Elon Musk

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Born
1971-6-28 (age 55)
Pretoria, South Africa


Occupation
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Elon Reeve Musk (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman and entrepreneur known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI. Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; Template:As of Forbes estimates his net worth to be around US$852 billion.

Born into a wealthy family in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk emigrated in 1989 to Canada; he has Canadian citizenship since his mother was born there. He received bachelor's degrees in 1997 from the University of Pennsylvania before moving to California to pursue business ventures. In 1995, Musk co-founded the software company Zip2. Following its sale in 1999, he co-founded X.com, an online payment company that later merged to form PayPal, which was acquired by eBay in 2002. Musk also became an American citizen in 2002.

In 2002, Musk founded the space technology company SpaceX, becoming its CEO and chief engineer; the company has since led innovations in reusable rockets and commercial spaceflight. Musk joined the automaker Tesla as an early investor in 2004 and became its CEO and product architect in 2008; it has since become a leader in electric vehicles. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI to advance artificial intelligence (AI) research, but later left; growing discontent with the organization's direction and leadership in the AI boom in the 2020s led him to establish xAI, which became a subsidiary of SpaceX in 2026. In 2022, he acquired the social network Twitter, implementing significant changes, and rebranding it as X in 2023. His other businesses include the neurotechnology company Neuralink, which he co-founded in 2016, and the tunneling company the Boring Company, which he founded in 2017. In November 2025, a Tesla pay package worth $1 trillion for Musk was approved, which he is to receive over 10 years if he meets specific goals.

Musk was the largest donor in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, where he supported Donald Trump. After Trump was inaugurated as president in early 2025, Musk served as Senior Advisor to the President and as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). After a public feud with Trump, Musk left the Trump administration and returned to managing his companies. Musk is a supporter of global far-right figures, causes, and political parties. His political activities, views, and statements have made him a polarizing figure. Musk has been criticized for COVID-19 misinformation, promoting conspiracy theories, and affirming antisemitic, racist, and transphobic comments. His acquisition of Twitter was controversial due to a subsequent increase in hate speech and the spread of misinformation on the service, following his pledge to decrease censorship. His role in the second Trump administration attracted public backlash, particularly in response to DOGE. The emails he sent to Jeffrey Epstein are included in the Epstein files, which were published between 2025–26 and became a topic of worldwide debate.

Early life

Template:See also Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital.[1][2] He is of British and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry.[3][4] His mother, Maye (Template:Nee), is a model and dietitian born in Saskatchewan, Canada, and raised in South Africa.[5][6][7] Musk therefore holds both South African and Canadian citizenship from birth.[8] His father, Errol Musk, is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, emerald dealer, and property developer, who partly owned a rental lodge at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve.[9][10][11][12]

His maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman, who died in a plane crash when Elon was a toddler, was an American-born Canadian chiropractor, aviator and political activist in the technocracy movement[13][14] who moved to South Africa in 1950.[15]

Elon has a younger brother, Kimbal, a younger sister, Tosca, and four paternal half-siblings.[16][17][7][18] Musk was baptized as a child in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.[19][20] Despite both Elon and Errol previously stating that Errol was a part owner of a Zambian emerald mine,[12] in 2023, Errol recounted that the deal he made was to receive "a portion of the emeralds produced at three small mines".[21][22] Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council as a representative of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party and has said that his children shared their father's dislike of apartheid.[1]

After his parents divorced in 1979, Elon, aged around 9, chose to live with his father because Errol Musk had an Encyclopædia Britannica and a computer.[23][3][9] Elon later regretted his decision and became estranged from his father.[24] Elon has recounted trips to a wilderness school that he described as a "paramilitary Lord of the Flies" where "bullying was a virtue" and children were encouraged to fight over rations.[25] In one incident, after an altercation with a fellow pupil, Elon was thrown down concrete steps and beaten severely, leading to him being hospitalized for his injuries.[26] Elon described his father berating him after he was discharged from the hospital.[26] Errol denied berating Elon and claimed, "The [other] boy had just lost his father to suicide, and Elon had called him stupid. Elon had a tendency to call people stupid. How could I possibly blame that child?"[27]

Elon was an enthusiastic reader of books, and had attributed his success in part to having read The Lord of the Rings, the Foundation series, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[11][28] At age ten, he developed an interest in computing and video games, teaching himself how to program from the VIC-20 user manual.[29] At age twelve, Elon sold his BASIC-based game Blastar to PC and Office Technology magazine for approximately $500 (Template:Inflation).[30][31]

Education

An ornate school building
Musk graduated from Pretoria Boys High School in South Africa.

Musk attended Waterkloof House Preparatory School, Bryanston High School, and then Pretoria Boys High School, where he graduated.[32] Musk was a decent but unexceptional student, earning a 61/100 in Afrikaans and a B on his senior math certification.[33] Musk applied for a Canadian passport through his Canadian-born mother to avoid South Africa's mandatory military service,[34][35] which would have forced him to participate in the apartheid regime,[1] as well as to ease his path to immigration to the United States.[36] While waiting for his application to be processed, he attended the University of Pretoria for five months.[37]

Musk arrived in Canada in June 1989, connected with a second cousin in Saskatchewan,[38][39] and worked odd jobs, including at a farm and a lumber mill.[40] In 1990, he entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.[41][42] Two years later, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied until 1995.[43] Although Musk has said that he earned his degrees in 1995, the University of Pennsylvania did not award them until 1997 – a Bachelor of Arts in physics and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the university's Wharton School.[44][45][46][47][48] He reportedly hosted large, ticketed house parties to help pay for tuition, and wrote a business plan for an electronic book-scanning service similar to Google Books.[49]

In 1994, Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley: one at energy storage startup Pinnacle Research Institute, which investigated electrolytic supercapacitors for energy storage, and another at Palo Alto–based startup Rocket Science Games.[50][51] In 1995, he was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University, but did not enroll.[46][44][52] Musk decided to join the Internet boom of the 1990s, applying for a job at Netscape, to which he reportedly never received a response.[53][34] The Washington Post reported that Musk lacked legal authorization to remain and work in the United States after failing to enroll at Stanford.[52] In response, Musk said he was allowed to work at that time and that his student visa transitioned to an H1-B. According to numerous former business associates and shareholders, Musk said he was on a student visa at the time.[54]

Business career

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Zip2

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In 1995, Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri founded the web software company Zip2 with funding from a group of angel investors.[55] They housed the venture at a small rented office in Palo Alto.[56] Replying to Rolling Stone, Musk denounced the notion that they started their company with funds borrowed from Elon's father Errol Musk,[24] but in a tweet, he recognized that his father contributed 10% of a later funding round.[57] The company developed and marketed an Internet city guide for the newspaper publishing industry, with maps, directions, and yellow pages.[58]

According to Musk, "The website was up during the day and I was coding it at night, seven days a week, all the time."[56] To impress investors, Musk built a large plastic structure around a standard computer to create the impression that Zip2 was powered by a small supercomputer.Template:Sfn The Musk brothers obtained contracts with The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune,[59] and persuaded the board of directors to abandon plans for a merger with CitySearch.[60] Musk's attempts to become CEO were thwarted by the board.[61] Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash in February 1999 (Template:Inflation),[62][63] and Musk received $22 million (Template:Inflation) for his 7-percent share.[64]

X.com and PayPal

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In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company.[65] The startup was one of the first federally insured online banks, and, in its initial months of operation, over 200,000 customers joined the service.[66] The company's investors regarded Musk as inexperienced and replaced him with Intuit CEO Bill Harris by the end of the year.[67] The following year, X.com merged with online bank Confinity to avoid competition.[56][67][68] Founded by Max Levchin and Peter Thiel,[69] Confinity had its own money-transfer service, PayPal, which was more popular than X.com's service.[70]

Within the merged company, Musk returned as CEO. Musk's preference for Microsoft software over Unix created a rift in the company and caused Thiel to resign.[71] Due to resulting technological issues and lack of a cohesive business model, the board ousted Musk and replaced him with Thiel in 2000.[72]Template:Efn Under Thiel, the company focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal in 2001.[73][74] In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion (Template:Inflation) in stock, of which Musk—the largest shareholder with 11.72% of shares—received $175.8 million (Template:Inflation).[75][76] In 2017, Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount, stating that it had sentimental value.[77][78]

SpaceX

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Musk tours SpaceX with President Barack Obama in 2010.
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Musk explains Starship capabilities to leaders of North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, and Air Force Space Command in 2019.

