteration of electrical signals made by neurons in the brain can “solve everything from memory loss, hearing loss, blindness, paralysis depression, insomnia, extreme pain, seizures, anxiety, addiction, strokes, brain damage.” 

Personal Life

Elon musk’s nationality, relationships and children, controversies, philanthropy and donations.

In 2002, Musk founded the Musk Foundation, which has been his primary vehicle for charitable gifts. In total, he has donated around $257 million to his foundation toward supporting education, sustainability, interplanetary exploration, STEM studies, and AI safety research and development. He also signed The Giving Pledge . As described on the website, it is: “An open invitation for billionaires, or those who would be if not for their giving, to publicly commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.”

What Does the Future Have in Store for Elon Musk?

It’s paradoxical that the world-famous billionaire doesn’t seem to be driven by money.

At the top of Musk’s priority list is establishing a colony on Mars. His goal is to land humans there with Starship in 2026. By 2050, his goal is for around 1 million people to live on Mars. Before he does this, though, he plans to send Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to the moon in 2023. 

5 Things You May Not Know About Elon Musk

He developed and sold a video game at age 12

The budding CEO got his start in the technology industry after seeing a computer in a store for the first time at age 10. He learned to program and developed the code for a shooting-spaceship game called Blastar, which he sold to a computer magazine for $500. Naturally, the boy with grand ambitions didn't stop there, and he devised plans with his younger brother, Kimbal, to open an arcade near their school. However, those plans were nixed when their parents refused to provide their legal consent for a permit, and the brothers wound up selling chocolates to classmates instead.

He spent just two days at Stanford University

Musk enrolled at Stanford in 1995 for graduate studies in applied physics, but by that point, he was consumed with the game-changing capabilities of the internet. When applying for academic deferment, Musk said he would return in six months if his endeavors didn't pan out; the department chairman replied that he didn't expect to see the young computer whiz again, a prediction that proved 100 percent accurate. Musk went on to found Zip2, which established an online presence for brick-and-mortar organizations, and by the time Compaq swooped in to buy the company four years later, there was little need to resume his formal education.

He inspired the creation of a solar power company

In 2004, Musk was driving with his cousin Lyndon Rive to Burning Man, the annual late-summer festival held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. A successful software entrepreneur in his own right, Rive confessed a desire to embark on a more meaningful enterprise. Musk suggested he consider the possibilities of solar power, and over the course of the drive and subsequent hedonism in the desert, the idea blossomed. Rive and his brother Peter created SolarCity, which grew into the country’s largest solar provider with their cousin on board as chairman. Something about Burning Man clearly fires up Musk’s imagination; he claims to have conceived the idea of a vertical takeoff and landing electric plane at the festival, calling it a "very creative place."

He is the real-life model for 'Iron Man's' Tony Stark

When Iron Man writer and director Jon Favreau was exploring ways to humanize the character of Tony Stark, the charismatic, super-smart protagonist of the comic book and movie series, actor Robert Downey Jr. suggested he get in touch with Musk. Favreau wound up shooting parts of Iron Man 2 at the SpaceX factory, and Musk later found a way to replicate his fictional counterpart’s methods of designing rocket parts on a computer screen by waving his hands across a sensor.

He owns a James Bond car

Musk owns the Lotus Esprit from the 1977 James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me , which (spoiler alert!) turns into a submarine after Bond and his beautiful female companion zoom off a pier to escape the enemy. Known as "Wet Nellie," the stunt car languished for years in a storage unit before being sold to an anonymous buyer at a London auction in 2013. After the buyer was revealed to be Musk, he released a statement in which he expressed disappointment that the car did not actually turn into a real submarine, adding, "What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."

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Elon Musk Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

#1 New York Times bestseller

From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter.

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.

His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.

At the beginning of 2022—after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth—Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. “I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,” he said.

It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground.

