Video game king to the man behind the headlines: Who is Elon Musk?
Billionaire Elon Musk is known for pushing forward with outlandish takeover bids. He just made his next move.
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From video game king to the world’s richest man.
There has never been anyone quite like Elon Musk.
Some compare him to Albert Einstein for his ingenuity, while others can’t stand his divisive behaviour.
Love him or hate him, Musk is undeniably one of the most influential and polarising figures of our time.
From revolutionising electric cars to space travel and shaking up social media, his actions have sparked both outrage and awe.
His influence stretches far beyond business, he is reshaping industries, governments and even cultural movements.
He makes outrages unsolicited bids, like a USD $97.4 billion offer to buy the nonprofit group that control OpenAI.
However, OpenAI boss Sam Altman quickly rejected the offer via Musk’s own social media platform, X.
“No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” he said.
no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 10, 2025
So who is the man behind these outragous billionaire dollar bids and how did he become the world’s most richest man?
Who is Elon Musk?
Musk was born on 28 June 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, to a family of achievers.
His mother, Maye Musk, is a Canadian-born model and dietitian who graced magazine covers well into her 70s.
Musk’s father, Errol Musk, is a South African electromechanical engineer, a pilot and property developer.
Errol is a pronatalist, someone who supports any policy or attitude that is pro-birth and encourages reproduction.
He worked on various engineering projects and owned emerald mines in Zambia which contributed to the family’s wealth during Elon’s early years.
While the Musk family enjoyed a privileged lifestyle, Elon has described his upbringing as challenged due to a difficult relationship with his father, including Elon’s father conceiving a child with his stepdaughter.
As a child, Musk was a keen reader, diving into science fiction and programming.
Guess I’ve liked space, computer programming & video games for a long time 😂 https://t.co/0jncdq3FB2
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2025
By the age of 10, he taught himself programming and sold his first video game, Blastar, for USD $500.
Continuing his love for video games, Musk interned at Rocket Science writing software for their video games.
His love for computing and engineering led him to Canada after high school, where he attended Queens University.
It’s believed Musk left his homeland to avoid military service.
He later transferred to University of Pennsylvania, where he completed bachelor degrees in physics and economics.
"It was love at first sight for me & computers tbh"
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) January 20, 2025
Elon Musk pic.twitter.com/xZWitLNhiR
Musk briefly attended Stanford University for his Ph.D. but dropped out after two days to co-found Zip2, an online city guide, with financial help from his father.
Elon’s brother, Kimbal Musk, is a restaurateur and entrepreneur focused on sustainable food.
He co-founded The Kitchen Restaurant Group, Big Green and Square Roots, all aiming to improve food systems and promote urban farming.
Tosca Musk, is a filmmaker and producer.
She co-founded the streaming platform Passionflix, which specialises in adapting romance novels in films.
Musk has 11 children with three women, including triplets and twins.
First Steps in Business
In 1995, with funding from his father, Musk co-founded Zip2 with his brother Kimbal Musk, and Greg Kouri.
Zip2 was a searchable business directory that could be described as an internet version of the yellow pages, with maps included.
In 1999, when Zip2 was sold to Compaq for USD $307 million, Musk’s profit was approximately USD $22 million.
Using his proceeds from Zip2, Musk founded X.com which eventually evolved into PayPal, later acquired by eBay from USD $1.5 billion in stock.
Musk was forced out as chief executive and accepted approximately USD $175 million when PayPal was sold to eBay.
With millions in the bank and two innovative start-ups, Musk decided to do something different.
With no experience in the aerospace or rocketry industry, Musk created SpaceX, a commercial rocket company.
His goal - to make humanity a multiplanetary species.
What sets SpaceX apart from other companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin is its ability to design and manufacture in house.
SpaceX went on to secure a approximately USD $1.6 million contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the international space station.
Tesla and the EV revolution
In 2004 Musk joined Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.) as an early investor and chairman, and later he became chief executive officer, investing approximately USD $6.5 million.
Tesla was founded in 2003 by engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning.
The name “Tesla” honours the inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, known for his contributions to the development of alternating current (AC) electricity.
Musk joined Tesla at a time when electric vehicles (EVs) were seen impractical and niche but Musk made them desirable, fast and futuristic.
It started with the Roadster, a sleek, electric sports car that proved EVs could be just as thrilling as a petrol vehicle.
Then came the Model S, Model 3 and many more, including the Cybertruck, a bold statement of Musk pushing the boundaries of conventional design.
Musk’s influence extends beyond the vehicles, Tesla’s Supercahrger network changed the industry and it addressed one of the biggest challenges for electric cars - range anxiety.
But it hasn’t been all positive, Musk has face criticism for Tesla’s autopilot technology, production delays and even workplace controversies.
Beyond cars and rockets
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, however he left the organisation after a few years, citing conflicts of interest with Tesla’s AI development.
He also acquired SolarCity under Tesla in 2016, integrating it into Tesla’s energy division.
Frustrated with Los Angeles traffic, Musk launched The Boring Company to build underground transportation systems.
Around the same time, Musk co-founded Neuralink to merge artificial intelligence with the human brain.
The company is developing brain-computer interfaces to treat neurological disorders like paralysis.
In 2022, Musk acquired Twitter for approximately USD $44 billion and later rebranded it as “X”.
It was a move that aligned with Musk’s vision of creating a platform that would integrate social media, messaging and financial services, resembling China’s WeChat.
Forbes estimates that X is worth nearly 70% less as of August 2024.
Just when you thought Musk couldn’t gain any more power, he is tasked with leading President Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
A Career Marked by Controversy
Throughout his career, Musk has been involved in numerous controversies that have sparked debate and even legal scrutiny.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk publicly dismissed the severity of the virus, he criticised lockdown measures and prompted unproven treatments.
His tweets on X have also stirred outrage, including posts that have led to fluctuations in stock prices and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin.
In 2018, Musk referred to a British cave rescuer involved in the Thai cave rescue mission as a “pedo guy” leading to a defamation case, which he won.
At Tesla, the company has faced multiple lawsuits, including allegations of racial discrimination, workplace harassment and union-busting.
Musk is also facing lawsuits over Tesla’s Autopilot system.
His acquisition of Twitter, now X, led to mass job cuts, changes in content moderation policies and sharp decline in the platform’s valuation.
Despite these controversies, Musk continues to be a key figure in technology, business and public discussion.
Whether you’re a fan of his innovations or a critic, there’s no denying that Musk has reshaped several industries.
Originally published as Video game king to the man behind the headlines: Who is Elon Musk?
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