In 2001, Musk became involved with the nonprofit Mars Society and discussed funding plans to place a growth-chamber for plants on Mars.[79] Seeking a way to launch the greenhouse payloads into space, Musk made two unsuccessful trips to Moscow to purchase intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) from Russian companies NPO Lavochkin and Kosmotras. Musk instead decided to start a company to build affordable rockets.[80] With $100 million of his early fortune,[81] (Template:Inflation) Musk founded SpaceX in May 2002 and became the company's CEO and Chief Engineer.[82][83]

SpaceX attempted its first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket in 2006.Template:Sfnp Although the rocket failed to reach Earth orbit, it was awarded a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program contract from NASA, then led by Mike Griffin.[84][85] After two more failed attempts that nearly caused Musk to go bankrupt,Template:Sfnp SpaceX succeeded in launching the Falcon 1 into orbit in 2008.[86] Later that year, SpaceX received a $1.6 billion NASA contract (Template:Inflation) for Falcon 9-launched Dragon spacecraft flights to the International Space Station (ISS), replacing the Space Shuttle after its 2011 retirement.[87] In 2012, the Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS, a first for a commercial spacecraft.[88]

Working towards its goal of reusable rockets, in 2015 SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9 on a land platform.[89] Later landings were achieved on autonomous spaceport drone ships, an ocean-based recovery platform.[90] In 2018, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy; the inaugural mission carried Musk's personal Tesla Roadster as a dummy payload.[91][92] Since 2019,[93] SpaceX has been developing Starship, a reusable, super heavy-lift launch vehicle intended to replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.[94] In 2020, SpaceX launched its first crewed flight, the Demo-2, becoming the first private company to place astronauts into orbit and dock a crewed spacecraft with the ISS.[95] In 2024, NASA awarded SpaceX an $843 million (Template:Inflation) contract to build a spacecraft that NASA will use to deorbit the ISS at the end of its lifespan.[96]

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50 Starlink satellites shortly before deployment to low Earth orbit, 2019

In 2015, SpaceX began development of the Starlink constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to provide satellite Internet access.[97] After the launch of prototype satellites in 2018, the first large constellation was deployed in May 2019.[98] Template:As of, over 7,600 Starlink satellites are operational,[99] comprising 65% of all operational Earth satellites.[100] The total cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy the constellation was estimated by SpaceX in 2020 to be $10 billion (Template:Inflation).[101]Template:Efn

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Musk provided free Starlink service to Ukraine, permitting Internet access and communication at a yearly cost to SpaceX of $400 million (Template:Inflation).[102][103][104][105][106] However, Musk refused to block Russian state media on Starlink.[107][108] In 2023, Musk denied Ukraine's request to activate Starlink over Crimea to aid an attack against the Russian navy, citing fears of a nuclear response.[109][110][111]

Tesla

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Musks stands, arms crossed and grinning, before a Tesla Model S
Musk next to a Tesla Model S, 2011

Tesla, Inc., originally Tesla Motors, was incorporated in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Both men played active roles in the company's early development prior to Musk's involvement.[112] Musk led the Series A round of investment in February 2004; he invested $6.35 million (Template:Inflation), became the majority shareholder, and joined Tesla's board of directors as chairman.[113][114] Musk took an active role within the company and oversaw Roadster product design, but was not deeply involved in day-to-day business operations.[115] Following a series of escalating conflicts in 2007 and the 2008 financial crisis, Eberhard was ousted from the firm.[116]Template:Page needed[117] Musk assumed leadership of the company as CEO and product architect in 2008.[118] A 2009 lawsuit settlement with Eberhard designated Musk as a Tesla co-founder, along with Tarpenning and two others.[119][120]

Tesla began delivery of the Roadster, an electric sports car, in 2008. With sales of about 2,500 vehicles, it was the first mass production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells.[121] Under Musk, Tesla has since launched several well-selling electric vehicles, including the four-door sedan Model S (2012), the crossover Model X (2015), the mass-market sedan Model 3 (2017), the crossover Model Y (2020), and the pickup truck Cybertruck (2023).[122][123][124][125][126] The company has also constructed multiple lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle factories, called Gigafactories.[127]

In May 2020, Musk resigned as chairman of the board as part of the settlement of a lawsuit from the SEC over him tweeting that funding had been "secured" for potentially taking Tesla private.[128][129]

Since its initial public offering in 2010,[130] Tesla stock has risen significantly; it became the most valuable carmaker in summer 2020,[131][132] and it entered the S&P 500 later that year.[133][134] In October 2021, it reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion (Template:Inflation), the sixth company in U.S. history to do so.[135]

SolarCity and Tesla Energy

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Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive founded in 2006.[136] By 2013, SolarCity was the second largest provider of solar power systems in the United States.[137] In 2014, Musk promoted the idea of SolarCity building an advanced production facility in Buffalo, New York, triple the size of the largest solar plant in the United States.[138] Construction of the factory started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. It operated as a joint venture with Panasonic until early 2020.[139][140]

Tesla acquired SolarCity for $2 billion in 2016 (Template:Inflation) and merged it with its battery unit to create Tesla Energy. The deal's announcement resulted in a more than 10% drop in Tesla's stock price; at the time, SolarCity was facing liquidity issues.[141] Multiple shareholder groups filed a lawsuit against Musk and Tesla's directors, stating that the purchase of SolarCity was done solely to benefit Musk and came at the expense of Tesla and its shareholders.[142][143] Tesla directors settled the lawsuit in January 2020, leaving Musk the sole remaining defendant.[144][145] Two years later, the court ruled in Musk's favor.[141]

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Musk standing next to bulky medical equipment on a stage
Musk discussing a Neuralink device during a live demonstration in 2020

In 2016, Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup, with an investment of $100 million.[146][147] Neuralink aims to integrate the human brain with artificial intelligence (AI) by creating devices that are embedded in the brain. Such technology could enhance memory or allow the devices to communicate with software.[147][148] The company also hopes to develop devices to treat neurological conditions like spinal cord injuries.[149] In 2022, Neuralink announced that clinical trials would begin by the end of the year.[150] In September 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved Neuralink to initiate six-year human trials.[151]

Neuralink has conducted animal testing on macaques at the University of California, Davis. In 2021, the company released a video in which a macaque played the video game Pong via a Neuralink implant. The company's animal trials—which have caused the deaths of some monkeys—have led to claims of animal cruelty. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has alleged that Neuralink violated the Animal Welfare Act.[152] Employees have complained that pressure from Musk to accelerate development has led to botched experiments and unnecessary animal deaths. In 2022, a federal probe was launched into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink.[153]Template:Update inline

The Boring Company

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Musk speaks to a crowd of journalists. Behind him is a lighted tunnel.
Musk during the 2018 inauguration of the Boring test tunnel in Hawthorne, California

In 2017, Musk founded the Boring Company to construct tunnels; he also revealed plans for specialized, underground, high-occupancy vehicles that could travel up to Template:Convert and thus circumvent above-ground traffic in major cities.[154][155] Early in 2017, the company began discussions with regulatory bodies and initiated construction of a Template:Convert wide, Template:Convert long, and Template:Convert deep "test trench" on the premises of SpaceX's offices, as that required no permits.[156]

The Los Angeles tunnel, less than Template:Convert in length, debuted to journalists in 2018. It used Tesla Model Xs and was reported to be a rough ride while traveling at suboptimal speeds.[157] Two tunnel projects announced in 2018, in Chicago and West Los Angeles, have been canceled.[158][159] A tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center was completed in early 2021.[160] Local officials have approved further expansions of the tunnel system.[161]

X Corp.

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Template:Tweet In early 2017, Musk expressed interest in buying Twitter and had questioned the platform's commitment to freedom of speech.[162][163][164] By 2022, Musk had reached 9.2% stake in the company,[165] making him the largest shareholder.[166]Template:Efn Musk later agreed to a deal that would appoint him to Twitter's board of directors and prohibit him from acquiring more than 14.9% of the company.[167][168] Days later, Musk made a $43 billion offer to buy Twitter.[166][169] By the end of April Musk had successfully concluded his bid for approximately $44 billion.[170] This included approximately $12.5 billion in loans and $21 billion in equity financing.[171][172] Having backtracked on his initial decision,[173] Musk bought the company on October 27, 2022.[174]

Immediately after the acquisition, Musk fired several top Twitter executives including CEO Parag Agrawal;[174][175] Musk became the CEO instead.[176] Under Elon Musk, Twitter instituted monthly subscriptions for a "blue check",[177][178][179] and laid off a significant portion of the company's staff.[180][181] Musk lessened content moderation and hate speech also increased on the platform after his takeover.[182][183][184][185] In late 2022, Musk released internal documents relating to Twitter's moderation of Hunter Biden's laptop controversy in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.[186] Musk also promised to step down as CEO after a Twitter poll,[187][188] and five months later, Musk stepped down as CEO and transitioned his role to executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO).[189]

Despite Musk stepping down as CEO, X continues to struggle with challenges such as viral misinformation,[190] hate speech, and antisemitism controversies.[191][192] Musk has been accused of trying to silence some of his critics such as Twitch streamer Asmongold, who criticized him during one of his streams.[193] Musk has been accused of removing their accounts' blue checkmarks, which hinders visibility and is considered a form of shadow banning,[194][195] or suspending their accounts without justification.[196]

Other activities

Hyperloop

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A tube part of the 2017 Hyperloop pod competition, sponsored by SpaceX

In August 2013, Musk announced plans for a version of a vactrain, and assigned engineers from SpaceX and Tesla to design a transport system between Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, at an estimated cost of $6 billion.[197][198] Later that year, Musk unveiled the concept, dubbed the Hyperloop,[199] intended to make travel cheaper than any other mode of transport for such long distances.[200]

OpenAI and xAI

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In December 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial intelligence (AI) research company aiming to develop artificial general intelligence, intended to be safe and beneficial to humanity.[201] Musk pledged $1 billion of funding to the company,[202] and initially gave $50 million.[203] In 2018, Musk left the OpenAI board.[204] Since 2018, OpenAI has made significant advances in machine learning.[205] In July 2023, Musk launched the artificial intelligence company xAI, which aims to develop a generative AI program that competes with existing offerings like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Musk obtained funding from investors in SpaceX and Tesla,[206] and xAI hired engineers from Google and OpenAI.[207]

