Personal life story of Musk, the richest man in the world. How did Musk make his fortune?

Elon Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. He is now immensely wealthy. He ranks among the richest people on the planet according to Forbes 2025, thanks to several technology companies that revolutionized their industries.

Early Years of Life

He grew up in Pretoria. His father was an electromechanical engineer of Anglo-Dutch descent. His mother, Canadian and a model. His parents divorced when he was 9 years old. He lived with his father. This cohabitation seems to have been decisive for his passion for science. He was a child who read a lot. By the age of ten, he already had his first computer. He learned to program on his own. He created "Blastar," a space game. An early sign, perhaps.

Work experience and organizations founded

Internet industry

Zip2

In 1995, he founded Zip2. He innovated with online maps. He used GPS to connect customers with nearby businesses. It went well for him. Compaq bought it in 1999. They paid about 341 million dollars. Not bad for a start.

X.com and PayPal

With that money, he created X.com in 1999. It was an online payment platform. It merged with Confinity. This is how PayPal was born. It changed how we pay on the internet. eBay acquired it for 1.5 billion in 2002. Another success.

Twitter (now X)

He bought Twitter in 2022. He paid 44 billion. Before, he offered 54.2 dollars per share. He renamed it "X". He wants to turn it into something bigger, a kind of super-app. We'll see if it works.

Aerospace industry

SpaceX

He invested 100 million to create SpaceX in 2002. He wanted to make it cheaper to go to space. And he dreams of colonizing Mars. He has developed reusable rockets: Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy. A space revolution, without a doubt.

Dragon Ship

He also created the Dragon spacecraft. It can carry seven people to orbit. It was the first private spacecraft to transport humans to the International Space Station. A historic achievement, quite impressive.

New energy industry

Tesla

He invested in Tesla in 2004. He then became its CEO. He has launched several successful electric cars. The Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y. He transformed the automotive industry. He accelerated the transition to clean energy. It hasn't all been easy, but he persevered.

Artificial Intelligence (IA)

Launched xAI in 2023. Previously co-founded OpenAI, although he is no longer involved. He also created Neuralink to develop brain chips. He seems obsessed with artificial intelligence, for better or for worse.

Personal Life

He has had three marriages. He has 10 children with three different women. His personal life is complex. The media constantly follow him. He doesn't seem to care too much.

Activities and Controversies

He has done many remarkable things:

• Opened Tesla's patents
• Bought SolarCity
• He wants to colonize Mars
• He conceived the Hyperloop
• Gets into trouble on social media
• The SEC has investigated it
• He said strange things about COVID
• Publicly support politicians

Sometimes it seems brilliant. Other times, problematic. It's complicated.

Acknowledgments

He has won many awards. He is one of the most influential innovators of our time. No one can deny that, whether they like it or not.