Elon Musk is a businessman, CEO, and leader of Tesla, SpaceX, and social media platform X.
Biography
- 28 June 1971 — Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa. His mom is May, a nutritionist and model, and his father is Errol, an engineer.
- 1981 – At 10, Elon received his first computer and learned programming.
- 1983 – At 12, Musk created his first computer game, Blast Star, and sold it for $500.
- 1989 — moving to Canada to study.
- 1992— Musk entered the University of Pennsylvania. Elon Musk’s education includes degrees in both physics and economics.
Career
- 1995 – Elon Musk organized Zip2, a company that developed software for newspapers to publish content online.
- 1999 – He sold Zip2 to Compaq.
- 1999 – Elon Musk’s X appeared on the market.
- 2000 – The merger of X.com and Confinity led to the emergence of PayPal. Musk resigned as CEO due to internal conflicts.
- 2002 – He sold PayPal to eBay.
- 2002 – Musk founded SpaceX, a private rocket and spacecraft development.
- 2004 – Elon Musk joined Tesla Motors, an electric car company, becoming a major investor and chairman of the board. Elon Musk’s Tesla innovations have revolutionized the electric car industry.
- 2012 – Launch of the SpaceX Dragon and the Tesla Model S.
- 2015 – Musk became chairman of the SolarCity board, a company specializing in installing solar panels for households and businesses.
- 2017 – Elon Musk announced launching the Hyperloop project.
Politics
- 2011 – Elon Musk spoke out against fossil fuel subsidies, stressing the need to transition to clean energy. At the same time, he has repeatedly used government support to develop Tesla and SpaceX.
- 2016 – Musk joined the US President’s Economic Council after Donald Trump’s victory. He explained this by wanting to influence climate policy from within.
- 2017—Musk resigned from the advisory council.
- 2020 — at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk publicly criticized quarantine restrictions in California and threatened to move Tesla’s headquarters out of the state. Later, he partially moved operations to Texas.
- 2023 – Musk accused President Joe Biden of over-supporting electric vehicle alliances that did not include Tesla and criticized the administration’s overall media, war, and inflation policies.
- 2024 – Elon Musk’s Twitter actively influenced political sentiment by restoring far-right accounts and spreading controversial content, including fakes about Ukraine, USAID, and other political topics.
- 2024 – Musk began openly expressing support for the Republican Party before the 2024 US presidential election.
Wealth
2021– became the wealthiest man in the world. Elon Musk`s net worth was about $185 billion.
Charity
Musk is actively involved in charity work through the Musk Foundation. He donates funds for research in artificial intelligence and developing renewable energy sources. Tech experts continue to debate Elon Musk’s AI warnings.
Family
Many want to learn more about Elon Musk’s spouse and relationship history.
- 2000 – he married Justine Wilson, a Canadian writer. In 2002, the couple had son, Nevada Alexander. Ten weeks after birth, the child died.
- In 2004, the couple gave birth to twins Griffin and Xavier.
- 2006 – Elon Musk’s children were born — Saxon, Kai, and Damian; they were triplets.
- 2008 – announced divorce with first wife.
- 2008 – started dating Talulah Riley, british actress. 2010, they got married, and in 2012, they filed for divorce.
- 2013 – Musk and Riley were back together officially.
October 2016 — Elon Musk’s wife and he finally divorced.
- 2017 – started dating actress Amber Heard. Later, they broke up.
- 2018 – Elon Musk began dating Canadian singer Grimes.
Scandals
October 2022 – Elon Musk posted a controversial “peace formula” on Twitter, which caused a wave of criticism. The press accused him of supporting Russian rhetoric. Tesla shares fell by 8.5%, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched a poll in response: “Is Elon Musk for Ukraine or Russia?”.
October 2023 – Musk shares a satirical cartoon of Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the social media platform X, mocking his request for Western aid.
November 2023 – Musk said it was time for Ukraine to sit down with Russia to avoid further losses at the front.
February 2024 – Musk opposed the new US financial aid package to Ukraine, calling on Americans to put pressure on senators. He believed that Putin could not lose this war and that aid to Ukraine was useless.
February 2025 – Elon Musk spread a fake video claiming that USAID paid for celebrity trips to Ukraine to boost President Zelenskyy’s popularity.
Merits
- 2008 – Esquire named him one of the 75 most influential people of the century.
- 2011 – Forbes named him among the 20 most influential CEOs under 40.
- 2011 – Businessman got the $500,000 Robert Heinlein Prize.
- 2014 – He won the Edison Achievement Award.
- 2020 – Musk won the Axel Springer Award.
- 2021 – Time magazine recognized Elon Musk as its Person of the Year.
- 2022 – Elon Musk was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) as a representative of the space industry.