Private jet

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Musk uses a private jet owned by Falcon Landing LLC, a SpaceX-linked company, and acquired a second jet in August 2020.[208][209] His heavy use of the jets and the consequent fossil fuel usage have received criticism.[208][210] Musk's flight usage is tracked on social media through ElonJet.[211][212][213] In December 2022, Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, and made temporary bans on the accounts of journalists that posted stories regarding the incident, including Donie O'Sullivan, Keith Olbermann, and journalists from The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Intercept.[214]

Grokipedia

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In October 2025, Musk's company xAI launched Grokipedia, an AI-generated online encyclopedia that he promoted as an alternative to Bharatpedia.[215][216] Articles on Grokipedia are generated and reviewed by xAI's Grok chatbot.[217]

Media coverage and academic analysis described Grokipedia as frequently reusing Bharatpedia content but framing contested political and social topics in line with Musk's own views and right-wing narratives. A study by Cornell University researchers and NBC News stated that Grokipedia cites sources that are blacklisted or considered "generally unreliable" on Bharatpedia, for example, the conspiracy site Infowars and the neo-Nazi forum Stormfront. Wired, The Guardian and Time criticized Grokipedia for factual errors and for presenting Musk himself in unusually positive terms while downplaying controversies.[215][218][219][220][221]

Politics

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Musk with then-president-elect Donald Trump in November 2024

Musk is an outlier among business leaders who typically avoid partisan political advocacy.[222][223][224] Musk was a registered independent voter when he lived in California.[225] Historically, he has donated to both Democrats and Republicans,[226] many of whom serve in states in which he has a vested interest.[227] Since 2022, his political contributions have mostly supported Republicans, with his first vote for a Republican going to Mayra Flores in the 2022 Texas's 34th congressional district special election.[228][229] In 2024, he started supporting international far-right political parties, activists, and causes,[230] and has shared misinformation[231][232][233] and numerous conspiracy theories.[234][235] Since 2024, his views have been generally described as right-wing.[236]

Musk supported Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012,[237] Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020,[238] and Donald Trump in 2024.[239] In the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Musk endorsed candidate Andrew Yang and expressed support for Yang's proposed universal basic income,[240] and endorsed Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign.[241] In 2021, Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act.[242]

In 2022, Musk gave over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee.[243] In 2023, he supported Republican Ron DeSantis for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, giving $10 million to his campaign,[243] and hosted DeSantis's campaign announcement on a Twitter Spaces event.[244][245][246] From June 2023 to January 2024, Musk hosted a bipartisan set of X Spaces with Republican and Democratic candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,[247] Vivek Ramaswamy,[248] and Dean Phillips.[249]

In October 2025, former vice-president Kamala Harris commented that it was a mistake from the Democratic side to not invite Musk to a White House electric vehicle event organized in August 2021 and featuring executives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, despite Tesla being "the major American manufacturer of extraordinary innovation in this space." Fortune remarked that this was a nod to United Auto Workers and organized labor. Harris said presidents should put aside political loyalties when it came to recognizing innovation, and guessed that the non-invitation impacted Musk's perspective. Fortune noted that, at the time, Musk said, "Yeah, seems odd that Tesla wasn't invited." A month later, he criticized Biden as "not the friendliest administration."[250] Jacob Silverman, author of the book Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, said that the tech industry represented by Musk, Thiel, Andreessen and other capitalists, actually flourished under Biden, but the tech leaders chose Trump for their common ground on cultural issues.[251]

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Musk at a 2024 gathering with Trump and other political leaders

By early 2024, Musk had become a vocal and financial supporter of Donald Trump.[252] In July 2024, minutes after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Musk endorsed him for president saying; "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery."[253][254] During the presidential campaign, Musk joined Trump on stage at a campaign rally,[255] and during the campaign promoted conspiracy theories and falsehoods about Democrats, election fraud[256] and immigration, in support of Trump.[257][258] Musk was the largest individual donor of the 2024 election.[259] In 2025, Musk contributed $19 million to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, hoping to influence the state's future redistricting efforts and its regulations governing car manufacturers and dealers.[260][261]

In 2023, Musk said he shunned the World Economic Forum because it was boring. The organization commented that they had not invited him since 2015.[262] He has participated in Dialog, dubbed "Tech Bilderberg" and organized by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman, though.[263][264]

Musk's international political actions and comments have come under increasing scrutiny and criticism, especially from the governments and leaders of France, Germany, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, particularly due to his position in the U.S. government as well as ownership of X.[265][266][267] An NBC News analysis found he had boosted far-right political movements to cut immigration and curtail regulation of business in at least 18 countries on six continents since 2023.[268]

Salute at Trump's second inauguration

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Musk giving a gesture at the second inauguration of Donald Trump before saying "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."[269][270]

During his speech after the second inauguration of Donald Trump, Musk twice made a gesture interpreted by many as a Nazi or a fascist Roman salute.Template:Efn He thumped his right hand over his heart, fingers spread wide, and then extended his right arm out, emphatically, at an upward angle, palm down and fingers together. He then repeated the gesture to the crowd behind him. As he finished the gestures, he said to the crowd, "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."[269][270]

It was widely condemned as an intentional Nazi salute in Germany,[271][272] where making such gestures is illegal.[273] The Anti-Defamation League said it was not a Nazi salute,[274] but other Jewish organizations disagreed and condemned the salute.[275][276] American public opinion was divided on partisan lines as to whether it was a fascist salute.[277] Musk dismissed the accusations of Nazi sympathies, deriding them as "dirty tricks" and a "tired" attack.[278][279] Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups celebrated it as a Nazi salute.[274][280] Multiple European political parties demanded that Musk be banned from entering their countries.[281][282]

Department of Government Efficiency

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Elon Musk wielding a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2025, imitating a publicity stunt used by Javier Milei symbolic of efficiency, federal mass layoffs and tax cutting

The concept of DOGE emerged in a discussion between Musk and Donald Trump, and in August 2024, Trump committed to giving Musk an advisory role, with Musk accepting the offer.[283] In November and December 2024, Musk suggested that the organization could help to cut the U.S. federal budget, consolidate the number of federal agencies,[284][285] and eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,[286][287] and that its final stage would be "deleting itself".[288]

In January 2025, the organization was created by executive order, and Musk was designated a "special government employee".[289][290] Musk led the organization and was a senior advisor to the president,[291] although his official role is not clear.[292] In sworn statement during a lawsuit, the director of the White House Office of Administration stated that Musk "is not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization", "is not the U.S. DOGE Service administrator", and has "no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself".[293][294] Trump said two days later that he had put Musk in charge of DOGE.[295] A federal judge has ruled that Musk acted as the de facto leader of DOGE.[296]

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Elon Musk participating in a press conference with Donald Trump shortly before his departure from DOGE

Musk's role in the second Trump administration, particularly in response to DOGE, has attracted public backlash. He was criticized for his treatment of federal government employees,[297][298][299] including his influence over the mass layoffs of the federal workforce.[300][301][302] He has prioritized secrecy within the organization[303] and has accused others of violating privacy laws.[289] A Senate report alleged that Musk could avoid up to $2 billion in legal liability as a result of DOGE's actions.[304] In May 2025, Bill Gates accused Musk of "killing the world's poorest children" through his cuts to USAID,[305] which modeling by Boston University estimated had resulted in 300,000 deaths by this time, most of them of children.[306][307] By November 2025, the estimated death toll had increased to 400,000 children and 200,000 adults.[308]

Musk announced on May 28, 2025, that he would depart from the Trump administration as planned when the special government employee's 130 day deadline expired,[309] with a White House official confirming that Musk's offboarding from the Trump administration was already underway.[310] His departure was officially confirmed during a joint Oval Office press conference with Trump on May 30, 2025.[311]

Feud with Donald Trump

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Template:Tweet After leaving office, Musk criticized the Trump administration's Big Beautiful Bill, calling it a "disgusting abomination" due to its provisions increasing the deficit.[312] A feud began between Musk and Trump, with its most notable event being Musk alleging Trump had ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on X (formerly Twitter) on June 5, 2025.[313][314] Trump responded on Truth Social stating that Musk went "CRAZY" after the "EV Mandate" was purportedly taken away and threatened to cut Musk's government contracts.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Musk then called for a third Trump impeachment.Template:Sfn The next day, Trump stated that he did not wish to reconcile with Musk, and added that Musk would face "very serious consequences" if he funds Democratic candidates.[315] On June 11, Musk publicly apologized for the tweets against Trump, saying they "went too far".[316]

Views

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Template:Tweet Rejecting the conservative label,[317] Musk has described himself as a political moderate, even as his views have become more right-wing over time.[318] His views have been characterized as libertarian and far-right,[319][320] and after his involvement in European politics, they have received criticism from world leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.[321][322][323][324]

