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.
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1980: Parents' Divorce
In 1980, Elon Musk's parents divorced, and he chose to live primarily with his father.
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1990: Entry to Queen's University
In 1990, Elon Musk entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
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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.
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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.
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1995: Studied at the University of Pennsylvania
In 1995, Elon Musk studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied until 1995.
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1995: Acceptance to Stanford
In 1995, Elon Musk was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University, but did not enroll.
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1995: Zip2 Founding
In 1995, Elon Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri founded web software company Zip2.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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1999: Co-founding of X.com
In 1999, Elon Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company.
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2000: Contracted malaria
In 2000, Elon Musk contracted a severe case of malaria while on vacation in South Africa.
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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.
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2000: Ousting as CEO of X.com
In 2000, Elon Musk was ousted as CEO of X.com and replaced by Peter Thiel due to software and business model disagreements.
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2001: Involvement with 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.
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2001: Foundation of the Musk Foundation
In 2001, Elon Musk founded the Musk Foundation, whose stated purpose is to provide solar-power energy systems in disaster areas, with an interest in human space exploration, pediatrics, renewable energy, and "safe artificial intelligence".
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2001: Renaming to PayPal
In 2001, the company focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal.
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May 2002: Founding of SpaceX
In May 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX and became the company's CEO and Chief Engineer.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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July 2003: Tesla Motors Incorporation
In July 2003, Tesla Motors was incorporated by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.
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February 2004: Musk Leads Tesla's Series A Investment
In February 2004, Elon Musk led the Series A round of investment in Tesla, investing $6.35 million, becoming the majority shareholder and chairman.
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2004: Birth of twins
In 2004, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had twins via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
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2004: Investment in Tesla
In 2004, Elon Musk became an early investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, becoming its chairman and later CEO.
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2006: Birth of triplets
In 2006, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had triplets via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
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2006: SolarCity Founding
In 2006, Elon Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive founded.
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2007: Conflicts within Tesla
In 2007, a series of escalating conflicts led to Martin Eberhard's ousting from Tesla.
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2008: Divorce from Justine Wilson
In 2008, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson divorced and have shared custody of their children.
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2008: Musk Assumes Leadership of Tesla
In 2008, Elon Musk assumed leadership of Tesla as CEO and product architect.
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2008: Dating Talulah Riley
In 2008, Elon Musk began dating English actress Talulah Riley.
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2008: George Low Transportation Award
In 2008, Elon Musk received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics George Low Transportation Award for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets.
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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.
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2008: Tesla Roadster Delivery
In 2008, Tesla began delivery of the Roadster, its first mass production all-electric car.
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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.
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2010: Cameo appearance in Iron Man 2
In 2010, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Iron Man 2.
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2010: Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Gold Space Medal
In 2010, Elon Musk received the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Gold Space Medal for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets.
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2010: Tesla Initial Public Offering
In 2010, Tesla had its initial public offering.
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2010: Most Influential People - Time
In 2010, Time listed Elon Musk as one of the most influential people in the world.
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2011: Space Shuttle Retirement
In 2011, the Space Shuttle retired, with SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft flights replacing it to the International Space Station (ISS).
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2012: First Divorce from Talulah Riley
In 2012, Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorced, before remarrying the following year.
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2012: Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal
In 2012, Elon Musk received the Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal for his contributions to the development of the Falcon rockets.
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2012: Musk Supports Obama Re-election
In 2012, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama for re-election.
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2012: Launch of Model S
In 2012, Tesla launched the four-door sedan Model S.
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2012: Dragon Docks with ISS
In 2012, the Dragon vehicle docked with the ISS, a first for a commercial spacecraft.
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August 2013: Musk Announces Vactrain Plans
In August 2013, Elon Musk announced plans for a version of a vactrain, assigning engineers from SpaceX and Tesla to design a transport system between Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
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2013: SolarCity Ranking
By 2013, SolarCity was the second largest provider of solar power systems in the United States.
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2013: Cameo appearance in Machete Kills
In 2013, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Machete Kills.
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2013: Most Influential People - Time
In 2013, Time listed Elon Musk as one of the most influential people in the world.
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2014: Brief Divorce Filing
In 2014, Elon Musk briefly filed for divorce from Talulah Riley a second time.
