How education and upbringing influenced the life of Elon Musk. A timeline of key moments.
Elon Musk is a businessman, known for his involvement with Tesla, SpaceX, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and his ownership of Twitter (X). He is currently the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$397 billion as of February 2025.
June 28, 1971: Elon Musk's Birth
On June 28, 1971, Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa.
Share
1980: Parents' Divorce
In 1980, Elon Musk's parents divorced, and he chose to live primarily with his father.
Share
1990: Entry to Queen's University
In 1990, Elon Musk entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
Share
1994: Silicon Valley Internships
In 1994, Elon Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley: one at Pinnacle Research Institute and another at Rocket Science Games.
Share
1995: Move to California and Co-founding Zip2
In 1995, Elon Musk moved to California to attend Stanford University and co-founded the software company Zip2 with his brother Kimbal.
Share
1995: Studied at the University of Pennsylvania
In 1995, Elon Musk studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied until 1995.
Share
1995: Acceptance to Stanford
In 1995, Elon Musk was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University, but did not enroll.
Share
1997: Awarded Degrees from University of Pennsylvania
In 1997, Elon Musk was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in physics and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Share
February 1999: Compaq Acquisition of Zip2
In February 1999, Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash, with Elon Musk receiving $22 million for his share.
Share
1999: Zip2 Acquired and Co-founding X.com
In 1999, Compaq acquired Zip2. That same year, Musk co-founded X.com, a direct bank that later formed PayPal.
Share
1999: Co-founding of X.com
In 1999, Elon Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company.
Share
2000: Contracted malaria
In 2000, Elon Musk contracted a severe case of malaria while on vacation in South Africa.
Share
2000: Marriage to Justine Wilson
In 2000, Elon Musk married Canadian author Justine Wilson, whom he met while attending Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.
Share
2002: U.S. Citizenship and Founding SpaceX
In 2002, Elon Musk acquired U.S. citizenship, and eBay acquired PayPal. Using the money he made from the sale, Musk founded SpaceX, a spaceflight services company.
Share
2002: Death of Nevada Musk
In 2002, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson's first child, Nevada Musk, died of sudden infant death syndrome at the age of 10 weeks.
Share
2002: PayPal Acquired by eBay
In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, with Elon Musk receiving $175.8 million as the largest shareholder.
Share
2004: Birth of twins
In 2004, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had twins via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Share
2004: Investment in Tesla
In 2004, Elon Musk became an early investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, becoming its chairman and later CEO.
Share
2006: Birth of triplets
In 2006, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had triplets via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Share
2006: SolarCity Founding
In 2006, Elon Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive founded.
Share
2008: Divorce from Justine Wilson
In 2008, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson divorced and have shared custody of their children.
Share
2008: Musk Assumes Leadership of Tesla
In 2008, Elon Musk assumed leadership of Tesla as CEO and product architect.
Share
2008: Dating Talulah Riley
In 2008, Elon Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley.
Share
2008: Inspiration for Tony Stark in Iron Man
In 2008, Elon Musk was a partial inspiration for the characterization of Tony Stark in the Marvel film Iron Man.
Share
2009: Tesla Co-founder Designation
In 2009, a lawsuit settlement designated Elon Musk as a Tesla co-founder, along with Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, and two others.
Share
2010: Cameo appearance in Iron Man 2
In 2010, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Iron Man 2.
Share
2012: First Divorce from Talulah Riley
In 2012, Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorced, before remarrying the following year.
Share
2012: Musk Supports Obama Re-election
In 2012, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama for re-election.
Share
2013: Cameo appearance in Machete Kills
In 2013, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Machete Kills.
Share
2014: Brief Divorce Filing
In 2014, Elon Musk briefly filed for divorce from Talulah Riley a second time.
Share
2015: Appearance on The Simpsons
In 2015, Elon Musk appeared in The Simpsons episode "The Musk Who Fell to Earth".
Share
2015: Honorary doctorate from Yale University
In 2015, Elon Musk received an honorary doctorate in engineering and technology from Yale University and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Honorary Membership.
Share
2016: Second Divorce from Talulah Riley
In 2016, Elon Musk finalized a second divorce from Talulah Riley.
Share
2016: Cameo appearance in Why Him?
In 2016, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Why Him?
Share
2016: Musk Supports Hillary Clinton
In 2016, Elon Musk supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.
Share
2017: Appearance on Young Sheldon
In 2017, Elon Musk appeared in the Young Sheldon episode "A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®".
Share
2017: Purchase of X.com Domain
In 2017, Elon Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount, citing sentimental value.