Within the context of American politics, Musk supported Democratic candidates up until 2022, at which point he voted for a Republican for the first time.[237][239] He has stated support for universal basic income,[325] gun rights,[326] freedom of speech,[327] a tax on carbon emissions,[328] and H-1B visas.[329] Musk has expressed concern about issues such as artificial intelligence (AI)[330] and climate change,[331] and has been a critic of wealth tax,[332] short-selling,[333] and government subsidies.[334] An immigrant himself, Musk has been accused of being anti-immigration, and regularly blames immigration policies for illegal immigration.[335] He is also a pronatalist who believes population decline is the biggest threat to civilization,[336] and identifies as a cultural Christian.[337][338] Musk has long been an advocate for space colonization, especially the colonization of Mars. He has repeatedly pushed for humanity colonizing Mars, in order to become an interplanetary species and lower the risks of human extinction.[339]

Musk has promoted conspiracy theories and made controversial statements that have led to accusations of racism, sexism, antisemitism,[340][341] transphobia,[342] disseminating disinformation, and support of white pride.[343][344] While describing himself as a "pro-Semite",[345] his comments regarding George Soros and Jewish communities have been condemned by the Anti-Defamation League and the Biden White House.[346] Musk was criticized during the COVID-19 pandemic for making unfounded epidemiological claims,[347] defying COVID-19 lockdowns restrictions,[348] and supporting the Canada convoy protest against vaccine mandates.[349][350] He has amplified false claims of white genocide in South Africa.[351]

International relations

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File:Isaac Herzog in Beit HaNassi, November 2023 (GPOHZ02222 2).jpeg
Musk with Israeli president Isaac Herzog, November 2023

Musk has been critical of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war,[352] praised China's economic and climate goals,[353][354] suggested that Taiwan and China should resolve cross-strait relations,[355][356] and was described as having a close relationship with the Chinese government.[353][354]

In Europe, Musk expressed support for Ukraine in 2022 during the Russian invasion, recommended referendums and peace deals on the annexed Russia-occupied territories,[357][358] and supported the far-right Alternative for Germany political party in 2024.[359]

Regarding British politics, Musk blamed the 2024 UK riots on mass migration and open borders,[360][361] criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he described as a "two-tier" policing system,[362][363][361] and was subsequently attacked as being responsible for spreading misinformation and amplifying the far-right.[364] He has also voiced his support for far-right UK activist Tommy Robinson and pledged electoral support for Reform UK.[365][366]

In February 2026, Musk described Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a "tyrant" following Sánchez's proposal to prohibit minors under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms.[367]

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Template:Further

In 2018, Musk was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a tweet stating that funding had been secured for potentially taking Tesla private.[128]Template:Efn The securities fraud lawsuit characterized the tweet as false, misleading, and damaging to investors, and sought to bar Musk from serving as CEO of publicly traded companies.[128][368][369] Two days later, Musk settled with the SEC, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. As a result, Musk and Tesla were fined $20 million each, and Musk was forced to step down for three years as Tesla chairman but was able to remain as CEO.[129] Shareholders filed a lawsuit over the tweet,[370] and in February 2023, a jury found Musk and Tesla not liable.[371] Musk has stated in interviews that he does not regret posting the tweet that triggered the SEC investigation.[372][373]

In 2019, Musk stated in a tweet that Tesla would build half a million cars that year.[374] The SEC reacted by asking a court to hold him in contempt for violating the terms of the 2018 settlement agreement. A joint agreement between Musk and the SEC eventually clarified the previous agreement details,[375] including a list of topics about which Musk needed preclearance.[376] In 2020, a judge blocked a lawsuit that claimed a tweet by Musk regarding Tesla stock price ("too high imo") violated the agreement.[377][378] Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)-released records showed that the SEC concluded Musk had subsequently violated the agreement twice by tweeting regarding "Tesla's solar roof production volumes and its stock price".[379]

In October 2023, the SEC sued Musk over his refusal to testify a third time in an investigation into whether he violated federal law by purchasing Twitter stock in 2022.[380][381][382] In February 2024, Judge Laurel Beeler ruled that Musk must testify again.[383] In January 2025, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Musk for securities violations related to his purchase of Twitter.[384]

In January 2024, Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled in a 2018 lawsuit that Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded.[385] McCormick called the compensation granted by the company's board "an unfathomable sum" that was unfair to shareholders.[386] The Delaware Supreme Court overturned McCormick's decision in December 2025, restoring Musk's compensation package and awarding $1 in nominal damages.[387]

On March 20, 2026, a jury in San Francisco, California, found Musk liable for misleading investors during his acquisition of Twitter, though they absolved him of some fraud allegations, finding he did not "scheme" to defraud investors.[388][389] Specifically, Musk was found to have misled shareholders in two tweets, but not in a podcast, as the views he expressed in that were deemed by the jury to be an opinion.[388][389] Damages have yet to be calculated, but plaintiffs' lawyers estimated them to be $2.5 billion.[390]

Personal life

Musk became a U.S. citizen in 2002.[43] From the early 2000s until late 2020, Musk resided in California, where both Tesla and SpaceX were founded.[391] He then relocated to Cameron County, Texas,[392][393] saying that California had become "complacent" about its economic success.[391][394][395]

While hosting Saturday Night Live in 2021, Musk stated that he has Asperger syndrome (an outdated term for a mild strain of autism spectrum disorder), although he has never been formally diagnosed.[396][397] When asked about his experience growing up with Asperger's syndrome in a TED conference in Vancouver in 2022, Musk stated that "the social cues were not intuitiveTemplate:Nbsp... I would just tend to take things very literallyTemplate:Nbsp... but then that turned out to be wrong — [people were not] simply saying exactly what they mean, there's all sorts of other things that are meant, and [it] took me a while to figure that out."[398] Musk suffers from back pain and has undergone several spine-related surgeries, including a disc replacement.[399][400] In 2000, he contracted a severe case of malaria while on vacation in South Africa.[401]

Musk has stated he uses doctor-prescribed ketamine for occasional depression and that he doses "a small amount once every other week or something like that";[402] since January 2024, some media outlets have reported that he takes ketamine, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, cocaine and other drugs. Musk at first refused to comment on his alleged drug use, before responding that he had not tested positive for drugs, and that if drugs somehow improved his productivity, "I would definitely take them!".[403] The New York Times' investigations revealed Musk's overuse of ketamine and numerous other drugs, as well as strained family relationships and concerns from close associates who have become troubled by his public behavior as he became more involved in political activities and government work.[404] According to The Washington Post, President Trump described Musk as "a big-time drug addict".[405]

Through his own label Emo G Records, Musk released a rap track, "RIP Harambe", on SoundCloud in March 2019.[406][407][408] The following year, he released an EDM track, "Don't Doubt Ur Vibe", featuring his own lyrics and vocals.[409]

Musk plays video games, which he stated has a "'restoring effect' that helps his 'mental calibration'".[410] Some games he plays include Quake, Diablo IV, Elden Ring, and Polytopia.[411][412] Musk once claimed to be one of the world's top video game players but has since admitted to "account boosting", or cheating by hiring outside services to achieve top player rankings.[413][414][415] Musk has justified the boosting by claiming that all top accounts do it so he has to as well to remain competitive.[416][415][417] In 2024 and 2025, Musk criticized the video game Assassin's Creed Shadows and its creator Ubisoft for "woke" content.[418] Musk posted to X that "DEI kills art" and specified the inclusion of the historical figure Yasuke in the Assassin's Creed game as offensive; he also called the game "terrible". Ubisoft responded by saying that Musk's comments were "just feeding hatred" and that they were focused on producing a game not pushing politics.[419][420]

Relationships and children

Template:Further

File:X Æ A-Xii, Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office - P20250207DT-0103 (54320797642).jpg
Musk with his son, X Æ A-Xii, in the Oval Office, February 11, 2025

Musk has fathered at least 14 children, one of whom died as an infant.[421] The Wall Street Journal reported in 2025 that sources close to Musk suggest that the "true number of Musk's children is much higher than publicly known".[422] He had six children with his first wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson, whom he met while attending Queen's University in Ontario, Canada; they married in 2000.[423] In 2002, their first child Nevada Musk died of sudden infant death syndrome at the age of 10 weeks.[424] After his death, the couple used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to continue their family;[425] they had twins in 2004, followed by triplets in 2006.[425] The couple divorced in 2008 and have shared custody of their children.[426][427] The elder twin he had with Wilson came out as a trans woman and, in 2022, officially changed her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson,[428] adopting her mother's surname because she no longer wished to be associated with Musk.[428]

Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley in 2008.[429] They married two years later at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland.[430][431] In 2012, the couple divorced, then remarried the following year.[432] After briefly filing for divorce in 2014,[432] Musk finalized a second divorce from Riley in 2016.[433] Musk then dated the American actress Amber Heard for several months in 2017;[434] he had reportedly been "pursuing" her since 2012.[435]

In 2018, Musk and Canadian musician Grimes confirmed they were dating.[436] Grimes and Musk have three children, born in 2020, 2021, and 2022.Template:Efn Musk and Grimes originally gave their eldest child the name "X Æ A-12", which would have violated California regulations as it contained characters that are not in the modern English alphabet;[437][438] the names registered on the birth certificate are "X" as a first name, "Æ A-Xii" as a middle name, and "Musk" as a last name.[439][440] They received criticism for choosing a name perceived to be impractical and difficult to pronounce;[441] Musk has said the intended pronunciation is "X Ash A Twelve".[440] Their second child was born via surrogacy.[442] Despite the pregnancy, Musk confirmed reports that the couple were "semi-separated" in September 2021; in an interview with Time in December 2021, he said he was single.[443][444] In October 2023, Grimes sued Musk over parental rights and custody of X Æ A-Xii.[445][446][447] Elon Musk has taken X Æ A-Xii to multiple official events in Washington, D.C. during Trump's second term in office.[448]

