Elon Musk Bio, Age, Height, Wife, Girlfriend, Family, Affairs, Career, Net Worth, Children & More

Elon Musk—the South-African-born Canadian-American engineer, inventor, and serial entrepreneur—has been the world’s richest person since 2021, commanding companies that build electric cars (Tesla), launch reusable rockets (SpaceX), link brains to computers (Neuralink), dig traffic-easing tunnels (The Boring Company) and shape global discourse (X, formerly Twitter). From selling a homemade video game at age 12 to steering humanity toward Mars while briefly co-heading the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, Musk’s story is equal parts genius, grit and headline-making drama.

Quick Facts

Early Life & Education

Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, to electromechanical engineer Errol Musk and dietician-model Maye Musk. A shy, bookish child, he taught himself BASIC at 10 and sold the code for a space-shooter game “Blastar” at 12 for ~$500. Bullied in school, he endured hospitalization after being thrown down stairs. His parents’ divorce at age 9 and an estranged relationship with his father shaped his self-reliant streak.

At 17 he moved to Canada via his mother’s citizenship, earning a Canadian passport to avoid South Africa’s apartheid-era military draft and reach Silicon Valley faster. He studied physics & economics at Queen’s University (Ontario) and the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1997 with dual degrees. Accepted to Stanford’s physics PhD, he left after two days to ride the dot-com wave.

Career Journey

1995-2002: Zip2 & PayPal → First Millions

Musk dropped out of Stanford to launch Zip2, an online city-guide for newspapers. Compaq bought it in 1999 for $307 million; Musk’s 7% earned him $22 million. He immediately founded X.com, an online bank that merged into PayPal. eBay purchased PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion, leaving Musk with ~$180 million—seed capital for his next act.

2002-2010: SpaceX – Making Life Multiplanetary

Frustrated by expensive rockets, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in 2002, vowing to slash launch costs by 90%. After three fiery Falcon 1 failures, the fourth in 2008 reached orbit and won a NASA cargo contract. The Falcon 9 (2010) became the world’s first reusable orbital-class booster, forever changing the launch market. SpaceX now handles >50% of global orbital launches.

2004-present: Tesla – Electrifying Transport

Joining Tesla’s Series A in 2004, Musk became CEO in 2008 and steered the Roadster, Model S (2012), Model X (2015), Model 3 (2017) and Model Y to market. The Model 3 is history’s best-selling EV. Tesla’s 2010 IPO was the first American car-company debut since Ford in 1956. Gigafactories span four continents, while Tesla Energy and Autopilot push into AI and grid storage. A November 2025 shareholder vote approved a potential $1 trillion compensation plan for Musk if Tesla hits aggressive market-cap & robotics milestones.

2016-2024: Side Quests – Neuralink, Boring, Starlink

• Neuralink – brain-computer interface; first human chip “Telepathy” implanted 2024.
• The Boring Company – Loop tunnels in Las Vegas; Hyperloop test track.
• Starlink – 7,000 satellites (2025) supply global broadband & military Starshield.

2022-2025: X (Twitter), xAI & Politics

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, rebranded it X, slashed staff, and loosened moderation. Merged with xAI in 2025, valuing the combined entity ≈ $125 billion. His AI chatbot “Grok” competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

After endorsing donald trump in 2024, Musk donated $288 million via his America PAC and briefly co-headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claiming to cut $2 trillion in spending before resigning in May 2025 over a budget dispute.

Career Stats & Company Valuations (Jan 2026)

Awards & Achievements

• 2021-present – World’s Richest Person (Forbes, Bloomberg)
• 2025 – TIME100 Most Influential (9th appearance)
• 2024 – Royal Society Fellow (FRS)
• 2021 – TIME Person of the Year
• 2019 – Starmus “Stephen Hawking” Science Medal
• 2018 – AIAS Founders Medal (Aerospace)
• 2015 – IEEE Honorary Membership
• 2013 – Fortune Businessperson of the Year
• 2012 – Royal Aeronautical Society Silver Medal

SpaceX:

• 300+ consecutive successful Falcon landings
• NASA Demo-2: first crewed private spacecraft to ISS (2020)
• Contracted to build 2026 Artemis Moon lander

Tesla:

• >6 million EVs delivered cumulatively (2025)
• Best-selling luxury EV globally (Model Y)
• 2025 Golden Steering Wheel for Cybertruck

Personal Life

Marriages & Long-Term Partners

• Justine Wilson (m. 2000–08) – 6 children (first son Nevada d. 2002; twins Vivian & Griffin; triplets Kai, Saxon, Damian)
• Talulah Riley (m. 2010–12; remarried 2013–16)
• Grimes (2018–21) – 3 children (X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, Techno)
• Shivon Zilis ( Neuralink exec, close friend) – 3 children (twins Strider & Azure 2021; Arcadia 2024)
• Amber Heard (brief 2017–18 relationship)
• Natasha Bassett (2022–24)

2024–26 Update: Ashley St. Clair & Baby Romulus

Conservative influencer ashley st. Clair revealed on Valentine’s Day 2025 that she had given birth to Musk’s 13th living child, a boy named Romulus, in September 2024. A court-ordered paternity test returned a 99.9999 % probability of Musk’s paternity. Musk has met the child only a handful of times and is now seeking full custody, claiming St. Clair’s recent social-media posts about gender ideology signal she might “transition a one-year-old boy.” St. Clair, in turn, has accused Musk of slashing her child-support payments to “maintain control.” The case is ongoing; Musk has already paid her $2.5 million and $500 k annually pending final orders.

