Elon Musk: The Richest Person in The World

The businessman Elon Musk functions as the head of both SpaceX space exploration and automotive organization Tesla Inc. The business leader Elon Musk emerged from Pretoria, South Africa on June 28th 1971. He functions as an entrepreneur who operates as a charismatic leader because he chooses to pioneer breakthroughs in innovation and technology. Forbes published his worth assessment at US$426 billion as the wealthiest person on Earth during January 2025. But who is Elon Musk? This article investigates Elon Musk’s career accomplishments alongside his technological and industrial work in business.

Quick Facts

• Full Name: Elon Musk
• Date of Birth: June 28, 1971
• Place of Birth: Pretoria, South Africa
• Height: 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm)
• Early Career: Became a Tech Entrepreneur at the Age of 24
• Co-Founder: Founded SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company, AI
• The richest person in the world with a net worth of $426 billion (as of 2025)
• Holds the citizenship of South Africa, Canada, and America

The Early Life

The story of Elon Musk, born into a well-off family in South Africa, epitomizes one who, even from a tender age, was insatiably curious about technology and business. He taught himself to program at the age of 12, and at the same age, Musk sold his first video game, Blastar, for $ 500 which showed his image of the entrepreneurial spirit that would define his career. Musk moved to Canada on the back of his mother’s Canadian citizenship at the age of 18, where another phase of his life awaited. He briefly joined Queen’s University before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, which eventually gave him a dual undergraduate degree in Economics and Physics. In 1995, he moved to California to pursue a Ph.D. at Stanford University but dropped out after just two days to chase his entrepreneurial dreams.

Elon Musk Personal Life

Musk became a U.S. citizen in 2002. He resided in California for much of his career but relocated to Boca Chica, Texas, in 2020, citing California’s economic policies as a reason for the move. Musk has publicly stated that he has Asperger syndrome (now classified under autism spectrum disorder), though he has not been medically diagnosed. He has also spoken about using doctor-prescribed ketamine to manage occasional depression.

Musk has fathered twelve children, one of whom is deceased. He was first married to Canadian author Justine Wilson, with whom he had twins and triplets through IVF before their divorce in 2008. He later married and divorced actress Talulah Riley twice. He also dated actress Amber Heard in 2017 and musician Grimes, with whom he has three children. Additionally, Musk fathered twins in 2021 with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. His eldest daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, publicly distanced herself from him in 2022.

Aside from business and family life, Musk has diverse interests. He has released music tracks, including “RIP Harambe” and “Don’t Doubt Ur Vibe,” and is an avid gamer, playing titles like Quake, Diablo IV, and Elden Ring. He has admitted to engaging in “account boosting” and hiring outside services to enhance his gaming performance.

The Rise of a Tech Titan

Musk first achieved big success through Zip2, a company he founded with his brother Kimbal in 1995, which was the start of Elon Musk becoming the richest person in the world. In 1999, Compaq acquired it for $307 million, while Zip2 developed and marketed city guide software online for newspapers. This early windfall gave him the financial license to dream big.

He went on to cofound X.com, an online payment company that later merged with Confinity and became PayPal. When PayPal sold to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion, Musk came away with a reported $100 million and soon began funding SpaceX.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 to make humanity a multi-planetary species by reducing space transportation costs. After some early failures, it succeeded in several key milestones: becoming the first privately funded spacecraft to reach orbit and the first to develop a reusable orbital rocket, the Falcon 9. Today, SpaceX continues to lead the charge toward a human settlement on Mars.

In 2004, he cast his eyes on the automobile industry when he entered Tesla Motors quite early as an investor. In his later years at Tesla, Musk assumed chief responsibilities as the CEO and Product Architect and rapidly launched the firm into a globally leading electric car maker. Tesla also pioneered electric vehicle development during his leadership, autonomous driving development, and storage systems.

Musk’s ambitions did not end there. He co-founded SolarCity in 2006, a company later absorbed into Tesla Energy, for proposing the high-speed transportation system Hyperloop in 2013 and starting Neuralink in 2016 to come up with brain-computer interfaces. Musk established OpenAI in 2015 with a mission to make AI work for human advantage before creating the Boring Company in 2016 to enhance tunnel competition.

The Controversial Side of Genius

The remarkable accomplishments of Musk cannot overshadow the disputed aspects of his professional life. Musk draws media attention through his expressive nature and his habit of making unusual decisions. Musk faced harassment from the US Securities and Exchange Commission when he tweeted about funding the acquisition of Tesla private ownership in 2018. After the Securities and Exchange Commission put forth a complaint, he paid a $20 million penalty and then lost his position as Tesla chairman.

After becoming the richest person in the world, his $44 billion purchase of Twitter in 2022 and its rebranding as X drew broad controversy. Critics claimed that Musk’s leadership resulted in the deterioration of the site because of significant employee dismissals along with policy adjustments and the spreading of unreliable information. The criticism did not stop Musk from staying loyal to his plan for X to become a platform that defends free speech. Musk’s political affiliations have also drawn scrutiny. A vocal supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Musk played a significant role in the 2024 presidential election as Trump’s largest donor. His appointment as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency in January 2025, coupled with a controversial gesture at Trump’s inauguration, further fueled public debate.

Final Thought

Elon Musk’s tale symbolizes ambition, innovation, and the resolute character he instilled in people. He went ahead and dreamed big, and he could show through track record events how unbelievable goals had been accomplished. At the same time, it reminds us that success almost always invites scrutiny and scandal. Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, has an undeniable impact on the world, and his legacy will continue to shape the future of technology, business, and beyond.

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