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The engineer-entrepreneur reshaping rockets, cars, AI and social media
Elon Musk is a technology entrepreneur whose companies span space launch, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, tunnelling and social media. He is the world's richest person and, by Bloomberg and Forbes estimates, crossed the US$1 trillion mark again in October 2026 as SpaceX and Tesla shares climbed. He is also one of the most outspoken and controversial public figures of his generation.
Musk was born on 28 June 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa, to Errol Musk, an engineer, and Maye Musk, a model and dietitian. A voracious reader, he taught himself programming and sold a simple video game, Blastar, at the age of 12.
At 17 he moved to Canada, studied at Queen's University, and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in physics and economics. He was briefly accepted to a PhD programme at Stanford but left within days to start a company.
Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of making space travel cheaper and eventually enabling human settlement on Mars. After three failed launches, the Falcon 1 reached orbit in 2008. SpaceX went on to:
In February 2026, SpaceX acquired Musk's AI company xAI, and its June 2026 IPO briefly made Musk the world's first trillionaire. In October 2026, Musk said the AI division, renamed SpaceXAI in July, would become SpaceXSI ("super intelligence"), and confirmed talks with TSMC about his "Terafab" chipmaking project.
Musk invested in Tesla in 2004 and became CEO in 2008. Under his leadership, Tesla launched the Roadster, Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck, helping turn electric cars into a mainstream industry. Tesla also builds batteries, energy-storage systems and is pursuing self-driving software and humanoid robots.
| Company | Founded | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI (co-founder) | 2015 | AI research — Musk later left and became a critic |
| Neuralink | 2016 | Brain-computer interfaces |
| The Boring Company | 2016 | Underground tunnels for transport |
| X (formerly Twitter) | Acquired 2022 | Social media platform, bought for US$44 billion |
| xAI | 2023 | AI models, including the Grok chatbot; merged into SpaceX in 2026 |
Musk has become increasingly involved in politics, supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 election and briefly leading the government cost-cutting effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in 2025. Critics have raised concerns about content moderation on X, his public statements, labour practices and the concentration of power in one individual; supporters view him as a visionary pushing humanity forward.
Musk has been married three times — twice to actress Talulah Riley — and has fathered numerous children, including with musician Grimes and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.
He leads SpaceX (which now includes his AI business) and Tesla, owns X, and founded Neuralink and The Boring Company.
His early fortune came from selling Zip2 and PayPal. Most of his current wealth comes from his stakes in SpaceX and Tesla.
According to Bloomberg and Forbes, his net worth rose back above US$1 trillion in October 2026.
At Queen's University in Canada and the University of Pennsylvania.
Elon Musk has repeatedly bet on industries that seemed impossible to disrupt — and in rockets and electric cars, he won. His expanding empire in AI, chips and space, combined with his political influence, ensures that his decisions will continue to shape technology and public debate worldwide.