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2014: Announcement of SolarCity Production Facility
In 2014, Elon Musk promoted the idea of SolarCity building an advanced production facility in Buffalo, New York.
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December 2015: Musk Co-founds OpenAI
In December 2015, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI, a not-for-profit artificial intelligence research company.
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2015: Appearance on The Simpsons
In 2015, Elon Musk appeared in The Simpsons episode "The Musk Who Fell to Earth".
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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.
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2016: Musk Co-founds Neuralink
In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup, investing $100 million into the company.
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2016: Second Divorce from Talulah Riley
In 2016, Elon Musk finalized a second divorce from Talulah Riley.
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2016: Cameo appearance in Why Him?
In 2016, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Why Him?
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2016: Musk Supports Hillary Clinton
In 2016, Elon Musk supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.
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2016: Tesla Acquires SolarCity
In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity for $2 billion and merged it with its battery unit to create Tesla Energy.
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2017: Completion of SolarCity Factory
Construction of the SolarCity factory, announced in 2014, was completed in 2017.
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2017: Appearance on Young Sheldon
In 2017, Elon Musk appeared in the Young Sheldon episode "A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac®".
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2017: Musk Founds the Boring Company
In 2017, Elon Musk founded the Boring Company to construct tunnels, with plans for specialized, underground, high-occupancy vehicles.
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2017: Purchase of X.com Domain
In 2017, Elon Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount, citing sentimental value.
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2017: Launch of Model 3
In 2017, Tesla launched the mass-market sedan Model 3.
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2017: Musk Expresses Interest in Buying Twitter
In early 2017, Elon Musk expressed interest in buying Twitter and questioned the platform's commitment to freedom of speech.
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2018: Confirmed relationship with Grimes
In 2018, Elon Musk and Canadian musician Grimes confirmed they were dating.
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2018: Fellow of the Royal Society
In 2018, Elon Musk was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
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2018: SEC Sues Musk
In 2018, Elon Musk was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a tweet about taking Tesla private.
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2018: SEC Sues Musk
In 2018, Elon Musk was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a tweet about taking Tesla private.
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2018: Most Influential People - Time
In 2018, Time listed Elon Musk as one of the most influential people in the world.
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2018: Los Angeles Tunnel Debuts
In 2018, the Los Angeles tunnel, less than two miles in length, debuted to journalists, utilizing Tesla Model Xs.
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2018: SEC Lawsuit
In 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Elon Musk for fraud, alleging he falsely announced that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla. He stepped down as chairman and paid a fine.
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2018: Musk's Pay Package From Tesla Rescinded
In January 2024, Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled in a 2018 lawsuit that Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded.
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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.
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2019: Cameo appearance in Men in Black: International
In 2019, Elon Musk had a cameo appearance in the film Men in Black: International.
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2019: SEC Asks Court to Hold Musk in Contempt
In 2019, the SEC reacted by asking a court to hold Elon Musk in contempt for violating the terms of the 2018 settlement agreement.
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January 2020: Settlement of SolarCity Lawsuit
In January 2020, Tesla directors settled the shareholder lawsuit regarding the SolarCity acquisition, leaving Elon Musk as the sole remaining defendant.
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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.
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2020: Birth of first child with Grimes
In 2020, Elon Musk and Grimes had their first child, originally named "X Æ A-12".
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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.
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2020: 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.
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2020: Launch of Model Y and Market Leadership
In 2020, Tesla launched the crossover Model Y, became the most valuable carmaker, and entered the S&P 500.
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2020: Judge Blocks Lawsuit Over Musk Tweet
In 2020, a judge blocked a lawsuit that claimed a tweet by Elon Musk regarding Tesla stock price violated the agreement with the SEC.
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2020: End of Panasonic Joint Venture
In early 2020, the SolarCity factory operated as a joint venture with Panasonic until early 2020.
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2020: Twitter's moderation of Hunter Biden's laptop controversy
In late 2022, Musk released internal documents relating to Twitter's moderation of Hunter Biden's laptop controversy in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.
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September 2021: "Semi-separated" from Grimes
In September 2021, Elon Musk and Grimes confirmed reports that they were "semi-separated".
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October 2021: Tesla Market Capitalization Reaches $1 Trillion
In October 2021, Tesla reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion, becoming the sixth company in US history to do so.
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December 2021: Declared himself single
In December 2021, Elon Musk said in an interview with Time that he was single.