For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

• Listening Length 20 hours and 39 minutes
• Author Walter Isaacson
• Narrator Jeremy Bobb, see all
• Audible release date September 12, 2023
• Language English
• Publisher Simon & Schuster Audio
• ASIN B0BX4S57GM
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
• See all details

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Customers say

Customers find the book amazing, exquisite, and well-written. They also appreciate the depth of content, saying it's refreshingly objective, presenting the facts without sugarcoating. Readers describe the biography as compelling and exciting. They find the characters fascinating and ruthless. Opinions are mixed on the storyline, with some finding it meticulously crafted and long, while others say it'd be better if it were disjointed. Customers also have mixed feelings about the content, with others finding it candid and fair, while other find it hypocritical and rash.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book captivating, displaying an exquisite balance of awe-inspiring moments coupled with grounded critique. They also appreciate the short chapters, each on a different theme. Readers say the book provides insight into both Musk’s incredible genius and ruthless. They say it’s refreshingly objective, presenting the facts without sugarcoating, allowing them to form their own opinions.

"...curious about the world-changing ideas of our time, this book is a captivating and enlightening journey that is not to be missed...." Read more

"...This biography is a masterclass in storytelling, offering a captivating and nuanced exploration of Musk's life, from his childhood to his..." Read more

"... it's a good read imo . a page turner. overall i'd say it's a study of character rather than a cut and dry accounting of what elon has done...." Read more

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Customers find the writing quality of the book well written, concise, and well structured. They also appreciate the key insights and creative approach.

"...The prose flows seamlessly , keeping the reader engaged and eager to turn the page.Timely and Relevant:..." Read more

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"...The book is well written . The writer shadowed Musk for two years and experienced first hand his genius and his flaws ...." Read more

"Good read. Well written and researched. About a lucky guy who made a lot of money early in his career...." Read more

Customers find the book refreshingly objective, presenting the facts without sugarcoating. They also describe Elon as very intelligent, interesting, and erratic. Customers appreciate the past and present, and never giving up. They say the book is factual, amusing, and written unbiased.

"...of Elon Musk and his ventures, I found this book to be an incredibly insightful and inspiring read that goes far beyond the typical biography...." Read more

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"...And about Elon Musk - an amazing guy - temperamental, moody , genius, flawed, spontaneous. He has accomplished so much in such a short time...." Read more

"Good read. Well written and researched . About a lucky guy who made a lot of money early in his career...." Read more

Customers find the biography compelling, extraordinary, and candid. They also appreciate the author's believable and commendable portrayal of the main characters.

"...In conclusion, "Elon Musk" by Walter Isaacson is an exceptional biography that offers a profound and intimate look at the life and mind of a modern..." Read more

"...This biography is a masterclass in storytelling , offering a captivating and nuanced exploration of Musk's life, from his childhood to his..." Read more

"...enjoyed the book, appreciated the subject's quirks & the author's honesty . Would highly recommend this book...." Read more

"...Beautifully written, honest and unbiased. Couldn’t put it down!" Read more

Customers find the characters fascinating, awesome, and flawed. They also say the author does a fantastic job portraying an unbiased depiction of Musk's work, family life, and moral. Readers also mention that the portrait is both nuanced and comprehensive.

"...automotive industry, Musk's visionary ideas are portrayed with enthusiasm and intellectual depth ...." Read more

"...And about Elon Musk - an amazing guy - temperamental, moody, genius, flawed , spontaneous. He has accomplished so much in such a short time...." Read more

" Interesting character . Well written" Read more

"...Isaacson tackles it all, painting a portrait that's both nuanced and comprehensive...." Read more

Customers find the visual presentation of the book insightful, unique, and thoughtful. They also say the book provides a comprehensive look at Elon Musk's life.

