Elon Musk's Milestones
Birth
Elon Reeve Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, to Maye Musk (née Haldeman), a Canadian-South African model and dietitian, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer.
First Computer Program
At age 12, Musk created a video game called Blastar and sold it to a computer magazine for approximately $500.
Moved to Canada
Moved to Canada at age 17, obtaining Canadian citizenship through his mother, partly to avoid mandatory service in the South African military. Lived with relatives before attending Queen's University.
Attended Queen's University
Studied at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario for two years.
Transferred to University of Pennsylvania
Transferred to the University of Pennsylvania.
Founded Zip2
Co-founded Zip2 with his brother Kimbal Musk and Greg Kouri. The company provided and licensed online city guide software to newspapers. Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash in February 1999.
Graduated from UPenn
Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from its College of Arts and Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Wharton School.
Stanford Briefly
Enrolled in a PhD program in materials science at Stanford University but dropped out after two days to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations in the internet boom.
Founded X.com
Co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company, with $10 million from the sale of Zip2.
Married Justine Wilson
Married Canadian author Justine Wilson in January 2000.
X.com Merges with Confinity (PayPal)
X.com merged with Confinity, a software company that had developed an online payment system called PayPal. Musk was initially CEO of the merged company.
Ousted as PayPal CEO
Ousted as CEO of PayPal (formerly X.com) due to disagreements over migrating PayPal's backend infrastructure from Unix-based to Microsoft Windows. Remained on the board.
PayPal Rebranded
The company (formerly X.com/Confinity) was officially rebranded as PayPal.
Founded SpaceX
Founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) with the mission to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars. Became CEO and Chief Engineer/Designer.
Birth of Son Nevada Alexander
First child, Nevada Alexander Musk, was born on May 18, 2002.
Death of Son Nevada Alexander
Son Nevada Alexander Musk died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 10 weeks old on July 28, 2002.
PayPal Acquisition by eBay
eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion in stock. Musk, as the largest shareholder with 11.7%, received over $100 million (reportedly $165-180 million).
Invested in Tesla Motors
Led Tesla's $6.5 million Series A funding round (contributing $6.35 million personally) and joined the company's board of directors as Chairman. Became actively involved in product design, particularly the Roadster.
Birth of Twins Griffin and Vivian
Twins Griffin Musk and Vivian Jenna Wilson (born Xavier Alexander Musk) were born on April 15, 2004, via IVF.
Birth of Triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian
Triplet sons Kai, Saxon, and Damian Musk were born in January 2006 via IVF.
SpaceX First Falcon 1 Launch Attempt
SpaceX's first Falcon 1 rocket launch failed shortly after liftoff from Kwajalein Atoll.
Co-founded SolarCity
Provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, a solar energy services company co-founded by his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive. Served as Chairman.
SpaceX Second Falcon 1 Launch Attempt
Falcon 1's second launch also failed to reach orbit.
Tesla Roadster First Deliveries
Tesla began deliveries of its first car, the all-electric Roadster, the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production EV with a range greater than 200 miles per charge.
SpaceX Third Falcon 1 Launch Attempt
Falcon 1's third launch attempt failed.
Divorced Justine Musk
Announced divorce from Justine Musk on September 13, 2008. They share custody of their five sons.
SpaceX First Successful Launch (Falcon 1)
SpaceX's Falcon 1 Flight 4 became the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach Earth orbit.
Became Tesla CEO
Assumed leadership as CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors during the 2008 financial crisis, leading the company through near-bankruptcy.
NASA Commercial Resupply Services Contract for SpaceX
NASA awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract for 12 cargo flights to the International Space Station (ISS) using Falcon 9 and Dragon, effectively saving the company.
Tesla Model S Unveiling
Tesla unveiled the Model S, an all-electric luxury sedan.
Tesla IPO
Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.) went public on the NASDAQ, raising $226 million. It was the first American car company to go public since Ford in 1956.
Married Talulah Riley (1st time)
Married actress Talulah Riley for the first time in 2010 at Dornoch Cathedral, Scotland. (Note: Exact day is an estimate, Wikipedia states '2010')
Divorced Talulah Riley (1st time)
Divorced Talulah Riley in March 2012.
SpaceX First Dragon Visit to ISS
SpaceX's Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully attach to the International Space Station.
Tesla Model S First Deliveries
Tesla began deliveries of the Model S. It received numerous awards, including the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year.
Remarried Talulah Riley (2nd time)
Remarried Talulah Riley in July 2013.
Hyperloop Alpha Paper
Published a white paper proposing the Hyperloop, a conceptual high-speed transportation system.
Tesla Gigafactory Nevada Announced
Tesla announced Gigafactory 1 (now Gigafactory Nevada) for battery production, in partnership with Panasonic.
Filed for Divorce from Talulah Riley (by Musk - Withdrawn)
Elon Musk filed for divorce from Talulah Riley for the second time on December 31, 2014, but later withdrew the action.
Tesla Model X First Deliveries
Tesla began deliveries of the Model X, its all-electric luxury SUV, featuring distinctive 'falcon-wing' doors.
Founded OpenAI
Co-founded OpenAI as a non-profit artificial intelligence research company with Sam Altman and others, aiming to develop friendly AI for humanity's benefit. Musk stepped down from the board in 2018 but remained a donor.
SpaceX First Successful Rocket Landing (Falcon 9)
SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket (Flight 20) at Cape Canaveral, a critical step towards reusable rockets.
Filed for Divorce from Talulah Riley (by Riley)
Talulah Riley filed for divorce from Elon Musk for the second time on March 21, 2016, after living separately for six months.