Musk’s Children (14 confirmed living, 2026)

Musk identifies as a pronatalist, tweeting “civilization will crumble” without higher birth-rates, and has joked about building a “legion” of children before the apocalypse.

He lives minimally in a $50 k rented Casita near Austin, Texas, works 100-hour weeks and unwinds with Elder Scrolls, Overwatch, anime (Evangelion) and Twitter memes.

Physical Statistics

• Height: 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
• Weight: ~200 lb (90 kg)
• Chest: 42 in
• Waist: 34 in
• Biceps: 15 in
• Shoe Size: 12 US
• Hair: Light Brown
• Eyes: Green/Hazel

Controversies

• “Funding secured” tweet – SEC sued; $40 m fine, chairmanship lost (2018)
• COVID-19 lockdown views – called orders “fascist”, reopened Fremont plant early
• Dogecoin pump-and-dump allegations – frequent tweets move crypto markets
• US labor-board disputes – anti-union tweets ruled unlawful
• DOGE turmoil – lawsuits over USAID/NIH funding cuts; clash with Trump tanked Tesla stock (June 2025)
• Ashley St. Clair custody battle – public spat over child support & gender-identity comments (2025-26)

Quotes

1. “I operate on the physics approach to analysis. You boil things down to the first principles or fundamental truths in a particular area and then you reason up from there.”
2. “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”
3. “I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness… to make sure it continues into the future.”

Favorites

• Food: French cuisine, barbecue, Diet Coke
• Car: Tesla Model S Plaid (daily), McLaren F1 (sold)
• Book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down
• Movie: Star Wars, The Matrix, Iron Man (cameo)
• Games: Elder Scrolls, Overwatch, Kerbal Space Program
• Music: Daft Punk, Beethoven, Aphex Twin
• Color: Silver (Tesla signature)

Salary & Net Worth 2026

Musk takes no conventional salary; his wealth is tied to stock. Tesla’s new 2025 pay package could add up to $1 trillion over ten years if market-cap milestones are met.

• Estimated Net Worth (Dec 2025): ≈ $718 billion (Forbes)
• Daily Wealth Fluctuation: ±$10-30 billion (Tesla/SpaceX valuations)
• Major Assets: Tesla shares, SpaceX stake, X ownership, real estate (minimalist), private jets
• Charitable Pledges: $6 billion to date; signed Giving Pledge

Interesting Facts

• Sold Blastar game code for $500 at 12
• Owns a James Bond Lotus Esprit submarine car from The Spy Who Loved Me
• Appeared in Iron Man 2, The Big Bang Theory, Rick and Morty
• Wants to die on Mars—”just not on impact”
• Starlink satellites outnumber all other active satellites combined (2025)
• Has a species of frog named after him: Pristimantis musk
• Favorite rocket engine: SpaceX Raptor (full-flow staged combustion)

Social Media Links

• X (Twitter): @elonmusk – 190+ million followers
• LinkedIn: Elon Musk
• Instagram: @elonmuskoffl (unofficial fan; Musk rarely uses IG)
• Tesla Blog: tesla.com/blog
• SpaceX YouTube: youtube.com/spacex

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How many companies does Elon Musk run?
A: Six major ones—Tesla, SpaceX, X (merged with xAI), Neuralink, The Boring Company, and briefly the federal DOGE task-force.

Q2: Why did Elon Musk leave South Africa?
A: He wanted to avoid compulsory apartheid-era military service and reach Silicon Valley opportunities sooner.

Q3: How many kids does Elon Musk have?
A: 14 living children as of 2026, including baby Romulus with Ashley St. Clair; first child Nevada died in infancy.

Q4: What is Elon Musk’s IQ?
A: Exact figure unknown; Musk jokes “probably 155” but emphasizes problem-solving over metrics.

Q5: Is Elon Musk an engineer?
A: Self-taught aerospace & software engineer; holds no formal engineering degree yet serves as Chief Engineer at SpaceX.

Q6: Will Musk really colonize Mars?
A: SpaceX’s Starship is designed for Mars cargo & crew; NASA’s Artemis contract targets 2026 Moon landing as stepping-stone.

Conclusion

From coding shareware games in Pretoria to steering trillion-dollar companies and government efficiency panels, Elon Musk embodies 21st-century ambition. His relentless push for electric transport, reusable rockets, brain-machine links and interplanetary life continues to polarize and inspire. Whether you view him as a visionary genius or an erratic provocateur, Musk’s influence on technology, markets and culture is undeniable—and the next chapter is always just a tweet away.

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