# Elon 

By [Astx](https://paragraph.com/@astx) · 2024-01-17

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**Elon Reeve Musk** ([/ˈiːlɒn/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) [_EE-lon_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key); born June 28, 1971) is a businessman and investor. He is the founder, chairman, CEO, and CTO of [SpaceX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX); [angel investor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_investor), CEO, product architect and former chairman of [Tesla, Inc.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla,_Inc.); owner, chairman and CTO of [X Corp.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Corp.); founder of [the Boring Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boring_Company) and [xAI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XAI_\(company\)); co-founder of [Neuralink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuralink) and [OpenAI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI); and president of the [Musk Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_Foundation). He is the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$232 billion as of December 2023, according to the [_Bloomberg Billionaires Index_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomberg_Billionaires_Index), and $254 billion according to [_Forbes_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes), primarily from his ownership stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-6)[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-7)

A member of the wealthy South African [Musk family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_family), Elon was born in [Pretoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretoria) and briefly attended the [University of Pretoria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pretoria) before immigrating to Canada at age 18, acquiring citizenship through his Canadian-born mother. Two years later, he [matriculated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriculation) at [Queen's University at Kingston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_University_at_Kingston) in Canada. Musk later transferred to the [University of Pennsylvania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Pennsylvania), and received bachelor's degrees in economics and physics. He moved to California in 1995 to attend [Stanford University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University). However, Musk dropped out after two days and, with his brother [Kimbal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbal_Musk), co-founded online [city guide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_guide) software company [Zip2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip2). The startup was acquired by [Compaq](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq) for $307 million in 1999, and, that same year Musk co-founded [X.com](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X.com_\(bank\)), a [direct bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_bank). X.com merged with [Confinity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confinity) in 2000 to form [PayPal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal).

In October 2002, [eBay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay) acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion, and that same year, with $100 million of the money he made, Musk founded SpaceX, a [spaceflight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight) services company. In 2004, he became an early investor in [electric vehicle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle) manufacturer Tesla Motors, Inc. (now Tesla, Inc.). He became its chairman and product architect, assuming the position of CEO in 2008. In 2006, Musk helped create [SolarCity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SolarCity), a solar-energy company that was acquired by Tesla in 2016 and became [Tesla Energy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Energy). In 2013, he proposed a [hyperloop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop) high-speed [vactrain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain) transportation system. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI, a nonprofit [artificial intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence) research company. The following year, Musk co-founded Neuralink—a [neurotechnology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotechnology) company developing [brain–computer interfaces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain%E2%80%93computer_interfaces)—and the Boring Company, a tunnel construction company. In 2022, he [acquired Twitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon_Musk) for $44 billion. He subsequently merged the company into newly created X Corp. and rebranded the service as X the following year. In March 2023, he founded [xAI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XAI_\(company\)), an artificial intelligence company.

[Musk has expressed views](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Elon_Musk) that have made him a polarizing figure.[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-Trouble-8) He has been criticized for making unscientific and misleading statements, including [COVID-19 misinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Elon_Musk#COVID-19_pandemic), and [antisemitic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism) [conspiracy theories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theories).[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-Trouble-8)[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-9)[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-10)[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk#cite_note-11) His [ownership of Twitter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_under_Elon_Musk) has been similarly controversial, being marked by the laying off of a large number of employees, an [increase in hate speech](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_under_Elon_Musk#Increase_in_hate_speech) and [misinformation and disinformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_under_Elon_Musk#Misinformation_and_disinformation) on the website, as well as changes to [Twitter Blue verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Blue_verification_controversy). In 2018, the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission) (SEC) sued him for falsely tweeting that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla. To settle the case, Musk stepped down as the chairman of Tesla and paid a $20 million fine.

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*Originally published on [Astx](https://paragraph.com/@astx/elon)*