Elon Musk: Biography, Net Worth, Age, Personal Life & Career

PROFILE DETAILS

FULL NAME: Elon Reeve Musk
REAL NAME: Elon Reeve Musk
CURRENT AGE: 54 years old
Gender: Male
weight: Information not publicly available
Height: Information not publicly available
Birthdate: June 28, 1971
Birthplace: Pretoria, South Africa
ESTIMATED NET WORTH: $852 Billion (Forbes, Feb 2026)
Salary: $0 (Performance-based equity only)
MAIN INCOME SOURCE: Equity in Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and X Corp
Profession: Entrepreneur, Investor, Engineer, and Former Government Advisor
RELIGION: Information not publicly available
FAMILY: Errol Musk (Father), Maye Musk (Mother), Kimbal Musk (Brother), Tosca Musk (Sister)
PARENTS: Errol Musk and Maye Musk
SPOUSE: None (Divorced: Justine Wilson, Talulah Riley)
CHILDREN: 14 (including Vivian, Griffin, X Æ A-Xii, Arcadia, and Romulus)
CAREER: CEO of Tesla, Founder/CEO of SpaceX, Founder of xAI, Owner of X, Co-founder of Neuralink
Nationality: South African, Canadian, American
SOCIAL PROFILES: X (@elonmusk)

What is Elon Musk Net Worth and salary?

As of February 15, 2026, Elon Musk’s net worth is estimated at $852 billion, making him the wealthiest individual in recorded history. This unprecedented valuation is driven by the “Muskonomy” ecosystem, specifically the 2025 merger of his AI startup, xAI, with SpaceX, which created a combined entity valued at over $1.25 trillion.

Musk does not receive a traditional cash salary from any of his companies. His wealth is almost entirely comprised of stock options and equity. In late 2025, Tesla shareholders re-approved a landmark performance-based compensation package that could potentially push his net worth toward the $1 trillion mark by 2027 if specific market cap and profit milestones are met.

Early Life

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, to Maye Musk, a Canadian model and dietitian, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer. A precocious child, he taught himself computer programming at age 10 and sold his first software, a game called Blastar, at age 12. To avoid mandatory military service in South Africa and seek better economic opportunities, he moved to Canada at 17. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, earning dual bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Economics before dropping out of a PhD program at Stanford University after just two days to pursue the internet boom.

Awards

  • 2026 Global Recognition Award: For visionary leadership in space exploration and neurotechnology.
  • 2025 America’s 250 Greatest Innovators (Forbes): Ranked #1.
  • Order of Defence Merit (2022): Awarded by the Brazilian government.
  • Time Person of the Year (2021): For his influence on Earth and beyond.
  • Fellow of the Royal Society (2018): For contributions to science and engineering.

Personal Life and Relationships

Musk’s personal life is characterized by his advocacy for increasing the global birth rate. As of early 2026, he has 14 known children with several partners. He was married to author Justine Wilson (2000–2008) and twice to actress Talulah Riley. He has since had high-profile relationships with musician Grimes and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. His most recent children include Arcadia and Seldon Lycurgus (with Zilis) and Romulus (with influencer Ashley St. Clair, born in late 2024).

Real Estate

After famously vowing to “own no house” in 2020 and selling his $100 million California portfolio, Musk has recently begun rebuilding a strategic real estate presence. His current holdings include a $35 million family compound in Austin, Texas, designed to house his children and their mothers. He also maintains a modest $50,000 pre-fabricated home in Boca Chica, Texas, near the SpaceX Starbase, and recently re-acquired the historic Gene Wilder estate in Los Angeles.

Net Worth History

  • 2012: $2 Billion (First appearance on Forbes list)
  • 2020: $27 Billion (January) to $150 Billion (December)
  • 2021: $300 Billion (First person to reach this milestone)
  • 2024: $400 Billion (Following the U.S. Presidential Election)
  • 2025: $500 Billion (October); $700 Billion (December)
  • 2026: $852 Billion (February)

BIOGRAPHY

Executive Summary

Elon Musk enters 2026 as the undisputed architect of the “Orbital AI” era. Over the past 24 months, Musk has successfully transitioned from a controversial social media owner to a pivotal figure in global geopolitics and artificial intelligence. His most significant recent achievement was the strategic consolidation of xAI and SpaceX, a move that integrated the “Grok” AI model with the Starlink satellite network, creating a vertically integrated defense and communications behemoth.

In 2025, Musk briefly entered the public sector, serving as the Commissioner of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the second Trump administration. During his four-month tenure, he claimed to have identified over $170 billion in federal waste before stepping down in May 2025 to return to his private ventures. While his political involvement drew significant criticism and led to protests at Tesla showrooms, it also solidified his influence over federal regulatory frameworks.

At Tesla, Musk has shifted the company’s primary focus from mass-market EVs to autonomous robotics. The 2025 rollout of the “Cybercab” robotaxi fleet in select Texas cities and the deployment of the Optimus Gen-3 humanoid robot in Tesla factories have kept the company at the forefront of the robotics revolution. Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to dominate the aerospace industry, with the Starship program achieving regular orbital flights and preparing for the first uncrewed Mars landing attempts scheduled for the late 2026 window. Despite ongoing legal battles regarding custody and corporate governance, Musk remains the primary driver of modern technological discourse, pushing humanity toward a multi-planetary future while maintaining a near-trillion-dollar financial empire.