Early Life and Education of Elon Musk: A Complete Timeline

How education and upbringing influenced the life of Elon Musk. A timeline of key moments.

Elon Musk is a prominent businessman and entrepreneur, recognized globally for his leadership roles in companies like Tesla, SpaceX, X, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He has held the position of the world's wealthiest individual since 2021, with Forbes estimating his net worth at US$424.7 billion as of May 2025.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1950: Grandfather's Move to South Africa

In 1950, Elon Musk's maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman, moved to South Africa.

June 28, 1971: Elon Musk's Birth

On June 28, 1971, Elon Reeve Musk was born. He is known as an international businessman and entrepreneur.

Others born on this day/year

1979: Parents' Divorce

In 1979, Elon Musk's parents divorced, after which he chose to live with his father.

June 1989: Arrival in Canada

In June 1989, Elon Musk arrived in Canada.

1989: Emigration to Canada

In 1989, Elon Musk emigrated from South Africa to Canada, having obtained Canadian citizenship at birth.

1990: Enrollment at Queen's University

In 1990, Elon Musk entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

1995: Studies at University of Pennsylvania

In 1995, Elon Musk studied at the University of Pennsylvania.

1997: University Degrees

In 1997, Elon Musk received bachelor's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

1997: 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 Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

2000: Musk Contracts Malaria

In 2000, Elon Musk contracted a severe case of malaria while on vacation in South Africa.

2000: Musk Marries Justine Wilson

In 2000, Elon Musk married Canadian author Justine Wilson, whom he met while attending Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.

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.

2002: Musk Becomes a U.S. Citizen

In 2002, Elon Musk became a U.S. citizen.

2002: American Citizenship and PayPal Acquisition by eBay

In 2002, Elon Musk became an American citizen. PayPal, which X.com had merged into, was acquired by eBay.

2004: Musk and Wilson Have Twins

In 2004, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had twins through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

2006: Musk and Wilson Have Triplets

In 2006, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had triplets through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

2008: Musk and Wilson Divorce

In 2008, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson divorced and agreed to share custody of their children.

2008: Musk Begins Dating Talulah Riley

In 2008, Elon Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley.

2008: Support for Barack Obama

In 2008, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama.

2012: Musk and Riley Divorce

In 2012, Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorced.

2012: Support for Barack Obama

In 2012, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama.

2014: Musk Files for Divorce from Riley Again

In 2014, Elon Musk briefly filed for divorce from Talulah Riley for the second time.

2015: Received 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.

2016: Musk and Riley Finalize Second Divorce

In 2016, Elon Musk and Talulah Riley finalized their second divorce.

2016: Support for Hillary Clinton

In 2016, Elon Musk supported Hillary Clinton.

2017: Musk Dates Amber Heard

In 2017, Elon Musk dated American actress Amber Heard for several months, after reportedly pursuing her since 2012.

2018: Musk Begins Dating Grimes

In 2018, Elon Musk and Canadian musician Grimes confirmed that they were dating.

March 2019: Musk Releases "RIP Harambe"

In March 2019, Elon Musk, through his label Emo G Records, released a rap track titled "RIP Harambe" on SoundCloud.

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August 2020: Acquisition of Second Private Jet

In August 2020, Elon Musk acquired a second private jet owned by Falcon Landing LLC, a SpaceX-linked company.

2020: Birth of Musk and Grimes' First Child

In 2020, Elon Musk and Grimes had their first child, originally named "X Æ A-12."

2020: Musk Relocates to Texas

In 2020, Elon Musk relocated from California to Cameron County, Texas, citing concerns that California had become "complacent" about its economic success.

2020: Support for Joe Biden, Andrew Yang, and Kanye West

In 2020, Elon Musk supported Joe Biden. In the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Musk endorsed candidate Andrew Yang and expressed support for Yang's proposed universal basic income, and endorsed Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign.

September 2021: Musk and Grimes Semi-Separate

In September 2021, Elon Musk confirmed reports that he and Grimes were "semi-separated".

December 2021: Musk Says He Is Single

In December 2021, Elon Musk stated in an interview with Time that he was single.

2021: Musk Has Twins with Shivon Zilis

In 2021, Elon Musk had twins via IVF with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at Neuralink.

2021: Opposition to Build Back Better Act

In 2021, Elon Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act, a $3.5 trillion legislative package endorsed by Joe Biden.

2021: Musk Discloses Asperger's Syndrome on SNL

In 2021, while hosting Saturday Night Live, Elon Musk stated that he has Asperger syndrome (now merged with autism spectrum disorder).

2022: Musk and Grimes Have Third Child

In 2022, Elon Musk and Grimes had their third child.

2022: Musk Expressed Support for Ukraine

In 2022, Elon Musk expressed support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion and suggested referendums and peace deals on Russia-occupied territories.

2022: Pledge to Support Republican Candidates

In 2022, Elon Musk said he would start supporting Republican Party candidates and gave over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee.