"..." by Walter Isaacson is an exceptional biography that offers a profound and intimate look at the life and mind of a modern visionary...." Read more

"...over the last few years, it really shows the good, the bad, and the ugly . Mostly good, crazy, and mind boggling things...." Read more

"Another great biography by Walter Isaacson. A very thorough look at a modern day Einstein and the hard work he puts in and a look at some of his..." Read more

"...Still, an important and unbiased look at the Nicola Tesla of our age." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline. Some find the narrative outstanding and a page turner, while others say it's disjointed, time jumping at times, and confusing. They also say the book is long and the ending is disappointing.

"... Compelling Narrative Style :Walter Isaacson's storytelling skills are evident throughout the book...." Read more

"...But this was different. Its short chapters and sub chapters made it very readable...." Read more

"...is accurate, though as a genuine believer in that mission, seemed awfully short ...." Read more

"...It is full of amazing events and details about what happens in parts of the world, including the world of AI, of which ordinary people know close to..." Read more

Customers are mixed about the content. Some find the author extraordinarily candid and fair in his commentaries about the main characters. They also appreciate Elon Musk's audacity, visions, drive, and result. However, some customers say the book is grossly inept, boring, and disjointed. They say it's not purposefully dishonest and not good journalism.

"...he asked a few days after Gates’s visit. “It’s pure hypocrisy . Why make money on the failure of a sustainable energy car company?”"..." Read more

"...Isaacson's work is a testament to the power of biography to inspire, educate , and entertain." Read more

"...It was also the most boring ten pages of the book and I'm unsure why he decided to do that...." Read more

"...also it was hilarious ...." Read more

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Author, Historian & Independent Journalist

The Very Precious Life of Elon Musk

21 August 2024

By Gwynne Dyer

Elon Musk is heading for a crash. It’s only a matter of time before one or another of his random enthusiasms brings him down. But if I had the power I would guarantee him at least two more years of solvency before he loses control of his companies, his great wealth, and possibly even his freedom.

My apparent sympathy for Musk gets me a lot of flak from my wife, one of my sons, and most of my friends, who cannot wait to see him go under. He is so arrogant, so erratic and so wrong-headed in his politics (he must be reading Ayn Rand) that his downfall will give great pleasure to millions.

And the downfall is almost certainly coming soon. As the entrepreneur and professor Scott Galloway recently remarked: “No company with over $1bn in revenue has ever lost 60% of its revenues in a 12-month period, in a non-war period.,,,Twitter is literally the worst-performing business in history.” (Like many people, he’s still reluctant to call it X.)

The whole X debacle demonstrates the rapid decline in Musk’s business acumen. He offered far too much to buy Twitter, the delighted owners immediately accepted, Musk tried to back out, the courts forced him to go through with the deal, and he ended up owning a slowly declining business that gave him (so he imagined) a serious voice in US politics.

As any 10-year-old could have told him, if he effectively abandoned serious monitoring and opened Twitter/X to every hate-filled ranter with some lies to peddle, the advertisers who are the real source of his cash flow will take their distance from his site.

But Musk told the advertisers to “go fuck yourself” if they didn’t want to advertise on his platform, so almost all his big accounts pulled out. Now, less than a year later, he is suing those same advertisers for not advertising on his platform. Good luck with that one.

In the meantime, Musk seems to be covering X’s losses by pulling money out of his most successful business, Tesla. He’s so rich that this can go on for a long time (unless Tesla’s shareholders revolt), but it’s definitely not good practice.

Why is he behaving like this? ‘Megalomania’ is not a precise term in psychology, but it usually get worse with time and he certainly fits that pattern. Another informal term that probably applies to him is ‘on the spectrum’. While that can actually be an asset in some business contexts, it is not playing well for him.

So why should we care what happens to Musk?

The world owes him some gratitude for pioneering electric cars when nobody else was really working at it (and he did it specifically to alleviate the climate crisis), but if Tesla failed now other electric vehicle manufacturers would quickly fill the market gap. However, he still has another job to do, and if he’s not available it may not happen at all.

