Elon Musk is a well-known name in the business industry, and he has had many successful business ventures. He is the founder of Space X, co-founder of PayPal and CEO at Tesla. But who is the family behind this successful businessman, who are Elon Musk’s parents?
South African born businessman Musk was born to Canadian model Maye Musk and Errol Musk, a wealthy South African engineer. Ten years into Musk’s life, his parents divorced. Musk is the eldest out of his two other siblings, brother Kimbal Musk and sister Tosca Musk.
But what was it like for Musk growing up? What influence did his parents have in the making of this successful entrepreneur? Did he excel all alone, or did he have help along the way? Keep reading to learn more.
The Makings of a Multi-Billionaire
Born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, to an ambitious family, Musk has had it in the bag from a young age. After his parent’s divorce, Musk spent most of his time with his father.
By the young age of 11, Musk taught himself to program. Just a year later, at age 12, Musk had made his first sale of a game he developed from scratch called Blastar.
It’s worth mentioning that Musk only got his hands on a computer because his father had booked him a seat at a lecture (this when Musk was 11) – Errol left his son in the class. He returned to find Elon networking with professors working at the University of the Witwatersrand, where Elon had attended the class.
Even at such a young age, Musk had the mindset of an entrepreneur!
Indeed, Musk worked alone at the start; he started with the basics and went from there. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, not quite.
As a youngster, Musk was shy and introverted, and well, he was the youngest and smallest lad in his class growing up. Musk quickly became the victim of bullying, but he didn’t let this affect his drive to succeed. Instead, he bounced back taller and physically more robust after a growth spurt and learning karate and wrestling to fend off the bullies.
By 17, Musk left South Africa alone and headed for Canada in a bid to avoid mandatory service in the military back in South Africa. He had nothing more than himself and his books and $2,000.
Perhaps being the son of two victorious individuals has its perks. If you think about it, Musk’s mother, Maye, was already a rising star even before her firstborn son entered the world – what with being a Canadian model and all. What’s more, a family member has described Elon’s father as a “serial entrepreneur.” Maybe that explains how Maye and Errol managed to create a multi-billionaire for a son.
If that’s not enough, you should know that it’s not just Elon who’s in the limelight, both of his siblings are in the spotlight too. His brother Kimbal is a venture capitalist and an environmentalist, while his sister Tosca is an award-winning producer and director.
What is Elon Musk’s Net Worth?
By now, I bet you’re wondering just how much this successful entrepreneur is worth. Having read this article and coming to the realization that years of hard work pays off, it shouldn’t come as a shock to you that Musk is worth a staggering 40.8 billion USD as of May 2020.
From starting as a 17-year-old, making the big move to Canada with a respectable $2,000, it seems Musk has worked hard for his victories in the world of wealthy entrepreneurs. From just being another name to becoming one of the world’s most well-known household names, this is the success story of Elon Musk.
We’d all love to be raking in as much as Musk; perhaps we should ignite our entrepreneurial spirits before venturing into our next business endeavor.