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2021: Foundation Assets Reach $9.4 Billion
By the end of 2021, the Musk Foundation's assets reached $9.4 billion.
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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.
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2021: Musk Opposes Build Back Better Act
In 2021, Elon Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act.
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2021: Time's Person of the Year
In 2021, Elon Musk was named Time magazine's Person of the Year.
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2021: Time's Person of the Year
In 2021, Elon Musk was selected as Time's "Person of the Year".
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2021: Neuralink Releases Pong-Playing Macaque Video
In 2021, Neuralink released a video showing a macaque playing the video game Pong via a Neuralink implant.
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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.
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2021: Las Vegas Convention Center Tunnel Completed
In early 2021, a tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center was completed, with local officials approving further expansions of the tunnel system.
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October 27, 2022: Musk Buys Twitter
On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk bought Twitter for approximately $44 billion after initially backing out of the deal.
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December 2022: Musk Bans ElonJet Account on Twitter
In December 2022, Elon Musk banned the ElonJet account on Twitter, along with temporary bans on journalists who posted about the incident.
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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.
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2022: Musk Expresses Support for Ukraine
In 2022, Elon Musk expressed support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
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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.
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2022: Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
In 2022, Elon Musk was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
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2022: Neuralink Announces Clinical Trials
In 2022, Neuralink announced that clinical trials would begin by the end of the year.
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2022: Federal Probe Launched into Neuralink
In 2022, a federal probe was launched into possible animal welfare violations by Neuralink.
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2022: Musk Changes Twitter Leadership and Policies
In 2022, after acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk fired top executives, instituted a monthly subscription for "blue check", laid off a significant portion of staff, and lessened content moderation.
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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.
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2022: SEC Sues Musk
In October 2023, the SEC sued Elon Musk over his refusal to testify a third time in an investigation into whether he violated federal law by purchasing Twitter stock in 2022.
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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.
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February 2023: Jury Finds Musk Not Liable in Shareholder Lawsuit
In February 2023, a jury found Elon Musk and Tesla not liable in a shareholder lawsuit over a 2018 tweet.
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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.
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July 2023: Musk Launches xAI
In July 2023, Elon Musk launched the artificial intelligence company xAI, aiming to develop a generative AI program to compete with offerings like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
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September 2023: FDA Approves Neuralink Human Trials
In September 2023, Neuralink received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin six-year human trials.
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October 2023: Grimes sues Musk
In October 2023, Grimes sued Elon Musk over parental rights and custody of X Æ A-Xii.
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October 2023: SEC Sues Musk
In October 2023, the SEC sued Elon Musk over his refusal to testify a third time in an investigation into whether he violated federal law by purchasing Twitter stock in 2022.
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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.
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2023: Launch of Cybertruck
In 2023, Tesla launched the pickup truck Cybertruck.
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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.
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January 2024: Musk's Pay Package From Tesla Rescinded
In January 2024, Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled in a 2018 lawsuit that Elon Musk's $55 billion pay package from Tesla be rescinded.
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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.
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February 2024: Judge Rules Musk Must Testify Again
In February 2024, Judge Laurel Beeler ruled that Elon Musk must testify again in the SEC investigation.
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July 2024: Musk Endorses Trump
In July 2024, after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Elon Musk endorsed him for president.
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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.
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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".
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2024: Birth of child with Shivon Zilis
In 2024, Elon Musk had a child with Shivon Zilis via surrogacy.
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2024: Musk Supports Far-Right Political Parties
In 2024, Elon Musk started supporting international far-right political parties, activists, and causes, and has shared far-right misinformation and numerous conspiracy theories.
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2024: Largest Donor in Presidential Election
In 2024, Elon Musk was the largest donor in the United States presidential election.
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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.
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January 2025: Appointment to DOGE
In January 2025, Elon Musk was appointed head of Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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January 2025: SEC Files Lawsuit Against Musk
In January 2025, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk for securities violations related to his purchase of Twitter.
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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".
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February 8, 2025: Wealthiest person in the world
As of February 8, 2025, Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$402 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
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February 2025: Musk Criticized for Treatment of Government Employees
In February 2025, Musk was criticized for his treatment of government employees.
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February 2025: Wealthiest Individual
As of February 2025, Forbes estimates Elon Musk's net worth to be US$397 billion, making him the wealthiest individual in the world.
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