The fifth iteration of his giant ‘Starship’ heavy lift rocket will fly this month or next, and with every iteration it gets a bit closer to delivering the kind of performance that will transform space flight.

Every flight so far has crashed into the sea, but that’s the development method Musk uses: launch it, find out what made it fail, fix it, and launch again. It will probably take about another five flights before he gets it all right, so that’s around a year. Then another year of many flawless launches and landings before it is certified for manned flight.

And then Musk ceases to be the indispensable man. Nobody else has had the will, the skill and the money to make this thing happen, but once it is certified anybody can manage the exploitation of the reusable Starship/heavy booster combination. That will open up the entire solar system for human beings.

Reducing the cost of getting a kilogram into orbit by 99%, which is the plausible claim he makes for Starship, is not an improvement. It’s a revolution. But if Musk goes bankrupt and SpaceX also gets tied up in the courts for many years – as it is increasingly possible to imagine – then the whole thing could go down the drain.

If you don’t care about the human race getting out into the universe, or at least into our own wider neighbourhood, then go ahead and hate Musk. But if you do care, then acknowledge that Musk needs two more years to make that future possible, and ask whatever gods may be to grant him that time.

_______________________________

To shorten to 750 words, omit paragraph 8. (“Why is he behaving…for him”)

Gwynne Dyer’s new book is ‘Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the World’s Climate Engineers’.

11 WTF Moments From the New Biography ‘Elon Musk’

• By Miles Klee

Tuesday saw the release of Elon Musk , author Walter Isaacson’s mammoth new biography of the controversial tech mogul , and hardly a chapter of the nearly 700-page book goes by without a weird anecdote about the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s eccentric, sometimes self-destructive behavior. We are treated to insights about volatile relationships with family and partners, his caustic managerial style, and the toll that burnout takes as Musk struggles to deliver on promises of a fantastical future. Isaacson had total access to Musk himself, and, throughout the narrative, features perspectives from dozens of people in Musk’s inner circle (or formerly close with him) on exactly what makes the man tick.

The Emotional Wreckage of Musk’s First Marriage

Musk split with his first wife, Justine Musk, in 2008, after the relationship devolved into constant and bitter verbal fights, with Musk saying things like, “If you were my employee, I would fire you” or calling her an “idiot,” Justine told Isaacson. She also recalled once trying to explain the concept of empathy to Musk, but he said his lack of such a quality gave him an advantage when it came to running major companies. He also grew irritated by her suggestions that he try therapy, and blamed her own anger on Adderall, which a psychiatrist had prescribed to her for attention deficit disorder. Justine Musk said that although the drug was “an amazing help” for her, Elon “would go around the house throwing away the pills” that he believed were contributing to their marital strife.

Musk Has Suffered From Years of Neck and Back Pain Because of a Birthday Party Stunt

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Tesla’s Autopilot has been involved in hundreds of car crashes and at least 17 fatalities , with such accidents surging along with increased use of the system. Surely, Musk’s habit of exaggerating what it can do hasn’t helped. Though when it comes to Autopilot-involved deaths, he doesn’t seem to think they matter much in the grand scheme, believing the tech “should be judged not on whether it prevented accidents but instead on whether it led to fewer accidents.” After the first two reported Autopilot-involved fatalities in 2016, Musk did not immediately issue a statement, and Isaacson notes that he “could not understand why one or two deaths caused by Tesla Autopilot created an outcry when there were more than 1.3 million traffic deaths annually.” He then got angry during a press conference where reporters opened with questions about those accidents, firing back that they were the ones “killing” people if they turned public sentiment or government regulators against autonomous driving systems.

