Elon Reeve Musk (pronounced /ˈiːlɒn mʌsk/; born June 28, 1971) is a renowned entrepreneur and billionaire known for his groundbreaking work in the technology, space exploration, and automotive industries. Musk is the founder, CEO, and chief engineer of SpaceX, a company that is revolutionizing space travel, and the CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., which is at the forefront of electric vehicle innovation. In addition to his leadership roles at these companies, Musk also holds ownership of X Corp., the parent company of the popular social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which has become a central hub for online discussions, and is involved in the establishment and development of several other influential ventures, including The Boring Company, xAI, Neuralink, and OpenAI. As of January 2025, Forbes estimates Musk’s net worth at an astounding US$421 billion, making him the wealthiest person on the planet.
Born into a wealthy family in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk’s early life was shaped by his connections to the affluent Musk family. Musk briefly attended the University of Pretoria in his home country before making the life-changing decision to immigrate to Canada at the age of 18. This move was facilitated by his Canadian-born mother, Maye, allowing him to obtain Canadian citizenship. Just two years after arriving in Canada, Musk enrolled at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, a prestigious institution that provided him with a strong academic foundation in the fields of business and science.
After two years at Queen’s University, Musk transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, where he earned dual bachelor’s degrees—one in economics from the Wharton School of Business and another in physics from the College of Arts and Sciences. With his academic credentials in hand, Musk moved to California in 1995 to pursue further studies at Stanford University. However, Musk’s entrepreneurial spirit took over, and he dropped out of Stanford after just two days, opting to dive into the world of startups instead.
In 1995, Musk co-founded Zip2, an online city guide and software company, with his brother Kimbal. The company quickly gained traction and was sold to Compaq for $307 million in 1999, providing Musk with his first significant financial success. Just a few months after the sale of Zip2, Musk launched X.com, a financial services and payments company. This venture would eventually merge with Confinity in 2000 to form PayPal, a widely successful online payment platform. PayPal quickly became one of the most recognized names in e-commerce, and in 2002, it was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock.
The sale of PayPal provided Musk with the financial resources to pursue his passion for space exploration. Using $100 million of the proceeds from the PayPal acquisition, Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the ambitious goal of reducing the cost of space travel and making human life multi-planetary. Over the years, SpaceX has made monumental advancements in space technology, such as developing the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets, as well as the Dragon spacecraft, which have all contributed to the company’s success. SpaceX’s cutting-edge developments have disrupted the space industry, positioning Musk as a leading figure in space exploration.
As a visionary entrepreneur, Musk has not only impacted space travel and electric vehicles but has also been instrumental in founding and supporting several other ventures, including The Boring Company, which focuses on underground transportation infrastructure, xAI, which aims to develop advanced artificial intelligence technologies, Neuralink, which works on brain-machine interface technology, and OpenAI, a company dedicated to advancing artificial general intelligence in a safe and ethical manner.
Elon Musk’s diverse business interests and innovative ventures have reshaped multiple industries, from electric vehicles to space exploration and beyond. His work continues to inspire and challenge the status quo in technology, business, and society. His remarkable journey from a young immigrant to the wealthiest person in the world showcases his exceptional vision, relentless drive, and commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