Share
2018: Confirmed relationship with Grimes
In 2018, Elon Musk and Canadian musician Grimes confirmed they were dating.
Share
March 2019: Release of 'RIP Harambe'
In March 2019, Elon Musk released a rap track, "RIP Harambe", on SoundCloud through his own label Emo G Records.
Share
2019: Cameo appearance in Men in Black: International
In 2019, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Men in Black: International.
Share
2020: Musk Relocates to Texas
From the early 2000s until late 2020, Elon Musk resided in California, where both Tesla and SpaceX were founded. He then relocated to Starbase, Texas.
Share
2020: Birth of first child with Grimes
In 2020, Elon Musk and Grimes had their first child, originally named "X Æ A-12".
Share
2020: Musk Supports Biden and Endorses Yang and West
In 2020, Elon Musk supported Joe Biden, endorsed Andrew Yang's presidential campaign and expressed support for his universal basic income proposal, and endorsed Kanye West's presidential campaign.
Share
September 2021: "Semi-separated" from Grimes
In September 2021, Elon Musk and Grimes confirmed reports that they were "semi-separated".
Share
December 2021: Declared himself single
In December 2021, Elon Musk said in an interview with Time that he was single.
Share
2021: Birth of twins with Shivon Zilis
In 2021, Elon Musk had twins with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at Neuralink, born via IVF.
Share
2021: Musk Opposes Build Back Better Act
In 2021, Elon Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act.
Share
2021: Asperger syndrome announcement on SNL
In 2021, while hosting Saturday Night Live, Elon Musk stated that he has Asperger syndrome, now merged with autism spectrum disorder, although he has not been medically diagnosed.
Share
2022: Musk's Political Contributions Shift
Beginning in 2022, Elon Musk's political contributions have mostly supported Republicans, with his first vote for a Republican going to Representative Mayra Flores.
Share
2022: Musk Expresses Support for Ukraine
In 2022, Elon Musk expressed support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
Share
2022: Musk Supports Republican Party Candidates
In 2022, Elon Musk said he would start supporting Republican Party candidates and gave over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity.
Share
2022: Name change of Vivian Jenna Wilson
In 2022, the elder twin Elon Musk had with Justine Wilson came out as a trans woman and officially changed her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson, adopting her mother's surname.
Share
2022: Musk Votes Republican for the First Time
Within the context of American politics, Elon Musk supported Democratic candidates up until 2022, at which point he voted for a Republican for the first time.
Share
June 2023: Musk Hosts DeSantis's Campaign Announcement
In June 2023, Elon Musk supported Republican Ron DeSantis for the 2024 US presidential election, giving $10 million to his campaign, and hosted DeSantis's campaign announcement on a Twitter Spaces event.
Share
October 2023: Grimes sues Musk
In October 2023, Grimes sued Elon Musk over parental rights and custody of X Æ A-Xii.
Share
2023: Errol Musk Emerald Mine Account
In 2023, Errol Musk clarified that he received "a portion of the emeralds produced at three small mines", differing from previous statements about owning a Zambian emerald mine.
Share
January 2024: Musk Hosts X Spaces with Presidential Candidates
From June 2023 to January 2024, Elon Musk hosted a bipartisan set of X Spaces with Republican and Democratic candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, and Dean Phillips.
Share
January 2024: Reported recreational drug use
In January 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk takes ketamine, LSD, cocaine, and other drugs recreationally.
Share
July 2024: Musk Endorses Trump
In July 2024, after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Elon Musk endorsed him for president.
Share
August 2024: Trump Commits to Giving Musk an Advisory Role
In August 2024, Trump committed to giving Musk an advisory role, with Musk accepting the offer.
Share
December 2024: Musk Suggests Organization Could Help to Cut the U.S. Federal Budget
In November and December 2024, Musk suggested that the organization could help to cut the U.S. federal budget, consolidate the number of federal agencies, and eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that its final stage would be "deleting itself".
Share
2024: Birth of child with Shivon Zilis
In 2024, Elon Musk had a child with Shivon Zilis via surrogacy.
Share
2024: Largest Donor in Presidential Election
In 2024, Elon Musk was the largest donor in the United States presidential election.
Share
2024: Musk Supports Far-Right Alternative for Germany
In Europe, Elon Musk expressed support for Ukraine in 2022 during the Russian invasion, recommended referendums and peace deals on the annexed Russia-occupied territories, and supported the far-right Alternative for Germany in Germany in 2024.
Share
January 2025: Appointment to DOGE
In January 2025, Elon Musk was appointed head of Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Share
January 2025: Organization Created by Executive Order
In January 2025, the organization was created by executive order, and Musk was designated a "special government employee".
Share