Elon Musk on his upbringing and financial situation: "Didn't Have Happy Childhood"
Billionaire Elon Musk, who owns and manages several companies like Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX has always been vocal about his journey from a student to an entrepreneur. However, there is a long-running rumour that claims Elon Musk's father owns an emerald mine in South Africa and has given Mr Musk financial assistance.
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These rumours gained momentum after Elon Musk's father, Errol, said in an interview that he used emeralds from an "under the table" mine in Zambia to finance his son's escape from South Africa to America. The billionaire has once again quashed the rumours and said he has not "inherited anything ever from anyone".
I grew up in a lower, transitioning to upper, middle income situation, but did not have a happy childhood. Haven’t inherited anything ever from anyone, nor has anyone given me a large financial gift.
My father created a small electrical/mechanical engineering company that was…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2023
In response to a user's tweet disputing the claim that Mr. Musk arrived in the US with "no money and graduated with over $100k in debt, despite scholarships and working two jobs while at school," Mr. Musk made this disclosure. "I firmly support the community notes and all of this work, but this time I don't understand it," the user stated. Even if they come from a wealthy household, students sometimes struggle with money. The cited source, however, is completely unreliable.
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The CEO of the microblogging site claimed, "I did not have a joyful childhood. I grew up in a lower-income family that was transitioning to an upper-income family. I have never received an inheritance from anyone, nor have I ever received a sizable financial present from anyone. A modest electrical/mechanical engineering firm founded by my father was prosperous for 20 to 30 years before facing financial difficulties. He has basically been bankrupt for about 25 years, and my brother and I have had to assist him financially.
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The foundational knowledge of physics, engineering, and construction that Mr. Musk said his father taught him is "more valuable than money" in his opinion. But according to him, Mr. Errol Musk "did not financially support me after high school in any meaningful way." He stated in the tweet that the requirement for giving him financial support was that he not behave badly. He did, regrettably, nonetheless. Given that there are small children involved, we kept giving them money for support.
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Additionally, he clarified the "emerald mine" and claimed that there is no concrete proof of it or any documents of its existence. "With regard to the so-called "emerald mine," there is absolutely no verifiable proof that it ever existed. For a while, I believed him when he said he had a stake in a mine in Zambia, but no one has ever visited the mine, and there are no records of its existence. He would not need financial assistance from my brother and me if this mine were real, he added.
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The billionaire's mother, Maye Musk, gave further information about their early days. In a tweet, she recalled that it took them three weeks to clean up the one-bedroom flat they had lived in when living in Toronto in 1989 as she searched for a rent-controlled residence. We were all employed, joyful, and upbeat. About ten years ago, I first learned about an emerald mine on @Twitter.
When we moved to Toronto in 1989, we stayed in a one-bedroom apartment until I found a rent-controlled apartment, which took us three weeks to clean up. We all worked, were happy and optimistic. The first I heard of an emerald mine was on @Twitter about 10 years ago. Thanks for… https://t.co/6gIdvj9Yel
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) May 6, 2023
A few days ago, Mr Musk had decided to pay a million in Dogecoin to anyone who could prove the existence of the mine his dad supposedly owned.
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