Here’s a brief biography of Elon Musk, focusing on key moments in his life and career:
Elon Musk: Biography
Full Name: Elon Reeve Musk
Born: June 28, 1971
Birthplace: Pretoria, South Africa
Citizenship: South African, Canadian, and American
Early Life and Education
• Family Background:
Elon Musk was born to Maye Musk, a Canadian model and dietitian, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer. He showed an early interest in technology and entrepreneurship.
• Programming at Age 12:
Musk taught himself to code and sold a video game called Blastar at age 12.
• Education:
He attended the University of Pretoria briefly before moving to Canada at age 17. He studied at Queen’s University and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in Physics and Economics.
Career Milestones
🧠 Zip2 (1996–1999)
• Musk’s first major venture.
• A city guide software for newspapers.
• Sold to Compaq for ~$307 million; Musk made ~$22 million.
💰 X.com and PayPal (1999–2002)
• Founded X.com, an online payment company.
• It later became PayPal after a merger.
• Sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002; Musk earned ~$165 million.
🚀 SpaceX (2002–present)
• Founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to reduce space transportation costs.
• Achievements:
• First privately funded company to send a rocket (Falcon 1) to orbit.
• Developed Falcon 9, Starship, and Dragon spacecraft.
• Contracts with NASA, including sending astronauts to the ISS.
🚗 Tesla Inc. (2004–present)
• Joined Tesla as chairman, later became CEO and product architect.
• Key developments:
• Popularized electric vehicles (EVs).
• Created models like Model S, 3, X, Y.
• Expanded into batteries and solar energy.
🌐 Other Ventures
• SolarCity (2006): Co-founded a solar energy services company (acquired by Tesla in 2016).
• Neuralink (2016): Developing brain–computer interface technology.
• The Boring Company (2016): Focused on tunnel construction and infrastructure.
• OpenAI (2015): Co-founder; now separate from his direct involvement.
• Twitter/X (2022): Acquired Twitter for ~$44 billion and rebranded it as X.
Personal Life
• Musk has been married and divorced multiple times, including to actress Talulah Riley.
• He has 10 children (as of 2025), including with musician Grimes.
• Known for working extreme hours and having a hands-on leadership style.
Net Worth
• Frequently listed among the richest people in the world.
• Net worth fluctuates based on Tesla’s stock price and SpaceX’s valuation.
• Often ranked as the world’s richest person between 2021–2023.
Legacy and Impact
• A highly polarizing figure — praised for innovation, criticized for his management style and public behavior.
• Transformed industries: electric vehicles, aerospace, finance, AI, and social media.
• Seen as a visionary with ambitions like colonizing Mars and merging AI with the human brain.