History of Elon Musk in Timeline
Elon Musk is a prominent businessman, best known for leading Tesla, SpaceX, and X. As of 2025, he serves as a senior advisor to President Donald Trump and effectively heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has held the title of the world's wealthiest individual since 2021, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $345 billion as of March 2025. He was recognized as Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2021.
1950: Grandfather moved to South Africa
In 1950, Elon Musk's maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman, moved to South Africa in support of apartheid.
June 28, 1971: Elon Musk's Birth
On June 28, 1971, Elon Reeve Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa.
1980: Parents divorced
In 1980, Elon Musk's parents divorced, and he chose to live primarily with his father.
June 1989: Arrived in Canada
In June 1989, Elon Musk arrived in Canada and worked odd jobs.
1989: Emigration to Canada
In 1989, Elon Musk emigrated from South Africa to Canada.
1990: Entered Queen's University
In 1990, Elon Musk entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
1994: Internships in Silicon Valley
In 1994, Elon Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley: one at Pinnacle Research Institute and another at Rocket Science Games.
1995: Co-founded Zip2
In 1995, Elon Musk co-founded Zip2, a software company.
1995: Studied at the University of Pennsylvania
In 1995, Elon Musk studied at the University of Pennsylvania.
1995: Accepted to Stanford and applied to Netscape
In 1995, Elon Musk was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University but did not enroll, deciding instead to join the Internet boom and applying for a job at Netscape.
1997: Awarded degrees from the 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.
February 1999: Compaq acquired Zip2
In February 1999, Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash, and Elon Musk received $22 million for his 7-percent share.
1999: Co-founded X.com
In 1999, Elon Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company.
2000: Ousted as CEO of X.com
In 2000, Elon Musk was ousted as CEO of X.com and replaced by Peter Thiel due to technological issues and lack of a cohesive business model.
2001: Became involved with the Mars Society
In 2001, Elon Musk became involved with the nonprofit Mars Society and discussed funding plans to place a growth-chamber for plants on Mars.
2001: X.com renamed PayPal
In 2001, under Peter Thiel, X.com focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal.
May 2002: Founded SpaceX
In May 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX and became the company's CEO and Chief Engineer.
2002: Became a U.S. citizen
In 2002, Elon Musk became a U.S. citizen. PayPal was also acquired by eBay.
2002: Founded SpaceX
In 2002, Elon Musk founded the space technology company SpaceX, becoming its CEO and chief engineer, spearheading innovations in reusable rockets and commercial spaceflight.
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.
July 2003: Tesla, Inc. was incorporated
In July 2003, Tesla, Inc., originally Tesla Motors, was incorporated by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.
February 2004: Musk led the Series A round of investment in Tesla
In February 2004, Elon Musk led the Series A round of investment in Tesla, investing $6.35 million, becoming the majority shareholder, and joining Tesla's board of directors as chairman.
2004: Joined Tesla as an early investor
In 2004, Elon Musk joined the automaker Tesla as an early investor.
2006: SolarCity Founded
In 2006, Elon Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which was founded by his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive.
2007: Conflicts within Tesla
In 2007, a series of escalating conflicts occurred within Tesla.
2008: Became CEO of Tesla
In 2008, Elon Musk became the CEO and product architect of Tesla, which later became a leader in electric vehicles.
2008: Musk Supported Obama
In 2008, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama for president.
2008: Tesla Roadster Delivery
In 2008, Tesla began delivering the Roadster, an electric sports car, which became the first mass production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells.
2008: Musk assumed leadership of Tesla
In 2008, following the financial crisis and the ousting of Martin Eberhard, Elon Musk assumed leadership of Tesla as CEO and product architect.
2009: Lawsuit settlement designated Musk as a Tesla co-founder
A 2009 lawsuit settlement with Eberhard designated Elon Musk as a Tesla co-founder, along with Tarpenning and two others.
2010: Tesla Initial Public Offering
In 2010, Tesla had its initial public offering.
2012: Musk Supported Obama
In 2012, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama for president for the second time.
2012: Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS
In 2012, SpaceX's Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS, a first for a commercial spacecraft.
2012: Tesla Model S Launch
In 2012, Tesla launched the Model S, a four-door sedan, as part of its growing line of electric vehicles.
August 2013: Musk Announces Plans for Vactrain
In August 2013, Elon Musk announced plans for a version of a vactrain and assigned engineers from SpaceX and Tesla to design a transport system between Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
2013: SolarCity Second Largest Provider
By 2013, SolarCity had become the second-largest provider of solar power systems in the United States.