What Was Secretly on Musk’s Mind During a Rolling Stone Interview

In 2017, Musk gave an interview to Neil Strauss for a Rolling Stone cover story . He seemed distracted from the beginning and walked out on Strauss, coming back several minutes later to explain that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend, actress Amber Heard . Later in the conversation, Musk spoke unforgivingly of his estranged father, Errol Musk. “He was such a terrible human being,” Musk said. “Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.” He didn’t offer specifics at the time, but Isaacson reveals that shortly before this, Musk had learned that in 2016, Errol had impregnated Jana Bezuidenhout, a woman more than four decades younger, whom Errol had raised as his stepdaughter. Elon and his siblings were profoundly disturbed by the news, which seemed to weigh on him during his talk with Strauss, who wrote, “There is clearly something Musk wants to share, but he can’t bring himself to utter the words.”

The Personal Turmoil Behind the Infamous ‘Pedo Guy’ Tweet

An unexpected consequence of smoking weed on joe rogan’s show.

Musk’s 2018 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience was intended to be a bit of damage control at a precarious time for the CEO, who was seen as increasingly erratic. So, naturally, when Rogan offered him a toke on a tobacco-and-cannabis blunt, he confirmed that it was legal before gamely taking a puff. Even so, Tesla investors were rattled as the image of Musk wreathed in pot smoke went viral, and the company’s share price tumbled to almost its lowest point that year. There was one other, hidden ramification, too: “SpaceX was a NASA contractor, and they are big believers in the law,” Musk is quoted as saying in the biography. That meant, for the next couple of years, he was subject to random drug tests. “Fortunately,” he said, “I really don’t like doing illegal drugs.”

Why Musk and Grimes Got into Couples’ Spats

Throughout their courtship and co-parenting journey, Musk and occasional girlfriend Grimes have had their share of blowups, some of them sparked by truly unusual behavior. In 2021, for example, he was obsessed with the civilization strategy game The Battle of Polytopia , which in time began to distract him from work meetings and social events. Grimes started playing as well, noting that video games are one of Musk’s only outlets for relaxation, but, she said, “he takes those so seriously that it gets very intense.” In one game they played together, having agreed to an alliance, she betrayed him with a surprise attack, triggering “one of our biggest fights ever.” When she tried to argue it was only a game and not a big deal, he said, “It’s a huge fucking deal,” and didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day. On the flip side, Grimes was angry with Musk when he sent a photo of her having a C-section during childbirth to friends and family, without her consent. “He was just clueless about why I’d be upset,” she told Isaacson.

When Musk’s Reproductive Habits Made for a Curious Coincidence

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At the end of 2022, as Musk tried to get Twitter under control in the wake of a contentious acquisition, he expressed an alarming opinion of a humanitarian crisis in China. Talking to reporter Bari Weiss, Isaacson writes, he said that “Twitter would indeed have to be careful about the words it used regarding China, because Tesla’s business could be threatened.” He also told her that the country’s repression of the Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim minority group, had two sides. The Chinese government is placing this population in concentration camps and has been widely accused of crimes against humanity with the U.S. even going so far as to call it “ genocide .”

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Trump Needs Elon Musk’s Money — But Still Thinks He’s a ‘Boring’ Weirdo

There are few who personally endure Elon Musk who don’t end up finding him uniquely off putting. That includes his political ally, former President Donald Trump, who is also nowadays increasingly relying on billionaires like Musk to use their considerable fortunes to put him back in the White House.

Trump has publicly cozied up to the Tesla CEO — telling rallygoers “I love Elon Musk” and touting the support of the world’s richest man. Trump has floated giving Musk an adviser or cabinet role in his administration. He also recently participated in an embarrassing, glitch-ridden X Spaces conversation with Musk.

None of that means that Trump actually likes Musk. According to a person close to the twice-impeached convicted felon, Trump “thinks he’s weird. Sorry to use a word used a lot by Democrats now.” This source has spoken to the former president about Musk as recently as July. Another source, who has been in the room multiple times over the years when Trump has spoken privately about Musk, relays to Rolling Stone that Trump has at times, as recently as in the past few months, said that Musk is “boring,” annoying, and prone to mood swings.

