Everything you need to know about the super-contractor behind Tesla and SpaceX

Despite a troubling growth in South Africa, Elon Musk has succeeded in building a billion empire around companies such as Tesla Motors, SpaceX, Paypal, Boring Company and Solar City.

Here’s everything you need to know about one of the world’s hottest character contractors.

Elon Musk is the super contractor who has started many companies but wants to downplay the image of himself as a successful businessman. Instead, it is an interest in technology and design that is the driving force in his daily work as CEO of companies such as Tesla and SpaceX. And few can deny that he is increasingly emerging as a true visionary who wants to help humanity survive future challenges.

This week he again attracted attention in connection with the launch of the electric car Tesla Cybertruck. A fully electrified pickup that is unlike any other car on the market.

Elon Musk has lived in the United States for many years and is a US citizen (since 2002), but he was born in the city of Pretoria in South Africa in June 1971. The parents, named Errol and Maye Musk (born Haldeman) divorced in 1980, after which Elon spent more part of the time with his dad. However, the relationship with the father, who worked as an engineer, was problematic. The young Elon took refuge in technology and computers that he learned to program on his own.

Elon Musk sold his own computer game

Twelve years old, Elon Musk created a computer game, Blastar, which he sold to computer magazine PC & Office Technology for about $ 500. If you are curious about the game, which is obviously not very good, you can run it directly in your browser.

Growing up in South Africa was anything but simple. Errol Musk was a stern father who placed high demands on his children (Elon has a brother and a sister) and Elon has testified that he was bullied during school hours and often felt alone.

Elon Musk first attended an English-language private school in South Africa (Waterkloof House Preparatory School) and then continued his studies at a state high school, Pretoria Boys High School. Already at the age of 17, in 1989, he chose to leave South Africa and moved to Canada. Thanks to his mother being born in Canada, he was able to obtain Canadian citizenship himself.

In Canada, Elon began at Queens University in the province of Ontario, the most densely populated part of the country before moving to the United States in 1992 and studying at the University of Pennsylvania. At the age of 24, he picked up dual degrees in physics and economics and went on to graduate school at the prestigious Stanford University in California. However, Elon was short-lived here – already after a few days, he jumped off to invest fully as an entrepreneur.

Elon Musk and artist Grimes became a couple of Elon Musk has six children from two previous marriages.

In 2018, he started dating Canadian artist and producer Grimes. Relationships got a lot of attention, not least because Grimes and artist colleague Azealia Banks was called to trial after being in the same room as Elon Musk when he posted his controversial tweet that he was considering buying Tesla from the stock exchange.