2014: Musk Promotes SolarCity Factory
In 2014, Elon Musk promoted the idea of SolarCity building an advanced production facility in Buffalo, New York.
December 2015: OpenAI Co-founded
In December 2015, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial intelligence (AI) research company, with the aim of developing safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence.
2015: Co-founded OpenAI
In 2015, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI to advance artificial intelligence research.
2015: Tesla Model X Launch
In 2015, Tesla launched the Model X, a crossover vehicle, adding to its range of electric cars.
2016: Neuralink Co-founded
In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup, with a $100 million investment. The company aims to integrate the human brain with artificial intelligence through implantable devices.
2016: Co-founded Neuralink
In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded the neurotechnology company Neuralink.
2016: Musk Supported Clinton
In 2016, Elon Musk supported Hillary Clinton for president.
2016: Tesla Acquires SolarCity
In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity for $2 billion and merged it with its battery unit to create Tesla Energy. The announcement led to a drop in Tesla's stock price due to SolarCity's liquidity issues.
2017: Boring Company Founded
In 2017, Elon Musk founded the Boring Company to construct tunnels and revealed plans for specialized, underground, high-occupancy vehicles.
2017: Founded The Boring Company
In 2017, Elon Musk founded the tunneling company The Boring Company.
2017: Purchased X.com domain
In 2017, Elon Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount.
2017: Tesla Model 3 Launch
In 2017, Tesla launched the Model 3, a mass-market sedan, marking a significant step in making electric vehicles more accessible.
2017: SolarCity Factory Completed
In 2017, the construction of the SolarCity factory in Buffalo, New York, was completed.
2017: Musk Expresses Interest in Buying Twitter
In early 2017, Elon Musk expressed initial interest in buying Twitter, questioning its commitment to freedom of speech.
2018: Musk Leaves OpenAI Board
In 2018, Elon Musk departed from the OpenAI board.
2018: Los Angeles Tunnel Debuts
In 2018, the Los Angeles tunnel, less than two miles in length, debuted to journalists. It used Tesla Model Xs but was reported to be a rough ride.
May 2019: Deployed the first large Starlink constellation
In May 2019, the first large constellation of Starlink satellites was deployed.
January 2020: Tesla Directors Settle SolarCity Lawsuit
In January 2020, Tesla directors settled a shareholder lawsuit related to the SolarCity acquisition, leaving Elon Musk as the sole remaining defendant.
May 2020: Musk Resigns as Chairman of Tesla Board
In May 2020, Elon Musk resigned from his position as chairman of the board at Tesla. This action was part of a settlement with the SEC following a lawsuit concerning his tweet about securing funding to potentially take Tesla private.
August 2020: Musk Acquires Second Private Jet
In August 2020, Elon Musk acquired a second private jet, adding to his fleet used for personal travel.
2020: Musk Supported Biden and Yang
In 2020, Elon Musk supported Joe Biden for president and also endorsed Andrew Yang during the Democratic Party presidential primaries.
2020: SpaceX launched its first crewed flight
In 2020, SpaceX launched its first crewed flight, the Demo-2, becoming the first private company to place astronauts into orbit and dock a crewed spacecraft with the ISS.
2020: Tesla Model Y Launch
In 2020, Tesla launched the Model Y, a crossover vehicle, expanding its offerings in the electric vehicle market.
2020: SolarCity Joint Venture Ends
In early 2020, the joint venture between SolarCity and Panasonic came to an end.
2020: Twitter Moderates Hunter Biden's Laptop Story
In late 2022, Elon Musk released internal documents relating to Twitter's moderation of Hunter Biden's laptop controversy in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.
2020: Tesla Becomes Most Valuable Carmaker
In the summer of 2020, Tesla became the most valuable carmaker, and later that year, it entered the S&P 500.
October 2021: Tesla Reaches $1 Trillion Market Cap
In October 2021, Tesla achieved a market capitalization of $1 trillion, becoming the sixth company in U.S. history to reach this milestone.
2021: Musk Opposed the Build Back Better Act
In 2021, Elon Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act, a legislative package endorsed by Joe Biden.
2021: Named Time magazine's Person of the Year
In 2021, Elon Musk was named Time magazine's Person of the Year.
2021: Neuralink Releases Video of Macaque Playing Pong
In 2021, Neuralink released a video showing a macaque playing the video game Pong via a Neuralink implant.
