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Elon Musk Biography
Elon Musk, (born June 28, 1971, Pretoria, South Africa), South African-born American entrepreneur who cofounded the electronic-payment firm PayPal and formed SpaceX, maker of launch vehicles and spacecraft. He was also one of the first significant investors in, as well as chief executive officer of, the electric car manufacturer Tesla. In addition, Musk acquired Twitter in 2022.
Elon Musk Wiki Profile
| Full Name | Elon Reeve Musk |
| Nickname | Iron Man |
| Profession(s) | Entrepreneur, Investor |
| Famous For | Being the CEO of Tesla and Space X |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 180 cm in meters– 1.80 m in feet inches– 5’ 11” |
| Eye Color | Moss Green |
| Hair Color | Light Ash Blonde |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | June 28, 1971 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 52 Years |
| Birthplace | Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Signature | |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa |
| School | • Waterkloof House Preparatory School • Bryanston High School • Pretoria Boys High School |
| College/University | • Queen’s University • University of Pennsylvania • Stanford University, California |
| Educational Qualification(s) | • Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of Pennsylvania • Bachelor of Science in Physics from University of Pennsylvania • PhD in Energy Physics from Stanford University, California (Dropped Out) |
| Religion | Atheist |
| Ethnicity/Race | • South African (from his father’s side) • Canadian (from his mother’s side) • British (from his grandmother’s side) • He also has Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Political Inclination | He considers himself a half Republican and a half Democrate |
| Hobbies | Reading, Playing Video Games, Travelling |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | 2007: For his work on Tesla and SpaceX, he was awarded Inc Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year award 2008: Elon was awarded American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low award for his enormous contribution for space transportation in 2007/2008 2008: Awarded National Wildlife Federation 2008 National Conservation Achievement award for SolarCity and Tesla 2009: National Space Society’s Von Braun Trophy 2010: Awarded the FAI Gold Space Medal (highest award in air and space), for designing the 1st privately developed rocket to reach orbit by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale 2010: The Kitty Hawk Foundation recognized him as a Living Legend of Aviation in 2010 2011: Elom was awarded with $250,000 Heinlein Prize for Advances in Space Commercialization 2012: Awarded the ‘a Gold Medal’ (Royal Aeronautical Society’s highest award) 2015: Awarded IEEE Honorary Membership 2018: Appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) 2021: Time Person of the Year |
Elon Musk Early life
Musk was born to a South African father and a Canadian mother. He displayed an early talent for computers and entrepreneurship. At age 12 he created a video game and sold it to a computer magazine. In 1988, after obtaining a Canadian passport, Musk left South Africa because he was unwilling to support apartheid through compulsory military service and because he sought the greater economic opportunities available in the United States.
Elon Musk Education
Musk left South Africa at the age of 17 to study at Queen’s University to take his education qualification while avoiding military duty. In part because he believed it would be simpler to obtain American citizenship this way, Musk obtained his Canadian citizenship in the same year. Musk immigrated to the US in 1992 to attend the University of Pennsylvania to study business and physics.
He first obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics before pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in physics. Musk left Penn to pursue a Ph.D. in energy physics at Stanford University in California. But since Elon Musk left Stanford after just two days to create his first company, that Ph.D. couldn’t be added to his list of degrees.
PayPal and SpaceX
Musk attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and in 1992 he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, where he received bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics in 1997. He enrolled in graduate school in physics at Stanford University in California, but he left after only two days because he felt that the Internet had much more potential to change society than work in physics. In 1995 he founded Zip2, a company that provided maps and business directories to online newspapers. In 1999 Zip2 was bought by the computer manufacturer Compaq for $307 million, and Musk then founded an online financial services company, X.com, which later became PayPal, which specialized in transferring money online. The online auction eBay bought PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
Tesla
Musk had long been interested in the possibilities of electric cars, and in 2004 he became one of the major funders of Tesla Motors (later renamed Tesla), an electric car company founded by entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. In 2006 Tesla introduced its first car, the Roadster, which could travel 245 miles (394 km) on a single charge. Unlike most previous electric vehicles, which Musk thought were stodgy and uninteresting, it was a sports car that could go from 0 to 60 miles (97 km) per hour in less than four seconds. In 2010 the company’s initial public offering raised about $226 million. Two years later Tesla introduced the Model S sedan, which was acclaimed by automotive critics for its performance and design. The company won further praise for its Model X luxury SUV, which went on the market in 2015. The Model 3, a less-expensive vehicle, went into production in 2017 and became the best-selling electric car of all time.
Elon Musk Net Worth
Elon Musk is a Canadian-American entrepreneur, inventor, and investor who was born in South Africa. Elon Musk net worth is 13,690 billion US dollars. Elon Musk has a variety of jobs and is always working on his newest venture, although he made the most of his money as the CEO of Tesla Motors. He is also well-known for serving as the chairman of SolarCity and the CEO and CTO of SpaceX. He currently holds the title of both the richest individual in the world and in contemporary history.
Also read : Biography of Larry Page
Some Lesser Known Facts About Elon Musk
- Does Elon Musk drink alcohol?: Yes
- He has his roots in America, Canada, South Africa and also has Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry.
