Elon Musk, born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, is a prominent entrepreneur, innovator, and currently the wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $397 billion as of February 2025. Musk has been a controversial figure in business and politics since leaving his home country and becoming an immigrant in the United States. ## Early Career and Business Ventures Musk's entrepreneurial journey began with Zip2, a web software company he co-founded with his brother Kimbal in 1995. After Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, which later merged with Confinity to become PayPal. eBay's acquisition of PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion provided Musk with the capital to pursue more ambitious ventures, and he and his cohort would go on to play influential roles in the growth of [Silicon Valley](https://doctorparadox.net/tag/silicon-valley/) over the ensuing decades -- as chronicled in the [[PayPal Mafia Timeline]]. ![[elon-musk-biker-jacket.webp]] ## Major Companies and Innovations - **SpaceX**: Founded in 2002, focusing on space exploration and colonization of Mars. - **Tesla**: Joined in 2004, leading the company to become a pioneer in electric vehicles. - **[[OpenAI]]**: Founded in late 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Wojciech Zaremba, and John Schulman -- though Musk ceased involvement with the [[artificial intelligence (AI)]] company in early 2018, vowing to create his own system. - **Neuralink**: Co-founded in 2016, developing brain-computer interface technology. He would later [fire employees at the FDA who were reviewing his company](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fda-staff-reviewing-musks-neuralink-were-included-doge-employee-firings-sources-2025-02-17/) while rampaging through the federal government with his DOGE wrecking ball. - **The Boring Company**: Founded in 2016, aiming to revolutionize transportation through underground tunnels. - **X (formerly [Twitter](https://doctorparadox.net/who-owns-twitter/))**: Acquired in 2022, rebranding it as a platform for global communication, while systematically [turning it into a disinformation space and home for hate speech](boosting right-wing accounts and diminishing voices on the left). He advocated for far-right Republican candidates in the 2022 mid-term elections on [[Twitter]] after purchasing the company -- despite earlier claiming the platform needed to remain "politically neutral." ### Xitter He has also "re-platformed" or publicized his intent to re-platform known anti-Semites, popular figures on the [[alt-right]], and purveyors of hate speech including [[Donald Trump]] himself who were banned from the platform for inciting violence or engaging in other dangerous forms of targeting public figures or left-wing luminaries including sitting politicians. His courting of the right reportedly includes the boosting of right-wing accounts and suppression of left-leaning voices. ## Political Views and Involvement Musk's political stance has evolved significantly over the years, shifting from a relatively apolitical position to becoming increasingly vocal and aligned with [right-wing politics](https://doctorparadox.net/tag/silicon-valley/). ### Ideological Shift Initially described as a "Silicon Valley [libertarian](https://doctorparadox.net/libertarian-narcissism-right-wing-ideology/)," Musk has moved towards more [extremist](https://doctorparadox.net/psychology/extremism/) and right-wing positions. By late 2022, he was characterized as "a right-wing activist" deeply committed to the conservative culture war. His political donations have shifted almost entirely to [supporting Republicans](https://doctorparadox.net/the-gop-is-3-cults-in-a-trenchcoat/) in recent years. ### Support for Donald Trump In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Musk emerged as [[Donald Trump]]'s largest donor, contributing over $250 million through a political action committee (PAC). Following Trump's re-election, Musk was appointed to co-lead a new temporary government organization popularly known as the [Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)](https://doctorparadox.net/the-tech-bros-have-no-clothes/). Almost immediately in that role, he perpetrated the largest data heist the world has ever seen. ![[elon-musk-occupy-your-data 1.webp]] ### International Political Influence Musk's political activities have extended beyond the United States, drawing both attention and criticism: - **Germany**: Endorsed the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, leading to accusations of foreign interference in domestic affairs. - **United Kingdom**: Called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a member of the far-right British National Party, and criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer. - **Global Impact**: Encouraged right-wing political movements in at least 18 countries across six continents, promoting [[nationalism]] on a global scale. ### Controversial Statements and Positions Musk has been accused of promoting [conspiracy theories](https://doctorparadox.net/why-do-people-believe-conspiracy-theories/), making controversial statements on topics such as immigration, and supporting far-right causes. His comments have led to accusations of [sexism](https://doctorparadox.net/category/psychology/sexism/), [antisemitism](https://foundations.doctorparadox.net/Dictionaries/Politics/antisemitism), and transphobia, and his companies have been sued over racial abuse, racial discrimination, race harassment, and sex discrimination, among others. ## Current Role and Influence As of February 2025, Musk serves as a senior advisor to President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency. His dual roles as a government official and business leader have raised concerns about glaringly obvious potential conflicts of interest -- made more glaring by his numerous self-serving actions, including firing the heads of agencies tasked with regulating his businesses. Musk is a polarizing figure than ever, with his political activities and statements drawing intense criticism around the world and especially in the U.S, [where voters in a county that went 68% for Trump shouted "Tax Elon!", “tax the wealthy!” “tax the rich!” and “tax the billionaires!”](https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-21-2025) at their Republican elected representative in a recent town hall. Yet his influence extends across [technology](https://doctorparadox.net/category/technology/), business, and now global politics, making him one of the most watched and debated figures of our time. # Elon Musk's wealth Here's a breakdown of Elon Musk's wealth by type as of 2022: ![[Koch_s_Wealth_Breakdown_ 2.jpg]] Please note that the values listed above are approximate and subject to change. Additionally, it's worth noting that Elon Musk's net worth and the breakdown of his wealth by type are based on publicly available information and may not be complete or entirely accurate. # References - [The Elon Musk Playbook](https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-business-playbook-boss-visionary-jerk-spacex-tesla-twitter-2022-12) See also: [[Peter Thiel]], [[PayPal]]