Also in July 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk allegedly had an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, in 2021, leading to their divorce the following year.[449] Musk denied the report.[450] Musk also had a relationship with Australian actress Natasha Bassett, who has been described as "an occasional girlfriend".Template:Sfn In October 2024, The New York Times reported Musk bought a Texas compound for his children and their mothers,[451] though Musk denied having done so.[452]

Musk also has four children with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at Neuralink: twins born via IVF in 2021, a child born in 2024 via surrogacy and a child born in 2025.Template:Efn

On February 14, 2025, Ashley St. Clair, an influencer and author, posted on X claiming to have given birth to Musk's son Romulus five months earlier, which media outlets reported as Musk's supposed thirteenth child.Template:Efn On February 22, 2025, it was reported that St Clair had filed for sole custody of her five-month-old son and for Musk to be recognised as the child's father.[453][454] On March 31, 2025, Musk wrote that, while he was unsure if he was the father of St. Clair's child, he had paid St. Clair $2.5Template:Nbspmillion and would continue paying her $500,000 per year.Template:Efn Later reporting from the Wall Street Journal indicated that $1Template:Nbspmillion of these payments to St. Clair were structured as a loan.[422]

Involvement with Jeffrey Epstein

Template:See also

In 2014, Musk and Ghislaine Maxwell appeared together in a photograph taken at an Academy Awards after-party, which Musk later described as a "photobomb".[455][456] The January 2026 Epstein files contain emails between Musk and Epstein from 2012 to 2013, after Epstein's first conviction.

Emails released on January 30, 2026, indicated that Epstein invited Musk to visit his private island on multiple occasions.[457] The correspondence showed that while Epstein repeatedly encouraged Musk to attend, Musk did not visit the island. In one instance, Musk discussed the possibility of attending a party with his then-wife Talulah Riley and asked which day would be the "wildest party"; according to the emails, the visit did not take place after Epstein later cancelled the plans.Template:Efn

On Christmas day in 2012, Musk emailed Epstein asking "Do you have any parties planned? I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose. The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for".[458] Epstein replied that the "ratio on my island" might make Musk's wife uncomfortable to which Musk responded, "Ratio is not a problem for Talulah".[458]

On September 11, 2013, Epstein sent an email asking Musk if he had any plans for coming to New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, saying that many "interesting people" would be coming to Epstein's house. Musk responded that "Flying to NY to see UN diplomats do nothing would be an unwise use of time".[459] Epstein responded by stating "Do you think i am retarded. Just kidding, there is no one over 25 and all very cute."[459]

Musk has denied any close relationship with Epstein and described him as a "creep" who attempted to ingratiate himself with influential people.[456] When Musk was asked in 2019 if he introduced Epstein to Mark Zuckerberg, Musk responded: "I don’t recall introducing Epstein to anyone, as I don’t know the guy well enough to do so."[459] The released emails nonetheless showed cordial exchanges on a range of topics, including Musk's inquiry about parties on the island.[460][461][456] The correspondence also indicated that Musk suggested hosting Epstein at SpaceX, while Epstein separately discussed plans to tour SpaceX and bring "the girls", though there is no evidence that such a visit occurred.[462] Musk has described the release of the files a "distraction", later accusing the second Trump administration of suppressing them to protect powerful individuals, including Trump himself.Template:Efn

Wealth

Template:Excerpt

Musk Foundation

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Public image

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Although his ventures have been highly influential within their separate industries starting in the 2000s, Musk only became a public figure in the early 2010s. He has been described as an eccentric who makes spontaneous and impactful decisions, while also often making controversial statements, contrary to other billionaires who prefer reclusiveness to protect their businesses. Musk's actions and his expressed views have made him a polarizing figure.[463] Biographer Ashlee Vance described people's opinions of Musk as polarized due to his "part philosopher, part troll" persona on Twitter.[464] He has drawn denouncement for using his platform to mock the self-selection of personal pronouns,[465] while also receiving praise for bringing international attention to matters like British survivors of grooming gangs.[466]

Musk has been described as an American oligarch due to his extensive influence over public discourse, social media, industry, politics, and government policy.[467] After Trump's re-election, Musk's influence and actions during the transition period and the second presidency of Donald Trump led some to call him "President Musk", the "actual president-elect", "shadow president" or "co-president".[468][469]

Accolades

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Musk wearing a medal
Musk receiving the Order of Defence Merit from the Brazilian Armed Forces in 2022[470]

Awards for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets include the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low Transportation Award in 2008,[471] the Template:Lang Gold Space Medal in 2010,[472] and the Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal in 2012.[473] In 2015, he received an honorary doctorate in engineering and technology from Yale University[474] and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Honorary Membership.[475] Musk was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018.[476]Template:Efn In 2022, Musk was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.[477]

Time has listed Musk as one of the most influential people in the world in 2010,[478] 2013,[479] 2018,[480] and 2021.[481] Musk was selected as TimeTemplate:'s "Person of the Year" for 2021. Then Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote that, "Person of the Year is a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth too."[482][483]