That may sound rich, coming from Donald J. Trump, who is arguably all three of those things to a galling degree. Still, it underscores Trump’s own ability to recognize the inherent weirdness or unpopular traits of some of his most prominent political backers. For instance, Trump has long understood, in a way that many conservative leaders have not, that it is imperative for the GOP’s electoral successes that Republicans relentlessly about what their plans are on abortion, because most Americans find their views repulsive.

In the past, Trump and Musk have publicly feuded, with the former gratuitously insulting the latter, in part because Musk said it was time to move on from Trump in 2022 and supported Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 Republican primary bid.

“When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all his many subsidized projects,” Trump wrote in 2022, “whether it’s electric cars that don’t drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he’d be worthless, and telling me how he was a big Trump fan and Republican, I could have said, ‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it.”

Around that same time, Trump also called Musk a “bullshit artist.”

Nowadays, they’ve patched things up and formed an explicit political alliance. Musk is spearheading a Super PAC supporting Trump’s presidential campaign. It’s not clear how much Musk has donated to the effort — he repeatedly denied a report that he planned to donate $45 million per month to the group, after Trump bragged about it at a rally — but the Super PAC has already spent $37 million to help Trump secure a second term.

In the last two weeks, it’s ramped up spending, dropping more than $16 million on outreach.

Sources note that while Trump obviously says some nicer things privately about Musk now, he still sometimes peppers in his ruder assessments. Indeed, even publicly, Trump’s true feelings find ways of trickling out on occasion. The former president recently described Musk as “a very different kind of a guy,” which sources close to Trump describe as not a compliment.

When asked about the reporting on the harsher private words Trump has had for Musk recently, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung simply tells Rolling Stone the former president and Musk “agree on the big issues facing our country, and that Kamala Harris must be stopped before she completely destroys America,” adding: “That’s why so many people from all political backgrounds have united behind President Trump to Make America Great Again.”

But the former president’s change of tone when it comes to Musk, especially compared to two years ago, is blatantly transactional. If Trump defeats Vice President Kamala Harris in November, one of the main reasons why will be because of Musk’s money.

A Trump victory could be a big financial win for Musk. Harris has proposed a wealth tax on households worth more than $100 million, as well as an increase in the corporate tax rate, which Trump slashed as president. Musk, worth a reported $247 billion , posted on X that Harris’ economic agenda “leads to bread lines and ugly shoes.”

Trump, meanwhile, is pitching to wealthy donors that they need to fund him so he can protect their tax cuts, and cut the corporate tax rate even further.

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Trump eyes Elon Musk for cabinet or cost-cutting role

Former President Donald Trump expressed interest in including Elon Musk in his cabinet or as a federal cost-cutting consultant. Praising Musk as a genius, Trump suggested Musk could offer valuable advice on AI and federal expenditures. The discussion highlights Musk’s growing political involvement, especially with Trump’s potential return to power.

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By María Paula Mijares Torres and Josh Wingrove

Former President Donald Trump says he would put Elon Musk in his cabinet if the world’s richest person had the bandwidth, adding that that it was likelier that he’d involve the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive officer as a federal cost-cutting consultant.

“I’d put him into cabinet, absolutely, but I don’t know how he could do that with all the things he’s got going,” said Trump, speaking in an interview with former Navy Seal Shawn Ryan and praising Musk as a genius. “But he could sort of, as the expression goes, ‘consult’ with the country and give you some very good ideas, like on AI,” he said.

“What he really would like to do is get involved in cutting some of the fat, and he does know how to do it,” Trump added, in the interview posted online Monday.

The musings are the latest chapter in the Trump-Musk saga, which also included a lengthy, albeit glitchy, discussion between the two earlier this month on Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. In that, Musk — who has increasingly aligned himself with right-leaning figures and causes — called for a government commission reviewing federal expenditures.

“I’d be happy to help out on such a commission,” he said.

Trump said he’s in favor of the idea, labeling Musk the “greatest cutter.”

