The wealthiest man alive, Elon Musk, was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. This famous entrepreneur started his career developing internet start-ups which he later sold for millionaire amounts of money. He is the CEO and founder of some of the biggest companies in the world. His projects in artificial intelligence, space technology, car design, public transport, and many more are well-known internationally and very controversial. Let’s celebrate the birthday of the mayor businessman the world has seen so far.
Fast Facts
Full Name:
Elon Reeve Musk
Nickname:
Technoking
Birth date:
June 28, 1971
Age:
52 years, 9 months
Zodiac Sign:
Cancer
Height:
6' 0"
Relationship Status:
Divorced
Net Worth:
$263.3 billion
Background
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He was born to a Canadian mother, Maye Musk, and a South African father, Errol Musk. Musk lived in South Africa until 1989; when he was 17, he applied for a Canadian passport and moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to avoid entering the South African military service. Before becoming one of the most famous entrepreneurs, he was an introverted child. From a young age, he showed great interest in computers and science; he learned computer programming alone by reading a manual. When he was only 12, he created a code for a video game that he sold for $500. Musk studied several careers; he graduated in 1995 with two Bachelor’s degrees — one in economics and another in physics, from the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. That same year, he moved to California to pursue a business career. He took two internships in Silicon Valley before he started developing his own companies.Musk’s entrepreneurship journey is paved with successes. In 1995, using his father’s money ($28,000), he co-founded Zip2, a web software company. The start-up was sold that very same year for the sum of $307 million. That same year, Musk co-founded X.com, today known as PayPal; the company was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion. The magnate has founded several successful companies and is the CEO of most of them. In 2002 he launched SpaceX, a company that manufactures and launches spacecraft. In 2004 he joined Tesla Motors, today Tesla, Inc; he became the company CEO in 2008. In 2015, Musk founded non-profit artificial intelligence research called OpenAI. And in 2016, he co-founded Neuralink, a company that aims to combine the human brain with artificial intelligence.Musk is a very controversial personality. He sure is a visionary but Musk’s methods are sometimes accused of being unorthodox and unscientific. Musk had four marriages — the first one was to Justine Wilson, he married Talulah Riley twice, and his most recent marriage was to Canadian musician Grimes. Musk and Grimes split in 2021. The businessman has a total of eight children.
Career timeline
He creates the code for a video game; he sells it for $500.
He graduates in economics and physics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Musk co-founds Zip2 and X.com (PayPal).
He founds SpaceX.
He makes a $6,3 million investment in Tesla Motors (Tesla, Inc.)
He founds Neuralink, a neurotechnology company.
He buys his first computer and he learns to code on his own.
Elon Musk FAQs
Why is Elon Musk so smart?
Musk’s mom has said in many interviews that her son has a photographic memory. He also used to spend almost 10 hours a day reading.
Why is Elon Musk famous?
Musk is famous for being the founder and CEO of many popular and successful technology companies.
What type of personality does Elon Musk have?
Musk has an I.N.T.J.personality. This means he is confident, innovative, and analytical.
5 Surprising Facts
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He was an awkward kid
As a child, doctors believed he had a hearing problem; his mom said he was just thinking “in another world.”
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He was bullied
Musk was bullied at school; once, he was hospitalized after being thrown down the stairs.
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He is a big “Star Wars” fan
Musk named SpaceX’s rocket Falcon 9.
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He has Asperger's
Musk admitted he has Asperger’s syndrome in an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
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He appeared in “The Big Bang Theory”
The magnate made an appearance as himself in the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”
Why We Love Elon Musk
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His commitment to helping the planet
In 2002, he created the Musk Foundation. The company aims to provide solar power energy systems in disaster areas. The foundation also promotes research to continue developing non-contaminating sources of energy.
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Musk doesn't give in to failure
Musk applied for his first professional job at Netscape; the company didn’t even reply to him. He continued pursuing his goal until becoming the successful businessman he is today.
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He “keeps it real”
Musk is not like any other major businessman. He always speaks his mind and stays true to his beliefs.
Elon Musk’s birthday dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | June 28 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | June 28 | Friday |
| 2025 | June 28 | Saturday |
| 2026 | June 28 | Sunday |
| 2027 | June 28 | Monday |