Notes

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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege. The New York Times(May 5, 2022). Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 25, 31.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rocket Man: The otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk. The Mercury News(April 11, 2014). Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ At Home With Elon Musk: The (Soon-to-Be) Bachelor Billionaire. Forbes(March 26, 2012). Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ Template:Triangulation, discussion of his family starts around the 15th minute
  6. ↑ 11 Things to Know About Stunning 69-Year-Old Model Maye Musk. Town & Country(March 6, 2018). Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Meet the Musks: who's who in Elon's extended family?. The Guardian(February 21, 2018). Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  8. ↑ How did Elon Musk become a Canadian citizen?, Minks, Caroline. CIC News(March 4, 2025). Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Isaacson (2023), p. 23.
  10. ↑ Exploring the otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk. The Buffalo News. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Template:Cite magazine
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 50 years of Elon Musk's huge wealth, from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla. The Independent(June 28, 2021). Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 26–30.
  14. ↑ Isaacson (2023), p. 16.
  15. ↑ How the roots of the 'PayPal mafia' extend to apartheid South Africa. The Guardian(January 26, 2025). Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  16. ↑ Elon Musk's dad, 77, says he'd have more kids — but only if he could find a woman under 35. Business Insider(September 30, 2023). Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ Elon Musk's father has baby with step-daughter he has known since she was four. The Daily Telegraph(March 25, 2018).
  18. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  19. ↑ Elon Musk's Walk With Jesus. The Wall Street Journal(August 17, 2024). Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  20. ↑ Elon Musk says Christian teachings are 'good and wise'(July 24, 2024). Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  21. ↑ Elon Musk really was telling the truth by saying his father Errol never owned an emerald mine, biographer says. Business Insider(September 11, 2023). Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  22. ↑ Elon Musk's Dad Shares Deadly Secrets of Fabled Emerald Mine. The Daily Beast(September 22, 2023). Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  23. ↑ At 71, Elon Musk's Model Mom, Maye Musk, Is at Her Peak as a Style Icon, Cao, Sissi. Observer(January 7, 2020). Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Template:Cite magazine
  25. ↑ Does Elon Musk have PTSD? Biographer Walter Isaacson says the billionaire's turbulent childhood with an abusive father left him scarred. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Isaacson (2023), pp. 2–3.
  27. ↑ Errol Musk denies berating his son after an attack at school put Elon Musk in hospital. Business Insider. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  28. ↑ Elon Musk shares the science fiction book series that inspired him to start SpaceX(February 22, 2020). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  29. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 38.
  30. ↑ Play the PC game Elon Musk wrote as a pre-teen. The Verge(June 9, 2015). Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  31. ↑ Belfiore (2007), pp. 166–195.
  32. ↑ Elon Musk Says 'Pedo Guy' Was a Common Insult in His Youth. We Checked With His Schoolmates.. Slate(December 4, 2019). Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  33. ↑ Isaacson (2023), p. 26.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Multi-billionaire Elon Musk: 'I arrived in North America at 17 with $2,000'(June 12, 2018). Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  35. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 44. Musk's opportunity to flee arrived with a change in the law that allowed Maye to pass her Canadian citizenship to her children.
  36. ↑ Elon Musk: Triumph of His Will. Esquire(November 15, 2012). Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  37. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 43–44. What rarely gets mentioned is that Musk attended the University of Pretoria for five months before heading off on his grand adventure.Template:Nbsp... Musk characterized the time at university as just something to do while he awaited his Canadian documentation.
  38. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 45. After a 1,900-mile bus ride, he ended up in Swift Current, a town of fifteen thousand people. Musk called a second cousin out of the blue from the bus station and hitched a ride to his house.
  39. ↑ How did Elon Musk become a Canadian citizen?. CIC News(March 4, 2025). Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  40. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 46. Musk spent the next year working a series of odd jobs around Canada. He tended vegetables and shoved out grain bins at a cousin's farm located in the tiny town of Waldeck.Template:Nbsp... He inquired about the job with the best wage, which turned out to be a gig cleaning the boiler room of a lumber mill for eighteen dollars an hour.
  41. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 46–47. Elon ended up enrolling at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, in 1989.
  42. ↑ Elon Musk's college pal: This is what 'differentiates Elon from the rest of humanity'(December 20, 2019). Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Elon Musk is one of illegal immigration's harshest critics. He once described his past immigration status as a 'gray area'(September 29, 2024). Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Vance (2017), p. 368. Musk produced a document for me dated June 22, 2009, that came from Judith Haccou, the director of graduate admissions in the office of the registrar at Stanford University. It read, "As per special request from my colleagues in the School of Engineering, I have searched Stanford's admission data base and acknowledge that you applied and were admitted to the graduate program in Material Science Engineering in 1995. Since you did not enroll, Stanford is not able to issue you an official certification document." Musk also had an explanation for the weird timing on his degrees from Penn. "I had a History and an English credit that I agreed with Penn that I would do at Stanford," he said. "The I put Stanford on deferment. Later, Penn's requirements changed so that you don't need the English and History credit. So they awarded me the degree in '97 when it was clear I was not going to go to grad school, and their requirement was no longer there."
  45. ↑ Does Elon Musk Have an Undergraduate Degree in Physics?, Kasprak, Alex. Snopes(December 21, 2022). Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Vance (2017), Appendix 1. I called Penn's registrar and verified these findings. Copies of Musk's records show that he received a dual degree in economics and physics in May 1997. O'Reilly also subpoenaed the registrar's office at Stanford to verify Musk's admittance in 1995 for his doctorate work in physics. "Based on the information you provided, we are unable to locate a record in our office for Elon Musk," wrote the director of graduate admissions.
  47. ↑ SpaceX, founded by Penn graduate Elon Musk, launches U.S. astronauts into space. The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  48. ↑ A pioneer in space and on Earth(June 11, 2012). Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  49. ↑ Elon Musk: the real-life Iron Man. The Guardian(February 9, 2018). Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  50. ↑ How internships helped Elon Musk figure out his future(July 16, 2018). Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  51. ↑ The little-known story about Elon Musk's first post-grad internship. Fortune(February 22, 2022).
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Elon Musk, enemy of 'open borders', launched his career working illegally. The Washington Post(October 26, 2024). Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  53. ↑ 7 college dropouts who made millions(March 15, 2016). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  54. ↑ Elon Musk claims student visa permitted him to work in U.S.. The Washington Post(October 27, 2024). Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  55. ↑ The Radical Mind: The Destructive Plans of the Woke Left(November 14, 2023).
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 Elon Musk slept on his office couch and 'showered at the YMCA' while starting his first company(June 19, 2018). Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  57. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
  58. ↑ Entrepreneur of the Year, 2007: Elon Musk, Chafkin, Max(December 1, 2007). Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  59. ↑ Zip2 Founder Launches 2nd Firm: Readies Financial Supersite. – Free Online Library. thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  60. ↑ Kidder (2013), pp. 224–228.
  61. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 67.
  62. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 14.
  63. ↑ Compaq buys Zip2(February 16, 1999). Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  64. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 109.
  65. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 78.
  66. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 84.
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Vance (2017), p. 86.
  68. ↑ Jackson (2004), pp. 40, 69, 130, 163.
  69. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 85.
  70. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 85–86.
  71. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 86–87.
  72. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 87–88.
  73. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named vance89
  74. ↑ Timeline: The rise of PayPal. Financial Times(September 30, 2014). Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  75. ↑ SEC 10-K. PayPal(December 31, 2001).
  76. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 116.
  77. ↑ Elon Musk bought a web domain worth millions with "sentimental value" to him. Quartz. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  78. ↑ Elon Musk now owns X.com, the defunct domain of his second startup. The Verge(July 10, 2017). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  79. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 99, 102–103.
  80. ↑ Elon Musk's space dream almost killed Tesla. Bloomberg(May 14, 2015). Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  81. ↑ A Bold Plan to Go Where Men Have Gone Before. The New York Times(February 5, 2006). Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  82. ↑ California Business Search (C2414622 – Space Exploration Technologies Corp).
  83. ↑ Elon Musk Is Maybe, Actually, Strangely, Going to Do This Mars Thing. The Atlantic(May 6, 2021). Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  84. ↑ Griffin Reiterates NASA's Commitment to Commercial Cargo, Space News(November 21, 2005). Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  85. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  86. ↑ Falcon Flights(May 1, 2019). Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  87. ↑ Big Day for a Space Entrepreneur Promising More. The New York Times(May 22, 2012). Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  88. ↑ SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth, ends historic trip(May 31, 2012). Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  89. ↑ SpaceX rocket in historic upright landing(December 22, 2015). Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  90. ↑ SpaceX successfully lands a Falcon 9 rocket at sea for the third time. The Verge(May 27, 2016). Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  91. ↑ Elon Musk's Tesla in Space Could Crash into Earth. National Geographic(February 25, 2018). Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  92. ↑ 'Starman' and the Tesla Roadster that SpaceX launched into orbit have now cruised beyond Mars(November 6, 2019). Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  93. ↑ Starhopper aces test, sets up full-scale prototype flights this year, Berger, Eric(August 28, 2019). Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  94. ↑ SpaceX ending production of flagship crew capsule(March 28, 2022). Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  95. ↑ SpaceX and NASA launch Crew Dragon in Florida: Live updates(May 30, 2020). Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  96. ↑ NASA taps Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring International Space Station out of orbit in a few more years(June 26, 2024). Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  97. ↑ Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources(October 31, 2018). Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  98. ↑ After SpaceX Starlink Launch, a Fear of Satellites That Outnumber All Visible Stars – Images of the Starlink constellation in orbit have rattled astronomers around the world. The New York Times(June 1, 2019). Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  99. ↑ Starlink Launch Statistics, McDowell, Jonathan. Jonathan's Space Pages(January 3, 2024). Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  100. ↑ Space Statistics. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  101. ↑ Taking on SpaceX, Amazon to invest $10 billion in satellite broadband plan(July 30, 2020). Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  102. ↑ Elon Musk's SpaceX sent thousands of Starlink satellite internet dishes to Ukraine, company's president says(March 22, 2022). Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  103. ↑ Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX says it can no longer pay for critical satellite services in Ukraine, asks Pentagon to pick up the tab(October 13, 2022). Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  104. ↑ 'The hell with it': Elon Musk tweets SpaceX will 'keep funding Ukraine govt for free' amid Starlink controversy(October 15, 2022). Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  105. ↑ Musk says SpaceX will keep funding Ukraine Starlink internet(October 15, 2022). Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  106. ↑ Elon Musk says SpaceX will keep funding Starlink internet in Ukraine. The Guardian(October 16, 2022). Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  107. ↑ SpaceX's Musk says Starlink has been told by some governments to block Russian news(March 6, 2022). Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  108. ↑ Elon Musk buys 9.2 percent of Twitter amid complaints about free speech. The Verge(April 4, 2022). Retrieved April 5, 2022.