Read More:  Musk Cozies Up to Trump, Pitches Administration Role for Himself

As of Aug. 26, the Trump-Musk interview had been viewed more than 275 million times, according to X, though that figure captures users who simply scroll past it. Actual audience size, particularly extended viewership, is likely far lower. Trump instead said it was higher, telling Ryan that he heard 750 million people — more than double the US population — listened to his chat with Musk.

Musk endorsed Trump for president last month. He also created a super political action committee to support Trump’s reelection effort. 

I am willing to serve pic.twitter.com/BJhGbcA2e0 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024

Musk has taken on a more active role in Washington in recent years, with his companies boasting sizable government contracts. Musk is poised to be an even bigger player if Trump returns to power. He’s grown closer to the GOP nominee, advising him on electric vehicles and cryptocurrency policy — a reversal from a once-rocky relationship that saw the two publicly trade insults.

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11 celebrities who moved to Texas on why it's the best place for them

• Texas has become one of the top destinations for movers in the US.
• Its business-friendly climate and lower cost of living attract people from all walks of life.
• Supermodel Bella Hadid and actress Emma Stone are among the celebrities who have moved to Texas.

Texas is popular for many reasons.

The second-largest US state is the birthplace of the iconic musician Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter as well as NFL star Michael Strahan and actresses Selena Gomez and Reneé Zellweger.

It's also home to a beloved football team, the Dallas Cowboys , and internationally famous festivals including South by Southwest (SXSW).

Beyond its cultural significance, Texas has a reputation for its affordability , largely due to its relatively lower cost of living and absence of state income tax. This personal-finance appeal, combined with a business-friendly environment, has attracted entrepreneurs and their companies over the years.

Word has gotten out — and cities in the Lone Star State often lead lists of top places Americans are moving to.

According to a Business Insider analysis of individual-level data from the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey , over 668,300 people moved to Texas between 2021 and 2022, the most recent time period for which data is available. This makes Texas the second-most popular destination in the US for movers, just behind Florida , which had about 739,000 inbound movers during the same period.

Among the hordes of movers to Texas are several celebrities. This reflects a broader trend of wealth realignment in the United States, where even the proverbial Joneses are moving to areas where their money goes further and the weather is more favorable.

Consider supermodel Bella Hadid , who moved to Fort Worth, Texas, this year to live with her professional horseman boyfriend, Adan Banuelos. Actress Emma Stone and comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan have decamped from LA to Austin in recent years.

Many other stars have also relocated to Texas.

Business Insider has compiled a list of 11 notable celebrities and businesspeople who have moved themselves — and in some cases, their businesses — to the Lone Star State.

The list is presented in alphabetical order by last name.

Bella Hadid said she moved to Texas for her health.

After spending most of her life jet-setting around the world trying to conquer the modeling industry, Hadid decided recently to take some time away from the spotlight.

In early 2024, she spoke to Allure about moving to Texas to focus on her mental and physical health (she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2013), and be with her cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos.

"Just as I have styled myself for years now — which I still do — I love being able to do my own hair and makeup, be happy with how I look, and get ready with my girlfriends here in Texas," Hadid told Allure . "We have the best time, and I never feel like I need to do too much."

"For the first time now, I'm not putting on a fake face. If I don't feel good, I won't go. If I don't feel good, I take time for myself. And I've never had the opportunity to do that or say that before," Hadid added. "Now when anybody sees me in pictures and they say I look happy, I genuinely am. I am feeling better; my bad days now were my old good days."

Elon Musk moved to Texas and brought his companies with him.

In July, Elon Musk vowed to move two of his companies, X and SpaceX , out of California and into Texas. He already moved Telsa to Texas in 2021.

In 2020, Musk announced that he had already moved to Texas himself at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council summit .

Musk has claimed to own a tiny home in Texas , and records show he bought a house in Austin in 2022.

Emma Stone moved to Texas after the birth of her child.

