Elon Musk Age, Wife, Girlfriend, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Elon Musk

• Is Elon Musk a smoker?: Yes, Elon Musk does smoke.

• Is Elon Musk a drinker of alcohol? Yes, Elon Musk does consume alcohol.

• His ancestry can be traced back to America, Canada, South Africa, and he also has Pennsylvania Dutch roots.

• Elon initiated his journey into computer programming at the age of 10, driven by a keen fascination with the Commodore VIC-20 computer. He embarked on a self-taught path to master this skill.

• At the tender age of 12, he made his debut in the gaming industry by successfully selling his very first video game, titled ‘Blastar,’ to ‘PC and Office Technology’ magazine for a generous sum of $500.

• During his early years, he found profound inspiration in Isaac Asimov’s book series titled ‘Foundation’.

• Elon’s childhood was marked by immense hardship due to relentless bullying at his school. At one point, he suffered severe injuries when a group of boys attacked him, causing him to lose consciousness and forcefully hurling him down a set of stairs, leading to his hospitalization.

• Against his father’s wishes, Elon relocated to Canada shortly before turning 18. Despite his father’s desire for him to finish his studies in Pretoria, Elon opted to escape, as he believed that it would be more convenient to reach the United States from Canada.

• Elon and his brother, Kimbal, established ‘Zip2’ in 1995, a web software company, after securing investments from a small group of ‘angel investors.’ Although Elon aspired to assume the role of CEO at Zip2, he faced opposition from the rest of the board members. Nevertheless, Zip2 was eventually acquired by Compaq in 1999.

• Elon co-founded the e-mail payment and online financial services company, ‘X.com,’ in 1999. Just a year later, X.com merged with Confinity, a money-transfer service known as ‘PayPal.’ However, in 2000, due to a disagreement with the allied party, Elon was removed from his position as CEO. Nonetheless, he remained the largest shareholder of X.com until its acquisition by eBay in 2002.

• He entered into matrimony with Justine Wilson in the year 2000. Tragically, their firstborn, Nevada Alexander Musk, passed away at a tender age of only 10 weeks due to the heart-wrenching occurrence known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, their hardships were alleviated when they underwent the process of “in vitro fertilization,” resulting in the joyous arrival of twins in 2004 and triplets in 2006.

• In 2001, Elon Musk created the concept of “Mars Oasis” with the intention of generating public interest in space exploration. To pursue this project, he traveled to Russia with the intention of purchasing refurbished ‘Dnepr Intercontinental ballistic missiles’ (ICBMs) from companies such as NPO Lavochkin and Kosmotras. Unfortunately, Elon faced a disrespectful incident when one of the Russian chief designers spat on him after hearing his proposal. As a result, he returned to the US without acquiring the missiles.

• During a meeting with Kosmotras in 2002, Elon Musk was offered a rocket for $8 million, which he deemed overly expensive. Frustrated, he abruptly left the meeting. It was during this moment of anger that Elon conceived the idea of establishing a company capable of constructing affordable rockets. As a result, in May 2002, he founded SpaceX.

• Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning co-founded Tesla, a car manufacturer company, in 2003. The following year, Elon joined as Chairman of the board of Directors. In 2008, during financial turmoil and conflicts, Elon took over as CEO, displacing Martin Eberhard.

• The salary of Musk at Tesla is a mere ₹1.

• Elon made a cameo appearance as the pilot of his 1994 model Dassault Falcon 900 aircraft in the film “Thank you for smoking” released in 2005.

• In 2006, he served as a board member in the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

• In 2006, Musk extended financial assistance to his cousins, Lyndon and Peter Rive, to establish ‘SolarCity.’ Furthermore, he played a pivotal role by offering the initial concept for the project. Eventually, in 2016, Tesla, Inc acquired SolarCity in its entirety.

• After their separation in 2008, Elon and Justine jointly cared for their five sons, sharing custody.

• Elon Musk married actress Talulah Riley in 2010, but announced their divorce in 2012. They remarried in 2013, but Elon once again filed for divorce from Talulah. Although the divorce was initially withdrawn, it was eventually finalized in 2016.

• He was recognized as one of the most impactful individuals in the world in 2010, appearing on Time’s list of “100 people” and being named one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century by Esquire magazine.

• In February 2011, Forbes recognized Musk as one of the “America’s 20 Most Powerful CEOs 40 And Under.”

• In the year 2013, Musk was honored as the Fortune Businessperson of the year for his exceptional leadership in SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity.

• Elon had a cameo as himself in the episode “The Musk Who Fell to Earth” of ‘The Simpsons’ in 2015. Additionally, he made a guest appearance as himself in an episode of the renowned series ‘The Big Bang Theory’ during the same year.

• In 2016, he was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Business Visionaries Creating Value for the World,” alongside Sal Khan and Mark Zuckerberg.

• In December 2016, he was ranked as the 21st most powerful person in the world on the Forbes list.

• Stu Grossman sold the Tesla.com domain name to Musk in 2016.

• In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded ‘Neuralink,’ a startup aiming to merge the human brain with artificial intelligence. The company’s primary focus is on developing implantable devices for the human brain.

