Elon Musk

Elon Musk, born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, is a prominent businessman and entrepreneur renowned for his leadership roles in groundbreaking companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X. After emigrating to Canada in 1989, Musk pursued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned bachelor's degrees in 1997. His entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 with the co-founding of Zip2, a software company that set the stage for his future ventures.

In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, which later evolved into PayPal, a significant player in online payments after its acquisition by eBay in 2002. That same year, he founded SpaceX, where he serves as CEO and chief engineer, pioneering innovations in reusable rocket technology and commercial spaceflight. Musk joined Tesla as an early investor in 2004 and became its CEO in 2008, transforming the company into a leader in electric vehicles.

Beyond his work with Tesla and SpaceX, Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 to advance artificial intelligence research, although he later distanced himself from the organization. In response to the evolving landscape of AI, he established xAI in 2026 as a subsidiary of SpaceX. His acquisition of Twitter in 2022, which he rebranded as X in 2023, sparked controversy due to significant changes and an increase in hate speech on the platform.

Musk's influence extends into politics, where he was the largest donor in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, supporting Donald Trump. Following Trump's inauguration in 2025, Musk served as Senior Advisor to the President and led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until a public feud led him to return to his business ventures. His political activities have made him a polarizing figure, attracting both support and criticism for his views and statements.