Elon Musk – Biography, Net Worth, and Family Facts 2025

Elon Musk is one of the most widely discussed figures in business and technology today. As the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the owner of the social media platform X, his name appears in headlines ranging from electric vehicles and space exploration to politics and personal wealth. The search volume around him is immense, with queries about his net worth, age, family, and even his hobbies drawing millions of monthly searches. This article provides a clear, fact-based overview of what is known about Elon Musk in 2025 and 2026, drawing on public records, corporate sources, and major financial trackers.

The information below is structured to answer the most common questions people have about Musk, from his current financial standing to his personal life and business ventures. Where data is volatile or uncertain, that is clearly noted. All figures are sourced from publicly available materials, including Wikipedia, Forbes, Bloomberg, and official company pages.

What is Elon Musk’s net worth in 2025?

Key insights on Musk’s wealth

• Net worth is the dominant search driver and should be assessed with a clear date stamp.
• The “trillionaire” question requires careful attribution: different valuation methods produce different results.
• Personal-life queries (age, wife, children) generate nearly as much interest as wealth questions.
• Twitter/X and car queries reveal a business-and-products audience, not just biography seekers.
• Chess and book queries point to a secondary audience interested in Musk’s personality and personal interests.
• Comparisons with other billionaires, such as Jeff Bezos, are a natural extension of wealth-related searches.

Snapshot facts about Elon Musk

How old is Elon Musk and who are his wife and children?

Age and birth date

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. In 2026, depending on the exact date of a given publication, he is reported as either 54 or 55 years old. The Wikipedia entry lists his birth date as June 28, 1971, and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index also uses this date in its profile calculations.

Wife and marital history

Musk is not currently publicly married. His known marriages were to Justine Wilson, a Canadian author, and Talulah Riley, a British actress, whom he married twice. Both marriages ended in divorce. Public records do not list a current spouse or registered partner as of the latest available information.

Children

According to the biographical information available, Musk has 14 children. Among them is Vivian Wilson, who is publicly known through legal filings related to name and gender identity. The full list of children is not all in the public domain, and the exact number may vary depending on the source and the date of reporting.

What companies and products is Elon Musk known for?

Tesla

Musk is the CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla, the electric vehicle and clean energy company. He joined Tesla in 2004 as a co-founder and chairman, later becoming CEO. Tesla’s product line includes electric cars, battery storage systems, and solar energy products. The official Tesla bio page confirms his role and provides a brief corporate biography.

SpaceX

SpaceX, founded by Musk in 2002, is a private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company. It achieved a major milestone in 2008 when the Falcon 1 rocket reached orbit. SpaceX now operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and the Starship vehicle, and it provides crew and cargo missions to the International Space Station.

X / Twitter

Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion and later rebranded the platform as X. He serves as the owner and executive chair. The acquisition was a significant business turning point, transforming the social media company into a broader platform for payments, messaging, and content. Musk’s X profile is the primary first-person channel for his public statements.

What car does Elon Musk drive?

Musk is known to drive Tesla vehicles. He has been photographed driving various Tesla models over the years, including the Model S, Model X, and the Cybertruck. No specific personal car list is maintained in public records, but his connection to Tesla as CEO means he is almost exclusively associated with the company’s electric vehicles. The BBC has covered Musk’s vehicle choices in the context of his public appearances.

Does Elon Musk play chess?

No verified biographical detail about Elon Musk playing chess at a professional or notable amateur level appears in the available public records. The question likely arises from a general curiosity about his strategic thinking and personal hobbies. While Musk has spoken about strategy and problem-solving in interviews, chess is not documented as a known interest or skill in his biographical sources. The Wikipedia entry contains no mention of chess.

Key milestones in Elon Musk’s life and career

1. 1971 — Born in Pretoria, South Africa. Wikipedia
2. 1999 — Sold Zip2 to Compaq, his first major exit.
3. 2002 — PayPal acquired by eBay; Musk earned approximately $180 million from the sale.
4. 2004 — Joined Tesla as co-founder and chairman, later becoming CEO.
5. 2008 — SpaceX Falcon 1 reached orbit, a milestone for private spaceflight.
6. 2022 — Acquired Twitter for $44 billion, later rebranded as X.
7. 2025 — Forbes and Reuters reported that Musk became the first person to reach a net worth of $500 billion, though the “trillionaire” label was not universally applied. Forbes

What is certain and what remains unclear about Elon Musk’s biography?

How should the wealth and business data be understood?

Musk’s net worth is largely tied to the stock price of Tesla and the private valuation of SpaceX. These two assets fluctuate significantly, which explains why different trackers report different figures even on the same day. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes both track Musk’s wealth, but they use different methodologies for valuing private companies like SpaceX. The Forbes profile page provides a live figure with a date stamp, which is the most reliable way to assess current wealth.

The Twitter/X acquisition should be understood as a business turning point, not merely a social media event. It shifted Musk’s public profile from entrepreneur to platform owner and has since involved major changes to the platform’s moderation, revenue model, and feature set.

For the “book” query, the standard reference is the 2023 biography by Walter Isaacson, titled Elon Musk. That book is the most widely cited biographical work about Musk. Some users may also mean books that Musk has publicly recommended, such as science fiction or business titles, but the dominant intent is the Isaacson biography.

Sources and key references for verifying facts about Elon Musk

“Musk became the first person to reach a net worth of $500 billion in October 2025, according to Forbes.”

Reuters

“Forbes estimates Musk’s net worth at $726.3 billion at the end of 2025, making him more valuable than Belgium or Oracle.”

Forbes

“The world’s richest person in 2025, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $342 billion in March.”

Forbes

For ongoing coverage, The Guardian’s Elon Musk topic page provides regularly updated news and analysis on his business activities, political involvement, and controversies.

Summary: What does the public record tell us about Elon Musk?

Elon Musk is a South African-born businessman who serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owns the social media platform X. He was born on June 28, 1971, and his net worth in 2025–2026 has ranged from hundreds of billions to flirtations with trillionaire status, depending on the valuation method and market conditions. He has been married twice, both ending in divorce, and has 14 children. His business interests span electric vehicles, spaceflight, artificial intelligence, and social media. For readers interested in other high-profile biographies, see Tony Blair – Biography, Net Worth, Family, and Political Career and Tom Brady – Bio, Net Worth, Wife, Kids and Career.

Frequently asked questions about Elon Musk