• Elon purchased the domain X.com from PayPal in 2017, expressing a deep emotional connection to it.

• SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy, the world’s fourth highest capacity rocket ever built, on 6 February 2018. As a non-functional payload, Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster was carried by the Falcon Heavy during the launch. This event marked the Falcon Heavy as the most powerful rocket in operation in 2018.

• Musk found himself caught in a frustrating traffic jam at one point, prompting him to make a firm decision: he would construct a tunnel. Subsequently, he revealed the name of his company as ‘The Boring Company.’

• Elon Musk made an attempt to help the rescuers involved in the ‘Tham Luang cave rescue operation’ in 2018. This operation was aimed at rescuing a junior football team that had become trapped inside a cave in Thailand. Musk’s engineers at SpaceX and The Boring Company built a submarine named ‘Wild Boar’ with the intention of sending it to Thailand to assist in the rescue mission. However, by the time the submarine arrived, eight out of the twelve children had already been rescued. As a result, the Government of Thailand decided not to utilize Musk’s submarine. Currently, the effectiveness of Elon Musk’s ‘Wild Boar’ is being tested as part of the ongoing rescue operation.

• announced in 2018 that SpaceX plans to send Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire, to the moon by 2023. Elon Musk will be joining Maezawa on this mission.

• During an interview, Elon disclosed that Tesla had no plans to manufacture an electric motorcycle. Additionally, he shared a personal experience from his teenage years where he narrowly escaped a fatal accident with a truck while riding his motorcycle.

• He established the ‘Musk Foundation’ with the intention of supplying solar-power energy systems to regions vulnerable to disasters, showcasing his philanthropic nature.

• During his visit to India, Musk had the opportunity to spend a night with a spiritual guru who imparted upon him the importance of serving the less fortunate. This encounter became a pivotal moment for Musk, leading him to embrace the concept of social service and find enlightenment through it.

• He revealed the name of his newborn son, X Æ A-12 Musk, on Twitter in April 2020.

• According to Forbes’ calculations, on January 8, 2021, Elon Musk became the wealthiest person in the world, surpassing Jeff Bezos. With a net worth of $185 billion, Jeff Bezos was overtaken by Elon Musk, who was nearly $5 billion ahead. [11] Forbes.

• During an interview in September 2021, he revealed that he and Grimes were in a semi-separated state. According to India Today [12], he expressed that despite this circumstance, their love for one another remains unwavering. They still frequently meet and maintain a delightful relationship.

• Despite his immense wealth, Elon Musk does not possess any residential property, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in the world to live without a house. [13]

• Elon Musk was announced to join the board of directors of Twitter Inc on 5 April 2022, following his disclosure of a 9.2% stake in the company. However, he later decided not to join the board but expressed his intention to continue providing suggestions to the microblogging site. On 25 April 2022, there was a surprising turn of events as Musk agreed to purchase Twitter for approximately $44 billion. In a statement released jointly with Twitter, Musk highlighted the importance of the platform as a virtual town square where vital discussions about the future of humanity take place, emphasizing the essential role of free speech in a well-functioning democracy.

• Maye Musk, mother of Elon Musk, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022, becoming one of the oldest women in the world to grace the cover of this magazine. The Free Press Journal [17]

• In July 2022, Errol Musk, Elon Musk’s father, gained significant media attention when it was uncovered that he allegedly impregnated his 35-year-old stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout. Elon Musk and his father have a strained relationship, and during an interview with Rolling Stone, Elon Musk became emotional and described his father as a terrible and malevolent person. Elon Musk also disclosed in another interview that he had made efforts to improve his father’s behavior but was unsuccessful. Despite employing tactics such as threats, rewards, and arguments in an attempt to bring about positive change, the situation only worsened.

• Elon Musk playfully announced his pet dog Floki, a Shiba Inu, as the new CEO of Twitter on February 15, 2023. He humorously compared Floki to the previous CEO, stating that Floki was far superior. Musk took to Twitter to share his admiration for his adorable pet, referring to him as the CEO of the platform.

• During an interview, Walter Isaacson, an American author, professor, and journalist, discussed Elon Musk’s sources of inspiration and perspectives. Isaacson emphasized that Musk has a profound admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte’s leadership and has extensively studied his life. Musk’s fascination with military history is so strong that he often listens to the ‘Hardcore History’ podcast during his evenings. Isaacson also mentioned that Musk believes the lessons learned from military history, specifically from Napoleon’s era, can be applied to the business world. Furthermore, Isaacson revealed that Musk strongly opposes remote work and views working from home as morally incorrect.

• Elon Musk’s biography reveals that he participated in a wilderness survival camp called Veldskool when he was 12 years old. In this camp, the children were given limited amounts of food and water and were encouraged to compete for these resources. Unfortunately, this often resulted in conflicts, with older kids resorting to physical aggression to take food from the younger ones. Elon himself experienced being physically attacked twice during his time at the camp. When he returned to the camp at the age of 16, he had learned judo as a means of self-defense. The book states, “At that moment, I realized that if someone were to bully me, a forceful punch to their nose could potentially put an end to their mistreatment. Although it might lead to aggressive retaliation, delivering a strong blow to their nose could deter them from targeting me in the future.”