Stone, who gave birth to her first child in 2021, was looking to settle down away from the grind of California life.

In 2022, the two-time Oscar winner and her husband, David McCary, bought a several-million-dollar, four-bedroom property on 1.2 acres in Austin , according to celebrity real-estate website Dirt.com, which is now part of Robb Report.

Joe Rogan ended up in Texas once the pandemic hit.

Like many other celebs, Rogan left Los Angeles once the pandemic hit.

In a 2023 episode of his popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," he explained why he ended up in Texas.

"Then we went to the lake, and people are playing music and jumping in the water," said Rogan, adding that his kids "were like, 'We want to live here!'"

"That was it. Two months later I lived here," he said in the podcast episode.

Matthew McConaughey wanted to be closer to family.

Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves settled in Austin in 2012 after buying a 10,800-square-foot mansion.

According to a 2024 profile in Southern Living , the move to Texas was initially because of a "family crisis," when he needed to help his mother and two brothers. The couple decided to stay put and raise their three children there.

"Ritual came back," McConaughey said of being back in Texas. "Whether that was Sunday church, sports, dinner together as a family every night, or staying up after that telling stories in the kitchen, sitting at the island pouring drinks and nibbling while retelling them all in different ways than we told them before."

James Van Der Beek wanted to get his kids out of LA.

A year after renewing his vows with his wife Kimberly in Austin, the "Dawson's Creek" star moved the whole family there.

They now live on a 36-acre property.

"We wanted to get the kids out of Los Angeles," Van Der Beek told Austin Lifestyle in 2021 . "We wanted to give them space and we wanted them to live in nature."

Glen Powell got tired of the lack of freedom living in Los Angeles.

The "Twisters" star , who is also a native Texan, moved back to Austin from Los Angeles recently to be close to his family and for his own mental health.

"When all you do is consume movies and entertainment, you could become a little self-aware and maybe derivative of yourself," Powell told USA Today . "Your personal life, there's no sort of freedom there, there's storytelling around that, and I feel like that's just not good for you on the long term."

Jamie Lynn Sigler has felt more connected to her craft since moving to Texas.

"The Sopranos" star moved to Austin in 2021 with her family, husband Cutter Dykstra and sons Beau and Jack.

"I almost feel more connected to my craft and why I love acting," Sigler told The New York Times in 2021 . "When the calls come in, it's a beautiful surprise. I'm still on things and I'm still a businesswoman and it's still my career, but I don't feel the pressure around it because we took a stand for ourselves and we made decisions for our families."

Haylie Duff admitted it took a while to realize she could still have an acting career without living in LA.

A native of Texas, Duff decided with her fiancé Matt Rosenberg to pack up the kids and leave California once the pandemic hit.

At first, she was nervous that the move would hurt her career.

"I think so much of my fear of moving out of Los Angeles was that my career was there and that I would never work again or something like that," she told Fox News Digital in 2022. "And, you know, I think this has all taught us that Zoom certainly can be a very powerful tool. And we can, you know, very luckily for me, get to continue to work from here, and I get to live near my dad. I haven't lived, here, near my dad in a really long time."

Since James Marsden moved to Texas, he lives closer to his mother.

The star has enjoyed visiting Austin for decades but finally decided to live there in 2020.

"I love it. I've been coming here for 20 years," he told "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in 2020 . "I'm much closer to my mom and everybody. I love it. It's great."

Scott Eastwood loves living in Texas because it "slows life down."

The son of Clint Eastwood, Scott has been methodically building his own career, showing up in the "Fast and Furious" franchise and Guy Ritchie movies.

During his downtime in Texas, he does everything from fishing to hunting.

"I think that's why people who come to Texas really can fall in love with it," he told Flaunt in 2021 from his home in Austin. "There's more community, people are more neighborly, people are nice. It slows life down a little bit. It's not this fast-paced living in a big city like New York or Los Angeles."

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