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Elon Musk Biography: The Engineer Who Became the World’s First Trillionaire

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Elon Musk Biography: The Engineer Who Became the World’s First Trillionaire

Elon Musk Biography: The Engineer Who Became the World’s First Trillionaire

Elon Musk is a South African-born Canadian-American entrepreneur best known as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Born June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, he built Zip2 and X.com (which became PayPal) before founding SpaceX in 2002 and joining Tesla in 2004 — and in June 2026 became the first person in history to reach a trillion-dollar net worth.

Quick Facts

  • Full name: Elon Reeve Musk
  • Born: June 28, 1971, Pretoria, South Africa
  • Citizenship: South African, Canadian, American (US citizen since 2002)
  • Education: University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS); attended Queen’s University; briefly enrolled at Stanford
  • Known for: Tesla, SpaceX, X (Twitter), xAI, Neuralink, The Boring Company, PayPal
  • Spouses: Justine Wilson (2000–2008), Talulah Riley (2010–2012; 2013–2016)
  • Children: At least 14, as publicly reported

Early Life and Education

Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, to Errol Musk, an engineer, and Maye Musk, a model and dietitian. A self-taught programmer, he sold his first video game, Blastar, at age 12 for about $500.

In 1989, at 17, Musk emigrated to Canada, where he attended Queen’s University in Ontario. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, earning bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics. In 1995 he enrolled in a Stanford PhD program in applied physics but dropped out after two days to pursue business during the early internet boom.

Career

Zip2 and X.com / PayPal (1995–2002)

In 1995, Musk and his brother Kimbal founded Zip2, a web software company providing online city guides for newspapers. Compaq acquired Zip2 in 1999 for $307 million in cash. Musk then founded X.com, an online bank, which merged with Confinity in 2000 to form PayPal. eBay acquired PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion in stock, netting Musk roughly $165–180 million.

SpaceX (2002–present)

Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) in 2002 with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling Mars colonization. After early failures, the Falcon 1 reached orbit in 2008, and SpaceX went on to pioneer reusable rockets, ferry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, and build the Starlink satellite network. In June 2026, SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq in a record-breaking IPO — the event that made Musk the world’s first trillionaire. Musk owns about 38% of SpaceX including options and controls over 80% of its voting power.

Tesla (2004–present)

Musk joined Tesla as an early investor in 2004 and became CEO in 2008, steering it through near-bankruptcy to become the world’s most valuable carmaker. Under his leadership Tesla launched the Roadster, Model S, Model 3, and Model Y, and held its IPO in 2010. Musk holds roughly 11–13% of Tesla, the second pillar of his fortune.

Twitter / X, xAI, and Other Ventures

In October 2022, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion and later rebranded it as X. He founded the AI company xAI in 2023; xAI acquired X in 2025, and SpaceX absorbed xAI in February 2026. His other ventures include Neuralink (brain-computer interfaces, 2016) and The Boring Company (tunnel construction, 2016). He also co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left its board in 2018.

Major Achievements

  • First person in history to reach a $1 trillion net worth (June 2026)
  • Built the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to reach orbit (Falcon 1, 2008)
  • First private company to send astronauts to the ISS (SpaceX Demo-2, 2020)
  • Turned Tesla into the world’s most valuable automaker
  • TIME Person of the Year (2021)

Personal Life

Musk has been married three times — to author Justine Wilson (2000–2008) and twice to actress Talulah Riley (2010–2012 and 2013–2016) — and was in a relationship with musician Grimes from 2018 to 2021. He has at least 14 children, as publicly reported. He holds citizenship in South Africa, Canada, and the United States.

Net Worth Snapshot

Elon Musk’s net worth is estimated at around $1 trillion as of October 2026, making him the richest person in the world by a wide margin. His fortune moves billions of dollars in a single trading session because more than 98% of it sits in SpaceX and Tesla stock. Read the full breakdown in Elon Musk’s net worth.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Elon Musk born?

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa.

How did Elon Musk make his money?

Musk first made money from Zip2 (sold for $307 million in 1999) and PayPal (sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002). The vast majority of his current wealth comes from his stakes in SpaceX (about 38%) and Tesla (about 11–13%).

What companies does Elon Musk own or run?

Musk is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX (including xAI, which merged into SpaceX in 2026), owner of X Corp., and founder of Neuralink and The Boring Company.

Is Elon Musk the richest person in the world?

Yes. As of October 2026, Musk is the world’s richest person and the only trillionaire in history, worth roughly three times the next-richest person, Jeff Bezos.

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