Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, recently opened up about his childhood and financial background in a tweet. In the tweet, Musk revealed that he grew up in a lower-middle-income family that transitioned to upper-middle-income, but he did not have a happy childhood. He also stated that he did not inherit anything or receive any large financial gifts.
Musk went on to explain that his father had created a small electrical/mechanical engineering company that was successful for 20 to 30 years, but it fell on hard times, and his father has been essentially bankrupt for about 25 years. Musk and his brother have been providing financial support to their father, with the condition that he not engage in bad behaviour. However, Musk claims that his father did not adhere to this condition.
Despite his father’s financial struggles, Musk credits him for teaching him the fundamentals of physics, engineering, and construction, which he believes is more valuable than money. However, his father did not support him financially after high school in any meaningful way.
Musk also addressed rumors about an emerald mine that his father claimed to own a share of in Zambia. Musk stated that there is no objective evidence that this mine ever existed, and nobody has ever seen the mine or found any records of its existence. Musk claims that if the mine was real, his father would not require financial support from him and his brother.
The tweet provides a glimpse into Musk’s family background and his relationship with his father. It also sheds light on his own financial journey and the value he places on education and learning from his experiences.