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  153. ↑ Musk's Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests(December 5, 2022). Retrieved December 5, 2022.
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  160. ↑ Boring Co. underground loop to be put to the test. The Las Vegas Review-Journal(May 20, 2021). Retrieved May 29, 2021.
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  175. ↑ Musk Said to Begin Firing Twitter's Top Executives. The New York Times(October 27, 2022).
  176. ↑ Elon Musk, who runs four other companies, will now be Twitter CEO(October 31, 2022).
  177. ↑ Elon Musk says $8 monthly fee for Twitter blue tick(November 2, 2022). Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  178. ↑ Musk says Twitter will charge $8 a month for account verification after criticism for $19.99 plan(November 2, 2022). Retrieved November 2, 2022.
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  181. ↑ Elon Musk set to fire roughly half of Twitter's workers(November 4, 2022). Retrieved November 4, 2022.
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  189. ↑ Elon Musk announces he has found new Twitter CEO. The Guardian(May 11, 2023). Retrieved May 11, 2023.
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  192. ↑ X ad boycott gathers pace amid antisemitism storm(November 18, 2023). Retrieved June 9, 2024.
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  196. ↑ Elon Musk Accused Of 'Silencing His Critics' As X Suspends Journalists. Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
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  201. ↑ Artificial-Intelligence Research Center Is Founded by Silicon Valley Investors. The New York Times(December 11, 2015). Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  202. ↑ Elon Musk reportedly tried and failed to take over OpenAI in 2018. The Verge(March 24, 2023). Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  203. ↑ Why Elon Musk's $100 million donation claim to ChatGPT maker OpenAI may be wrong. The Times of India(May 18, 2023). Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  204. ↑ Elon Musk, who has sounded the alarm on AI, leaves the organization he co-founded to make it safer(February 2, 2018). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  205. ↑ Meet DALL-E, the A.I. That Draws Anything at Your Command. The New York Times(April 6, 2022). Retrieved July 24, 2022.
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  219. ↑ Opinion | Frankie Beverly brought Black people together like no other musician could. NBC News(September 13, 2024). Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  220. ↑ What did Elon change? A comprehensive analysis of Grokipedia(November 12, 2025).
  221. ↑ How Elon Musk's Bharatpedia-Alternative 'Grokipedia' Describes Elon Musk. time.com.
  222. ↑ How CEOs Can Navigate a Polarized World. BCG Global(April 18, 2024). Retrieved January 2, 2025.
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  224. ↑ Has There Ever Been a More Partisan CEO Than Elon Musk?. Barron's(October 16, 2024). Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  225. ↑ Elon Musk says voting by mail is 'insane' — but he has done it himself, records show(August 30, 2024). Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  226. ↑ Elon Musk, SpaceX Founder, Battles Entrenched Rivals Over NASA Contracts. HuffPost(February 20, 2013). Retrieved May 30, 2015.
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  228. ↑ Elon Musk Has Become the Villain Liberals Always Imagined Him to Be. Politico. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  229. ↑ The House member who received Elon Musk's first vote for a Republican lost her seat after only 5 months. Business Insider(November 9, 2022). Retrieved February 4, 2025.
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  233. ↑ Musk's false X posts on US election viewed 1.2 billion times, says watchdog(August 8, 2024). Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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  256. ↑ Fake video of Georgia voter fraud is Russian misinformation, US officials say. USA Today(November 1, 2024). Retrieved November 3, 2024.
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  294. ↑ Elon Musk isn't in charge of DOGE or even an employee of it, White House says. Fortune(February 18, 2025). Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  295. ↑ Trump appears to contradict White House, says Elon Musk in charge of DOGE. Reuters(February 20, 2025). Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  296. ↑ Judge finds Elon Musk likely acted unconstitutionally in shuttering USAID. The Hill(March 18, 2025). Retrieved March 18, 2025.
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  329. ↑ US quits Paris climate pact: Reaction from around the world following the US president's decision on the Paris accord. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
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  336. ↑ Yet another champion for "cultural Christianity"(July 24, 2024). Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  337. ↑ Mars & Beyond: The Road to Making Humanity Interplanetary. SpaceX. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  338. ↑ Elon Musk Among the Anti-Semites. The Atlantic(May 16, 2023). Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  339. ↑ Template:Multiref2
  340. ↑ Elon Musk is leaning into transphobia. San Francisco Chronicle(December 13, 2022). Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  341. ↑ Template:Multiref2
  342. ↑ Elon Musk's 'disinformation' endangering me, says Jess Phillips(January 7, 2025). Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  343. ↑ Elon Musk: 'I'll say what I want, and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it'(May 16, 2023). Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  344. ↑ Template:Multiref2
  345. ↑ Tesla factory is still open for business as Musk tells employees 'I will personally be at work'(March 17, 2020). Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  346. ↑ 'If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me': Elon Musk confirms Tesla is restarting its factory against local rules. Business Insider(May 12, 2020). Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  347. ↑ Anti-vaccine Canada truckers roll toward Ottawa, praised by Tesla's Musk(January 27, 2022). Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  348. ↑ 5G and QAnon: how conspiracy theorists steered Canada's anti-vaccine trucker protest. The Guardian(February 8, 2022).
  349. ↑ Trump confronts South Africa's president in Oval Office, pushes false claims of white genocide. ABC News(May 21, 2025). Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  350. ↑ Elon Musk says Israel could thwart Hamas with 'conspicuous acts of kindness'. The Hill(November 10, 2023). Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  351. ↑ 353.0 353.1 Elon Musk is trying to win China back(March 24, 2021). Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  352. ↑ 354.0 354.1 Tesla boss Elon Musk says he loves China, so Premier Li Keqiang offers him a green card. South China Morning Post(January 10, 2019). Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  353. ↑ Elon Musk wades into China and Taiwan tensions(October 10, 2022). Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  354. ↑ Elon Musk: 'Aren't you entertained?'. Financial Times(October 7, 2022). Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  355. ↑ Elon Musk challenges Putin on Twitter to 'single combat' for Ukraine, Oshin, Olafimihan. The Hill(March 14, 2022). Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  356. ↑ Musk's plan to end Russian war infuriates Ukraine on Twitter. ABC News(October 4, 2022). Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  357. ↑ Elon Musk endorses far-right German political party, wading deeper into global politics, Gold, Hadas. CNN(December 20, 2024). Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  358. ↑ Downing Street condemns Elon Musk for claim 'civil war is inevitable'. The Independent(August 5, 2024). Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  359. ↑ 361.0 361.1 What is Elon Musk's game plan?. BBC News(August 7, 2024). Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  360. ↑ Elon Musk lashes out at the UK again as Sunak holidays in California, Maddox, David. The Independent(August 8, 2024). Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  361. ↑ Musk brands Starmer 'two-tier Keir' amid row over riot policing. The Daily Telegraph(August 6, 2024). Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  362. ↑ PM attacks those 'spreading lies' on grooming gangs as he hits back at Musk(January 6, 2025).
  363. ↑ Elon Musk calls for Nigel Farage to be replaced as Reform UK leader. BBC News(January 5, 2025). Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  364. ↑ Will Elon Musk give Nigel Farage $100m to make him PM?. The Times(November 30, 2024). Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  365. ↑ Spain, Greece weigh teen social media bans, drawing fury from Elon Musk. Reuters(February 3, 2026).
  366. ↑ Factbox – 'Funding secured': SEC gives timeline surrounding tweet from Tesla's Musk(September 28, 2018). Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  367. ↑ Elon Musk sued by SEC for securities fraud. The Verge(September 27, 2018). Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  368. ↑ Musk keeps falsely claiming 'Funding secured' tweet was accurate, judge is told, Brodkin, Jon. Ars Technica(April 18, 2022). Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  369. ↑ Tesla's Elon Musk found not liable in trial over 2018 'funding secured' tweets(February 3, 2023). Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  370. ↑ Tesla's Elon Musk says tweet that led to $20 million fine 'Worth It'(October 27, 2018). Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  371. ↑ Elon Musk commits to SEC settlement despite mocking tweets(October 11, 2018). Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  372. ↑ Elon Musk's Tesla Tweet Puts CEO Role at Risk Again. Forbes(February 25, 2019). Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  373. ↑ Elon Musk and SEC reach an agreement over tweeting(April 27, 2019). Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  374. ↑ Tesla CEO Elon Musk Gets a Long Do-Not-Tweet List From the SEC. Barron's(April 26, 2019). Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  375. ↑ Tesla shares tank after Elon Musk tweets the stock price is 'too high'(May 1, 2020). Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  376. ↑ Court Rules That No One Can Stop Elon Musk From Tweeting Tesla News—For Now. The Observer(May 20, 2020). Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  377. ↑ WSJ News Exclusive: Tesla Failed to Oversee Elon Musk's Tweets, SEC Argued in Letters. The Wall Street Journal(June 2, 2021). Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  378. ↑ Musk refused to testify in Twitter stock probe, claimed SEC is harassing him, Brodkin, Jon. Ars Technica(October 6, 2023). Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  379. ↑ US regulator seeks court order to compel Elon Musk to testify about his Twitter acquisition(October 5, 2023). Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  380. ↑ Regulator sues Musk to force testimony in X probe(October 5, 2023). Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  381. ↑ US judge orders Elon Musk to testify in SEC's Twitter probe(February 12, 2024). Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  382. ↑ S.E.C. Sues Elon Musk Over Twitter-Related Securities Violations. The New York Times(January 14, 2025).
  383. ↑ Elon Musk's $56 billion Tesla compensation voided by judge, shares slide(January 30, 2024). Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  384. ↑ Elon Musk says Tesla will hold a shareholder vote to incorporate in Texas after Delaware pay snub(February 1, 2024). Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  385. ↑ Musk's $56 billion Tesla pay package must be restored as court rules cancellation was too extreme. CNBC(December 19, 2025). Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  386. ↑ 388.0 388.1 Jury finds Elon Musk misled investors during Twitter purchase, absolves him of some fraud claims(20 March 2026).
  387. ↑ 389.0 389.1 Jury finds Elon Musk misled investors during Twitter purchase, absolves him of some fraud claims. Los Angeles Times(2026-03-20). Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  388. ↑ Elon Musk Is Responsible for Some Twitter Investor Losses, Jury Finds. The New York Times(2026-03-20). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