2021: Las Vegas Convention Center Tunnel Completed
In early 2021, a tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center was completed by The Boring Company.
October 27, 2022: Musk Buys Twitter
On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter for approximately $44 billion.
December 2022: Musk Bans ElonJet Account on Twitter
In December 2022, Elon Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, which tracked his flight usage, and also temporarily banned accounts of journalists who reported on the incident.
2022: Acquired Twitter
In 2022, Elon Musk acquired the social network Twitter, later rebranding it as X.
2022: Musk Supports Republican Candidates
In 2022, Elon Musk announced he would begin supporting Republican Party candidates and donated over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee.
2022: Neuralink Announces Clinical Trials
In 2022, Neuralink announced that clinical trials would begin by the end of the year.
2022: Federal Probe Launched into Neuralink
In 2022, a federal probe was launched into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink.
2022: Musk Acquires Twitter and Implements Changes
In 2022, following the acquisition of Twitter, Elon Musk fired top executives, became CEO, instituted monthly subscriptions for a "blue check", laid off staff, and lessened content moderation.
2022: Musk Shifts Political Contributions
Since 2022, Elon Musk's political contributions have mostly supported Republicans, with his first vote for a Republican in the 2022 Texas's 34th congressional district special election.
June 2023: Musk Hosted DeSantis Campaign Announcement
In June 2023, Elon Musk hosted Ron DeSantis's campaign announcement on a Twitter Spaces event.
July 2023: Musk Launches xAI
In July 2023, Elon Musk launched the artificial intelligence company xAI, aiming to create a generative AI program to compete with existing offerings like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
September 2023: FDA Approves Neuralink Human Trials
In September 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved Neuralink to initiate six-year human trials.
2023: Rebranded Twitter as X
In 2023, Elon Musk rebranded the social network Twitter as X.
2023: Errol recounts the emerald mine deal
In 2023, Errol Musk recounted that the deal he made was to receive "a portion of the emeralds produced at three small mines".
2023: Tesla Cybertruck Launch
In 2023, Tesla launched the Cybertruck, a pickup truck, representing another addition to its electric vehicle lineup.
2023: Musk's Political Actions Face Scrutiny
Since 2023, Elon Musk's international political actions and comments have come under increasing scrutiny and criticism, especially from governments and leaders of France, Germany, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.
January 2024: Musk Hosted Bipartisan X Spaces
From June 2023 to January 2024, Elon Musk hosted a bipartisan set of X Spaces with Republican and Democratic candidates.
July 2024: Musk Endorsed Trump for President
In July 2024, Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for president minutes after the attempted assassination.
August 2024: Trump Commits to Giving Musk Advisory Role
In August 2024, Donald Trump committed to giving Elon Musk an advisory role, and Musk accepted the offer. The concept of DOGE emerged in a discussion between Musk and Donald Trump.
December 2024: Musk Suggested DOGE Could Cut Federal Budget
In November and December 2024, Elon Musk suggested that the organization could help to cut the U.S. federal budget, consolidate the number of federal agencies, eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that its final stage would be "deleting itself".
2024: Musk Supports Far-Right Political Parties and Causes
Since 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: Heavily involved in politics as a vocal supporter of Trump
Since the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Elon Musk has been heavily involved in politics as a vocal supporter of Trump, being the largest donor in the election.
January 2025: Appointed head of DOGE
In January 2025, Elon Musk was appointed head of Donald Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
January 2025: DOGE Created by Executive Order
In January 2025, the organization was created by executive order, and Elon Musk was designated a "special government employee". Trump said two days later that he had put Musk in charge of DOGE.
March 2025: Forbes estimates Musk's net worth at US$345 billion
In March 2025, Forbes estimated Elon Musk's net worth to be US$345 billion, maintaining his position as the wealthiest person in the world.
April 30, 2025: Musk Begins Departure from DOGE
On April 30, 2025, Elon Musk would begin his departure from DOGE after exiting the White House. He plans to work remotely until his 130 day deadline as a special government employee expires.
2025: Musk Donated to Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
In 2025, Elon Musk contributed $19 million to the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, hoping to influence future redistricting efforts and regulations governing car manufacturers and dealers.
2025: Musk Criticized for Treatment of Federal Employees
In early 2025, Elon Musk was criticized for his treatment of federal government employees, including his influence over mass layoffs of the federal workforce. He has prioritized secrecy within the organization and has accused others of violating privacy laws.
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