image

Elon Musk

About Elon Musk

Facebook IconLinkedIN Icon

Who is Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a South African-born American industrial engineer, entrepreneur, who co-founded Paypal and founded aerospace transportation services company SpaceX. He is also one of the early investors in Tesla, an electric car company, and now the Chief Executive Officer of the firm as well. With a $70.5 bn fortune, Musk sits comfortably at the 7th spot in the world's top 10 billionaires list.
Early years
 
Born in 1971, Elon Musk displayed an early talent in computers and video games and at the age of 12 created a video game code that earned him fame, as well as a fortune. He acquired a Canadian passport to avoid supporting apartheid in Africa at the time and also due to greater economic opportunities in the United States.
 
Paypal and SpaceX
 
Musk has created several successful firms since he left Stanford University in 1997. That year, he created the first company - Zip2. The firm,  which provided maps and business directories to online newspapers, was bought by Compaq in 1999. Then he created X.com which eventually merged with PayPal, which went public in 2001, and in 2002 eBay bought the firm for $1.5 bn. Musk in 2002, formed SpaceX and since then the aerospace firm has covered several milestones over the years. SpaceX became the first company to successfully relaunch and land at the first stage of an orbital rocket in late 2017. In 2020, SpaceX made history on May 30, after it flew NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, to space aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft using a Falcon 9 rocket.
 
Tesla
 
In 2004, Musk invested heavily in Tesla, an electric car company as he believed electric vehicles to be the future of mobility. Two years after introducing the first car, Tesla, in 2008, introduced the Model S sedan, which was praised by automotive critics for its performance and design. The company eventually made him a billionaire at the age of 40 in 2012. Musk, as the CEO of Tesla, landed himself in several controversies which resulted in stocks tanking by a huge margin. In 2018, Musk ran into trouble after his tweet falsely claimed that he had secured funding and was considering taking Tesla private at $420 per share. It resulted in both him and Tesla paying a $20 million fine and Musk agreeing to step down as chairman of Tesla's board. However, despite controversies, Tesla stocks have continued to grow adding to his wealth

Latest Updates on Elon Musk

Elon Musk's X blocks Grok from creating explicit images after complaints

Curb applies to all users to add extra layer of protection for women, kids

Updated On: 15 Jan 2026 | 9:44 PM IST

Musk's xAI limits Grok's ability to create images on X after backlash

The company also said that image creation and editing through the Grok account on X will now only be available to paid subscribers

Updated On: 15 Jan 2026 | 10:05 AM IST

Elon Musk's Starlink goes free in Iran as internet blackout continues

Unrest across Iran has sharply intensified over the past week, drawing hundreds of thousands to the streets who are calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Updated On: 14 Jan 2026 | 9:19 AM IST

Pentagon embracing Musk's Grok AI chatbot despite rising global outcry

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok will join Google's generative AI engine in operating inside the Pentagon network, said Pete Hegseth

Updated On: 13 Jan 2026 | 9:36 AM IST

Will saving for retirement be 'irrelevant' in 20 years? Elon Musk thinks so

Musk argues AI and automation may make long-term savings unnecessary

Updated On: 12 Jan 2026 | 3:58 PM IST

Malaysia, Indonesia become first to block Musk's Grok over AI deepfakes

The moves reflect growing global concern over generative AI tools that can produce realistic images, sound and text, while existing safeguards fail to prevent their abuse

Updated On: 12 Jan 2026 | 11:37 AM IST

Best of BS Opinion: Fresh US tariffs could wipe out India's goods exports

Today's Best of BS Opinion covers US tariff threats linked to Russian oil, the Grok AI content debate, small finance banks' record, cracks in India's growth story, and a Cold War spy tale

Updated On: 12 Jan 2026 | 6:15 AM IST

Grok controversy: X admits lapses, blocks 3.5K posts, 600 accounts

After government pressure, X removes thousands of obscene Grok-generated images in India, but the fight over platform liability and user misuse is far from over

Updated On: 11 Jan 2026 | 10:35 PM IST

Grok imagery row: X admits mistake, likely to comply with Indian norms

X has accepted its mistake, and said it will comply with Indian laws, sources said, adding that in future, the platform will not allow obscene imagery

Updated On: 11 Jan 2026 | 10:52 AM IST

Elon Musk says X to open-source its new algorithm within seven days

This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed," Musk, who owns X, said in a post on the platform

Updated On: 11 Jan 2026 | 7:20 AM IST

Govt considering legal action against Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok

Grok like any other content-generating account on X, faces risk of being barred

Updated On: 10 Jan 2026 | 12:25 AM IST

X limits Grok image-generation tool to paid users amid global abuse concern

X has restricted its Grok AI image-generation tool to paid users after reports emerged of people using it to generate objectionable images of women and children

Updated On: 09 Jan 2026 | 5:33 PM IST

Elon Musk's xAI to build record $20 billion data centre in Mississippi

The announcement comes as xAI faces scrutiny over its data centre projects in the Memphis area

Updated On: 09 Jan 2026 | 7:50 AM IST

Meity unhappy with X's reply on Grok misuse, may seek more details

Government may seek additional details on chatbot's role in generating explicit images

Updated On: 07 Jan 2026 | 10:36 PM IST

Musk's Grok faces global backlash over sexualised images of women, children

On Tuesday, Britain's top technology official demanded that Musk's social media platform X take urgent action while a Polish lawmaker cited it as a reason to enact digital safety laws

Updated On: 07 Jan 2026 | 8:57 AM IST

Elon Musk's X to remove illegal content, permanently ban offending users

The statement from the Global Government Affairs account of X was issued hours after it said people using the platform's AI service, Grok, to create illegal content will face the consequences

Updated On: 04 Jan 2026 | 11:44 AM IST

Musk's Starlink to offer free internet services in Venezuela through Feb 3

The announcement coincided with dramatic scenes involving deposed Dictator Nicolas Maduro following his removal by the United States

Updated On: 04 Jan 2026 | 11:40 AM IST

India, Malaysia, France hit out at X over 'offensive' Grok images

Over the past two weeks, an increasing number of users on the platform have requested Grok to create images and to morph photographs of women and children in a sexual context

Updated On: 04 Jan 2026 | 10:45 AM IST

Elon Musk warns Grok users creating illegal content will face consequences

The statement from Musk comes a day after Ministry of Electronics and IT directed X to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by AI app Grok

Updated On: 04 Jan 2026 | 7:48 AM IST

China's BYD set to overtake Tesla as world's top EV seller on annual sales

China's BYD is set to beat Tesla in global EV sales in 2025, driven by strong China demand and rising overseas sales, even as competition intensifies in key markets

Updated On: 02 Jan 2026 | 2:09 PM IST