  389. ↑ 391.0 391.1 Musk Relocates to Texas, Criticizes 'Complacent' California(December 8, 2020). Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  390. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
  391. ↑ Where Does Elon Musk Live? Inside the Properties of the World's Richest Man, Williams, Claudia. Architectural Digest(June 25, 2024).
  392. ↑ Elon Musk Moves to Texas, Takes Jab at Silicon Valley. The Wall Street Journal(December 8, 2020). Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  393. ↑ Tesla investigated over funds 'used to build secret Austin house for Elon Musk'. The Guardian(August 31, 2023). Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  394. ↑ Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger's syndrome during SNL monologue. The Washington Post(May 8, 2021). Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  395. ↑ Isaacson (2023), pp. 18–19.
  396. ↑ Elon Musk opens up about growing up with Asperger's. Axios(April 15, 2022).
  397. ↑ Elon Musk shares health advice on severe neck and back pain. The Statesman(April 16, 2024). Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  398. ↑ Musk Says He May Need Surgery, Will Get MRI on Back and Neck. Bloomberg.com(August 7, 2023). Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  399. ↑ Why Elon Musk says taking 'vacations will kill you'(November 2, 2019). Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  400. ↑ Elon Musk details his prescription ketamine use, says investors should want him to 'keep taking it' | CNN Business(March 18, 2024). Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  401. ↑ Multiple sources:
  402. ↑ On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama(May 30, 2025). Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  403. ↑ Inside the battles that shattered Trump and Musk's alliance. The Washington Post(June 7, 2025). Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  404. ↑ Elon Musk Drops Surprise Rap Single 'RIP Harambe'. Spin(March 31, 2019). Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  405. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  406. ↑ Elon Musk Randomly Shares Rap Song Dedicated to Harambe. XXL(March 31, 2019). Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  407. ↑ Elon Musk just dropped an EDM track on SoundCloud. TechCrunch(January 31, 2020).
  408. ↑ Elon Musk rose to the top of video game charts. Now he has confessed to cheating.. The Washington Post(January 29, 2025). Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  409. ↑ Elon Musk's Intense Obsession With A Video Game Influenced His Business Strategies, Caused Fights In His Relationship And Served As A Reminder Every Move Matters. Yahoo Finance(October 23, 2023). Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  410. ↑ Elon Musk loves video games. Here are 10 of his favorites. Business Insider(August 11, 2018). Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  411. ↑ Elon Musk admits cheating at video games, chat transcript appears to show. The Guardian(January 22, 2025).
  412. ↑ Gamers Disgusted as Elon Musk Admits to Cheating at Video Games After Bragging About Being Top Player. Futurism(January 30, 2025). Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  413. ↑ 415.0 415.1 Elon Musk Admits to Paying People to Play Video Games for Him, Gault, Matthew. gizmodo.com. Gizmodo(January 21, 2025). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  414. ↑ Elon Musk Admits To Cheating In Path Of Exile 2 And Diablo 4 Amid Fake Gamer Controversy. kotaku.com. Kotaku(January 21, 2025). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  415. ↑ Elon Musk, video game king? Well, maybe not. The New York Times(January 26, 2025). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  416. ↑ Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense. pcgamer.com. PC Gamer(March 26, 2025).
  417. ↑ Ubisoft Responds to Elon Musk's Assassin's Creed Shadows Criticism. gamerant.com. Game Rant(June 13, 2024). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  418. ↑ Assassin's Creed Throws Shade at Elon Musk After Hasan Comments. gamerant.com. Game Rant(March 26, 2025). Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  419. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  420. ↑ 422.0 422.1 The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His 'Legion' of Babies—and Their Mothers, Mattioli, Dana. The Wall Street Journal(April 16, 2025). Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  421. ↑ A Look at Elon Musk's Rocky Romantic History. Yahoo. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  422. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 117.
  423. ↑ 425.0 425.1 Elon Musk's Kids: Meet His 6 Kids From Oldest To Youngest, & Their Moms. Hollywood Life(September 14, 2021). Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  424. ↑ "I Was a Starter Wife": Inside America's Messiest Divorce. Marie Claire(September 10, 2010). Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  425. ↑ Elon Musk's Ex-Wife on What It Takes to Be a Mogul. The New York Times(April 27, 2015). Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  426. ↑ 428.0 428.1 Elon Musk's daughter granted legal name, gender change(June 23, 2022). Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  427. ↑ Vance (2017), pp. 193–195.
  428. ↑ Actor Talulah Riley files to divorce billionaire Elon Musk, again. The Guardian(March 21, 2016). Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  429. ↑ SpaceX's millionaire founder tweets about marital split(January 18, 2012). Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  430. ↑ 432.0 432.1 Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorce for a second time. The Daily Telegraph(October 22, 2016). Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  431. ↑ Vance (2017), p. 372.
  432. ↑ Amber Heard, Elon Musk make 'Cheeky' public debut together. USA Today(April 24, 2017). Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  433. ↑ Amber Heard on Her Secret Passion, Elon Musk and a Splashy New Role. The Hollywood Reporter(December 6, 2018). Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  434. ↑ Grimes talks new music, Elon Musk, plans to publicly execute her musical persona. The Fader(March 20, 2019). Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  435. ↑ What Does Elon Musk and Grimes' Baby Name Actually Mean?. Slate(May 5, 2020). Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  436. ↑ Elon Musk's baby name isn't just weird, it may be against California regulations. The Washington Post(May 8, 2020). Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  437. ↑ Elon Musk and Grimes have changed their baby's name. A bit(May 25, 2020). Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  438. ↑ 440.0 440.1 Elon Musk and Grimes saved a surprise for son X Æ A-12's birth certificate(June 16, 2020). Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  439. ↑ Elon Musk and Grimes' newborn name X Æ A-12 'fails at the basic job of being a name,' says author. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  440. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  441. ↑ Elon Musk and Grimes Took the Red Pill and Broke Up. Vulture(September 24, 2021). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  442. ↑ Elon Musk says he and partner Grimes are semi-separated(September 24, 2021). Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  443. ↑ Grimes Says Elon Musk Evaded Being Served With Child Custody Papers At Least 12 Times. HuffPost(November 11, 2023). Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  444. ↑ Elon Musk Drags Grimes' Tweets Into Increasingly Nasty Custody Battle. Futurism(December 7, 2023). Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  445. ↑ Musk Sued By Ex-Girlfriend Grimes Over Parental Rights: Report. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  446. ↑ Musk's son 'Lil X' steals spotlight in the Oval Office, Chang, Emily. ABC News(February 12, 2025). Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  447. ↑ Elon Musk's Friendship With Sergey Brin Ruptured by Alleged Affair. The Wall Street Journal(July 24, 2022). Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  448. ↑ Elon Musk Reportedly Had Affair With Google Co-Founder's Wife(July 24, 2022). Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  449. ↑ Elon Musk Wants Big Families. He Bought a Secret Compound for His.. The New York Times(October 29, 2024). Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  450. ↑ Exclusive | Elon Musk denies NY Times' claim of secretive family estate, Siegler, Mara(October 30, 2024). Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  451. ↑ Ashley St. Clair Sues Elon Musk for Sole Legal Custody of Their Son (Exclusive). People.com.
  452. ↑ MAGA Baby Mama Says Musk Admitted Paternity in Steamy Texts. The Daily Beast(February 23, 2025).
  453. ↑ Fact Check: Yes, Elon Musk and Ghislaine Maxwell were once photographed together. Yahoo News(March 2, 2025). Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  454. ↑ 456.0 456.1 456.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :13
  455. ↑ The Major Business Names in the Epstein Files. The New York Times(February 2, 2026). Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  456. ↑ 458.0 458.1 Elon Musk had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously known, emails show. The Guardian(January 30, 2026). Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  457. ↑ 459.0 459.1 459.2 Elon Musk calls Epstein files a ‘distraction’ after emails reveal his messages with sex offender. The Independent(January 31, 2026). Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  458. ↑ Elon Musk had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously known, emails show. The Guardian(January 30, 2026). Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  459. ↑ Musk Busted Pleading to Visit Pedo Island in Epstein Files for 'Wildest Party'. The Daily Beast(January 30, 2026). Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  460. ↑ Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein emailed each other for years trying to meet up, new Justice Department records show, Roytburg, Eva. Fortune. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  461. ↑ Elon Musk won't stop tweeting his way into trouble, Ghaffary, Shirin. Vox(May 20, 2023). Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  462. ↑ How Elon Musk became a new kind of celebrity. The Washington Post(July 16, 2022). Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  463. ↑ A running list of Elon Musk's biggest controversies. The Week(January 16, 2024). Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  464. ↑ Musk's posts on UK child sex abuse gangs cast a spotlight on survivors. But he also stoked the fire of the far-right. CNN(February 6, 2025). Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  465. ↑ Template:Multiref2
  466. ↑ Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, becomes Donald Trump's 'first buddy'. The Washington Post(November 13, 2024). Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  467. ↑ Trump team makes clear Elon Musk isn't the leader of the GOP. Business Insider(December 19, 2024).
  468. ↑ Musk recebe de Bolsonaro a medalha de Ordem do Mérito da Defesa. Metrópoles(May 20, 2022). Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  469. ↑ George M. Low Space Transportation Award. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  470. ↑ Barron Hilton and Elon Musk honoured with the highest FAI awards. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale(December 16, 2010).
  471. ↑ 2012 RAeS Gold Medal.
  472. ↑ SEAS Celebrates Class of 2015, Honors Innovators Elon Musk and Dean Kamen. Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science(May 18, 2015).
  473. ↑ IEEE Honorary Membership Recipients. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
  474. ↑ Elon Musk elected as Fellow of the Royal Society(May 9, 2018). Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  475. ↑ For breakthroughs in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and operation of reusable launch vehicles and sustainable transportation and energy systems.. National Academy of Engineering(February 9, 2022). Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  476. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  477. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  478. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  479. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  480. ↑ Time Person of the Year: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, named most influential of 2021(December 13, 2021). Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  481. ↑ Template:Cite magazine

Works cited

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Further reading

  • Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Penguin Press(2024). ISBN 978-0593656136
  • Template:Cite magazine
  • Tarnoff, Ben, "Ultra Hardcore" Template:Subscription required (review of Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, Simon and Schuster, 2023, 670 pp.), The New York Review of Books, vol. LXXI, no. 1 (January 18, 2024), pp. 6, 8, 10. "There is an anti-modern impulse to Musk, a craving for lordship that can't be entirely satisfied within the confines of a capitalist economy. A king doesn't have advertisers or shareholders or customers, and Musk, if he continues on his current trajectory, may very well be abandoned by all three. Aristotle says a good ending should be surprising but inevitable. It's possible to imagine multiple finales for Musk that meet these criteria, but the story always begins the same way. Once upon a time in Pretoria, there was a boy who wanted to be a man." (p. 10.)

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