Elon Musk Biography: Education, Religion, Net Worth, Age, Wife, Children

Elon Reeve Musk is one of the most influential and debated entrepreneurs of the 21st century. Known for founding and leading companies that aim to reshape energy, transport, and life beyond Earth, Musk’s life reads like a tech-era epic: early coding talent in South Africa, bold startups in Silicon Valley, audacious rocket launches, electric cars that reset an industry — and a public life full of headlines. This biography traces his life, businesses, philosophies, controversies, and the footprint he continues to leave on technology and culture.

Early life and education

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. Showing an early aptitude for technology, he taught himself programming as a child and sold a basic video game called Blastar at age 12. After attending school in South Africa, Musk moved to North America for higher education — first to Queen’s University in Canada, and later to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed degrees in economics and physics.

First ventures: Zip2 and PayPal

Musk’s entrepreneurial path began in the late 1990s. He co-founded Zip2, a company that provided business directories and maps for newspapers; the startup was sold to Compaq in 1999. He then founded X.com, an online payment company that later became PayPal after a merger — PayPal was acquired by eBay in 2002. The early exits gave Musk the capital to pursue more ambitious, capital-intensive ventures.

SpaceX: rockets for a multiplanetary future

In 2002 Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, with the mission to reduce the cost of space travel and enable the colonization of Mars. SpaceX developed the Falcon family of rockets and the Dragon spacecraft, executing milestone after milestone: the first privately funded liquid-fuel rocket to reach orbit, the first private company to dock a craft with the International Space Station, and reusable booster technology that transformed launch economics. SpaceX remains central to Musk’s vision of making humanity a multiplanetary species.

Tesla: electrifying transport

Musk joined Tesla Motors as an early investor and became CEO and product architect in 2008. Under his leadership Tesla popularized high-performance electric vehicles (Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and later vehicles) and invested heavily in battery technology, charging infrastructure, and vertical integration. Tesla’s rise propelled Musk into global prominence and tied much of his wealth to Tesla stock.

Neuralink, The Boring Company, xAI and other ventures

Musk has started or co-founded several additional ventures: Neuralink, focused on brain-computer interfaces; The Boring Company, which aims to cut tunneling costs for urban transit; and xAI, an artificial intelligence company he founded amid concerns about AI’s direction. Musk has consistently pursued projects that sit at the intersection of audacious engineering and long-term societal impact.

Twitter → X: social media, acquisition, and sale

In 2022 Musk purchased Twitter and later rebranded the platform as X, enacting sweeping changes to staff, moderation, and product strategy. In 2025, he announced an all-stock transaction transferring ownership of X to his AI firm xAI in a deal reported at roughly $33 billion; the move tied the social platform more closely to Musk’s AI ambitions and raised questions about governance and content policy.

Wealth, compensation, and public influence

Musk is one of the world’s richest people, with Forbes and other outlets tracking his net worth in the hundreds of billions—fluctuating with Tesla stock and other holdings. In late 2025, various reports noted unprecedented compensation and wealth milestones tied to Tesla and Musk’s stake in multiple companies. Additionally, a Tesla pay package approved in 2025 attracted widespread attention due to its enormous potential payout tied to long-term performance goals.

Controversies and public image

Musk’s public life is polarizing. He’s lauded for visionary goals and criticized for management style, public statements, and political involvement. Musk’s social media activity and public endorsements have influenced markets, corporate governance debates, and political discourse. His high-profile statements on AI, economics, and policy generate headlines and scrutiny from regulators, investors, and the public alike.

Personal life and philanthropy

Musk holds multiple citizenships (South Africa, Canada, and the United States) and has a large, complex family life. He’s also pursued philanthropy through the Musk Foundation, with initiatives in renewable energy, science education, pediatric research, and disaster relief, although observers argue his giving is modest relative to his wealth. His personal disclosures and medical remarks have occasionally made news and sparked debate.

Legacy and the road ahead

Elon Musk’s impact is multifaceted: he accelerated the electric vehicle revolution, forced legacy aerospace firms to rethink cost and reusability, and helped push AI and social tech into the mainstream conversation. Whether admired as a visionary or criticized as a provocateur, Musk has reshaped multiple industries. As of 2025, his projects — SpaceX’s Starship development, Tesla’s global expansion and energy ambitions, and xAI’s work — will likely define his continuing influence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When and where was Elon Musk born?

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

What companies did Elon Musk found?

Musk founded or co-founded Zip2, X.com (PayPal), SpaceX, Tesla (early investor and CEO), Neuralink, The Boring Company, and xAI. He also purchased and rebranded Twitter into X.

Is Elon Musk still CEO of Tesla in 2025?

Records list Musk as Tesla’s CEO and product architect; however, corporate roles can shift, so always check Tesla’s official filings or corporate page for the most current title.

How wealthy is Elon Musk?

Elon Musk’s net worth has been tracked in the hundreds of billions by Bloomberg and Forbes; estimates vary with market movements and valuations of his holdings.

What is Musk’s long-term vision?

Musk frequently states goals like making humanity multiplanetary (Mars), accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy, and steering AI toward beneficial outcomes.

Conclusion

Elon Musk remains one of the most consequential figures of modern technology — a blend of engineer, CEO, showman, and provocateur. From a childhood in Pretoria to orbit-capable rockets and mass-market electric cars, his biography is a study in relentless ambition and equally relentless debate. Love him or loathe him, Musk’s choices continue to push industries forward and force society to wrestle with technological change. What happens next — in space, on our roads, and inside the circuits of AI — will be shaped in part by the projects he champions.