Tesla Model 3 Unveiling
Tesla unveiled the Model 3, a more affordable mass-market electric sedan, receiving hundreds of thousands of pre-orders.
Founded Neuralink
Co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company to develop implantable brain–machine interfaces (BMIs).
Tesla Master Plan - Part Deux
Published 'Master Plan, Part Deux,' outlining Tesla's future strategy, including integrated solar and storage, expanding the EV lineup (pickup, compact SUV, heavy-duty truck, high passenger-density urban transport), and autonomous driving.
Gigafactory Nevada Grand Opening
Official grand opening of Gigafactory Nevada, though production had already started.
Divorced Talulah Riley (2nd time finalized)
Second divorce from Talulah Riley was finalized in October 2016.
Tesla Acquires SolarCity
Tesla completed the acquisition of SolarCity for $2.6 billion in an all-stock deal, integrating solar energy generation with Tesla's battery storage and electric vehicles.
Founded The Boring Company
Founded The Boring Company (TBC) to address traffic congestion via a network of underground tunnels.
Tesla Model 3 First Deliveries
Tesla began initial deliveries of the Model 3 sedan to employees.
First Falcon Heavy Launch
SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful operational rocket in the world, carrying Musk's personal Tesla Roadster as a dummy payload into orbit around the Sun.
Started Dating Grimes
Began dating Canadian musician Grimes (Claire Boucher) around May 2018, making their public debut at the Met Gala.
Tesla Model Y Unveiling
Tesla unveiled the Model Y, a compact electric SUV based on the Model 3 platform.
Starlink Constellation Deployment Begins
SpaceX began launching operational Starlink satellites, aiming to provide global broadband internet access.
Tesla Cybertruck Unveiling
Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck, an all-electric pickup truck with a distinctive angular stainless steel exoskeleton design.
Gigafactory Shanghai (GF3) Begins Production
Tesla's Gigafactory Shanghai in China began delivering its first Model 3 cars, marking rapid construction and production start.
Birth of Son X Æ A-Xii
Son X Æ A-Xii Musk (originally X Æ A-12) born to Elon Musk and Grimes on May 4, 2020.
SpaceX First Crewed Flight (Demo-2)
SpaceX successfully launched NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS aboard Crew Dragon Resilience (Falcon 9 Block 5, mission Demo-2), the first crewed orbital spaceflight launched from the United States since the final Space Shuttle mission in 2011, and the first by a private company.
Tesla Becomes World's Most Valuable Automaker
Tesla's market capitalization surpassed Toyota's, making it the world's most valuable automaker by market cap.
Tesla Battery Day
Tesla held its 'Battery Day' event, unveiling new battery cell technology (4680 cells), plans for in-house cell production, and strategies to significantly reduce battery costs.
Starlink Public Beta Program
SpaceX launched the 'Better Than Nothing Beta' program for its Starlink satellite internet service in parts of the Northern United States and Canada.
NASA Selects Starship for Artemis Lunar Lander
NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to develop a version of its Starship spacecraft to land astronauts on the Moon for the Artemis program.
Starship SN15 Successful Test Flight
SpaceX's Starship prototype SN15 completed a high-altitude flight test, successfully landing for the first time without exploding.
Tesla Model S Plaid Deliveries
Tesla began deliveries of the Model S Plaid, a high-performance version with a tri-motor setup.
Tesla Optimus (Tesla Bot) Unveiled
Musk announced the Tesla Bot (later Optimus), a conceptual general-purpose humanoid robot, during Tesla's AI Day.
Semi-Separated from Grimes
Elon Musk confirmed in September 2021 that he and Grimes were 'semi-separated'.
Tesla HQ Moves to Texas
Tesla officially moved its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, near Gigafactory Texas.
Birth of Daughter Exa Dark Sideræl (Y)
Daughter Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, nicknamed Y, born via surrogacy to Elon Musk and Grimes in December 2021.
Broke Up with Grimes (Again)
Grimes announced in March 2022 that she and Elon Musk had broken up again.
Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg (GF4) Official Opening
Tesla officially opened Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in Germany, its first European factory.
Gigafactory Texas (GF5) 'Cyber Rodeo' Opening Party
Tesla held a 'Cyber Rodeo' grand opening event for Gigafactory Texas in Austin, which also became Tesla's new corporate headquarters.
Acquired Twitter
Completed the acquisition of Twitter, Inc. for $44 billion after a tumultuous period of offers and legal challenges. Became CEO of Twitter.
First Starship Integrated Flight Test
SpaceX conducted the first integrated flight test of Starship and Super Heavy booster. The vehicle cleared the launch tower but experienced multiple engine failures and was intentionally destroyed.
Musk Steps Down as Twitter/X CEO, Appoints Linda Yaccarino
Linda Yaccarino became CEO of X (formerly Twitter), with Musk transitioning to Chairman and CTO, focusing on product, technology, and systems operations.
Founded xAI
Announced the formation of xAI, an artificial intelligence company with the goal to 'understand the true nature of the universe'.
Twitter Rebranded to X
Musk announced the rebranding of Twitter to X, part of his vision to create an 'everything app' similar to China's WeChat.
Birth of Son Techno Mechanicus (Tau)
Third child with Grimes, a son named Techno Mechanicus (nicknamed Tau), was reported in September 2023. Birth date not publicly specified, using report month.
Tesla Cybertruck First Deliveries
Tesla began first customer deliveries of the Cybertruck at a special event at Gigafactory Texas.
Appointed to DOGE
Appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new agency created to streamline government operations and reduce spending. Resigned on May 28, 2025, citing disagreements over budget policies.