- At the age of 10, Elon started teaching himself computer programming after developing an interest in the Commodore VIC-20 (computer).
- He sold his first video game, ‘Blastar’ to ‘PC and Office Technology’ (a magazine) for $500. He was just 12 years old at that time.
- In his childhood, he was deeply inspired by Isaac Asimov’s book, ‘Foundation series.’
- Elon had a very dreadful childhood as he was bullied in his school. Once, he even got hospitalized after a group of boys beat him until he became unconscious and threw him down a flight of stairs.
- Just before his 18th birthday, Elon moved to Canada against his father’s will. His father wanted Elon to complete his graduation from Pretoria itself but Elon chose to flee since he believed that it was easier to get to the United States from Canada.
- In 1995, after raising funds from a small group of ‘angel investors,’ Elon and his brother, Kimbal, founded ‘Zip2’ (a web software company). Elon wanted to become the CEO of Zip2 but was not allowed by the other members of the board. However, Zip2 was later acquired by Compaq in 1999.
- In 1999. Elon co-founded an e-mail payment and online financial services company, ‘X.com.’ A year later, X.com merged with Confinity, which provided a money-transfer service called, ‘PayPal.’ In 2000, He was knocked out from his position of CEO because of some disagreement with the allied party. Elon was the largest shareholder of X.com before it was acquired by eBay in 2002.
- In 2000, he got married to his first wife, Justine Wilson. Their first son, Nevada Alexander Musk, died just after 10 weeks of his birth due to ‘Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).’ Through “in vitro fertilization” the couple was blessed with twins and triplets in the year 2004 and 2006 respectively.
- He drafted “Mars Oasis” in 2001. The project was aimed to gain public interest in space exploration. Elon went to Russia to buy refurbished ‘Dnepr Intercontinental ballistic missiles’ (ICBMs) for his project from the companies like NPO Lavochkin, and Kosmotras. He was spat upon by one of the Russian chief designers after Elon proposed his plan. He returned empty-handed to the US.
- In 2002, in another meeting with the company Kosmotras, the company offered one rocket for $8 million to Elon, which he found too expensive. He left the meeting in between in anger and there he got the idea of founding a company which could build the cost-effective rockets he needed and hence Elon ended up founding “SpaceX” in May 2002.
- In 2003, Tesla (a car manufacturer company) was co-founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. In 2004, Elon joined the company as the Chairman of the board of Directors. Amidst some financial crisis and a few conflicts in 2008, Elon became the CEO of Tesla overthrowing Martin Eberhard from the post.
- Musk’s Salary at Tesla is ₹1 only.
- In 2005, his aircraft: (1994) model Dassault Falcon 900, was used in the film, “Thank you for smoking.” Elon made a cameo in the film as the pilot of the plane.
- He was a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board in 2006.
- Musk provided financial support to his cousins, Lyndon, and Peter Rive, who founded ‘SolarCity’ in 2006. He also helped them by giving the initial concept of the project. Tesla, Inc wholly acquired SolarCity in 2016.
- In 2008, Elon and Justine shared the custody of their five sons after getting separated from each other.
- After dating actress, Talulah Riley, Elon tied the knot with her in 2010. In 2012, Musk announced a divorce with the actress. In 2013, Elon remarried her after which Musk again announced that he had filed for a second divorce from Talulah. Though the divorce was withdrawn but was later finalized in 2016.
- In 2010, his name was among “Time‘s 100 people” who affected the world the most and was also listed among the 75 most influential people of the 21st century by Esquire magazine.
- Musk was listed among the “America’s 20 Most Powerful CEOs 40 And Under” by Forbes in February 2011.
- In 2013, Musk became the Fortune Businessperson of the year for SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity.
Elon Musk Social Profile
FAQs Related to Elon Musk
Who is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is an insightful business prince who co-founded and conceptualized successful businesses like Electric car manufacturer Tesla, internet-based payment system PayPal, online city guide software company Zip2, Spaceship and rocket designer company X, affordable tunnel construction company The Boring Co., Brain-machine designing company Neuralink.
Who is Elon Musk’s Wife?
Elon Musk got married and divorced thrice. The marriage that lasted for the longest period was his first marriage to his college friend Justine Musk. Elon and Justine studied together at Queens University, Canada. When Elon moved to Wharton for pursuing his higher studies, he kept sending her roses regularly. Their relationship survived even during the turbulent times when Elon was struggling to establish his first company Zig2 and Justine was making every effort to launch her first book.
How Many Children does Elon Musk have?
Elon Musk is the father of ten children from three different women. Elon and his first wife Jennifer are together parents to six children. Their eldest son died in the 10th week of his birth due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This gave them such a shock that they decided to go for Invitro Fertilization (IVF) when they decided to try to become parents again.
In the year 2004, Justine and Elon became parents to two twin sons – Xavier and Griffin. Xavier after attaining a majority turned into a transgender and applied for a change of name and gender from male to female. The reason cited by her was that she doesn’t want to be anyhow related to her natural father and wanted to adopt his mother’s last name instead of his father. Griffin, on the contrary, is very close to his father. Soon after two years, Justine and Elon welcomed their triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian 2006.