2022: Musk Voted Republican for the First Time

In 2022, Elon Musk voted for a Republican for the first time, marking a shift in his political affiliations after previously supporting Democratic candidates.

2022: Musk's Daughter Changes Name

In 2022, Elon Musk's elder twin with Justine Wilson came out as a trans woman and officially changed her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson, adopting her mother's surname.

2022: Shift Towards Republican Support

Since 2022, Elon Musk's political contributions have mostly supported Republicans, with his first vote for a Republican going to Mayra Flores in the 2022 Texas's 34th congressional district special election.

February 2023: Jury Finds Musk Not Liable in Tesla Tweet Lawsuit

In February 2023, a jury found Elon Musk and Tesla not liable in a shareholder lawsuit over a 2018 tweet about taking Tesla private.

June 2023: Hosting DeSantis Campaign Announcement

In June 2023, Elon Musk supported Republican Ron DeSantis for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, giving $10 million to his campaign, and hosted DeSantis's campaign announcement on a Twitter Spaces event.

October 2023: Grimes Sues Musk Over Parental Rights

In October 2023, Grimes sued Elon Musk over parental rights and custody of their child X Æ A-Xii.

2023: Errol Musk's Emerald Mine Account

In 2023, Errol Musk recounted that the deal he made was to receive a portion of emeralds produced at three small mines, differing from previous statements.

January 2024: Hosting Bipartisan X Spaces

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.

July 2024: Endorsement of Donald Trump for President

In July 2024, minutes after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Elon Musk endorsed him for president saying; "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery."

August 2024: Commitment to Advisory Role for Musk

In August 2024, following a discussion between Elon Musk and Donald Trump about DOGE, Trump committed to giving Musk an advisory role, with Musk accepting the offer.

October 2024: Report of Musk Buying Texas Compound for Children

In October 2024, The New York Times reported that Elon Musk bought a Texas compound for his children and their mothers, though Musk denied doing so.

December 2024: Suggestions for Federal Budget Cuts and Agency Consolidation

In December 2024, Elon 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".

2024: Musk Criticizes Assassin's Creed Shadows

In 2024, Elon Musk criticized the video game Assassin's Creed Shadows and its creator Ubisoft for including "woke" content.

2024: Musk Has Child via Surrogacy with Shivon Zilis and Allegedly a Child with Ashley St. Clair

In 2024, Elon Musk had a child with Shivon Zilis via surrogacy and allegedly a child with author Ashley St. Clair.

2024: Support for Far-Right Political Parties and Causes

In 2024, Elon Musk started supporting international far-right political parties, activists, and causes, and has shared far-right misinformation and numerous conspiracy theories. Since 2024, his views have been generally described as right-wing.

2024: Support for Donald Trump

In 2024, Elon Musk supported Donald Trump.

2024: Musk Supported Alternative for Germany

In 2024, Elon Musk voiced support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party in Germany.

2024: Largest Donor in U.S. Presidential Election

In 2024, Elon Musk was the largest donor in the U.S. presidential election.

January 2025: Creation of DOGE by Executive Order

In January 2025, the organization was created by executive order, and Elon Musk was designated a "special government employee". Musk is leading the organization and is a senior advisor to the president.

February 14, 2025: St. Clair Claims Musk Fathered Her Son

On February 14, 2025, Ashley St. Clair, an influencer and author, posted on X claiming to have given birth to Elon Musk's son Romulus five months earlier.

February 22, 2025: St. Clair Files for Sole Custody

On February 22, 2025, it was reported that Ashley St Clair had filed for sole custody of her five-month-old son and for Elon Musk to be recognized as the child's father.

March 31, 2025: Musk Pays St. Clair Despite Uncertainty

On March 31, 2025, Elon Musk wrote that, while unsure if he was the father of Ashley St. Clair's child, he had paid St. Clair $2.5 million and would continue paying her $500,000 per year.

May 28, 2025: Musk Announces Departure from Trump Administration

On May 28, 2025, Elon Musk announced his planned departure from the Trump administration upon the expiration of his 130-day term as a special government employee. A White House official confirmed that Musk's offboarding was already in progress.

May 30, 2025: Official Confirmation of Musk's Departure

On May 30, 2025, Elon Musk's departure from the Trump administration was officially confirmed during a joint press conference with Trump in the Oval Office.

2025: Contribution to Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

In 2025, Elon Musk contributed $19 million to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, hoping to influence the state's future redistricting efforts and its regulations governing car manufacturers and dealers.

2025: Musk Criticizes Assassin's Creed Shadows

In 2025, Elon Musk criticized the video game Assassin's Creed Shadows and its creator Ubisoft for including "woke" content.

2025: Musk Has Child with Shivon Zilis

In 2025, Elon Musk had a child with Shivon Zilis.

2025: Reports of Higher Number of Musk's Children

In 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that sources close to Elon Musk suggested that the actual number of Musk's children is much higher than publicly known.