Meet The Richest Mom In The World: None Other Than Elon Musk’s Mother, Maye Musk

Elon Musk’s mother, a model, a nutritionist and parent of two other billionaires, May Musk is the richest mom in the world. She has raised three billionaires including Elon Musk, an entrepreneur and a large stakeholder in several companies including Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Co., and many more; Kimbal Musk, owner of the restaurant chain The Kitchen, and Tosca Musk, co-founder of a streaming service Passionflix. Read on to know more about what makes her the richest mom.

The Musk Family, source: Maye Musk Instagram

If anyone has a more legendary life than the richest man himself, is his mother, Maye Musk, 76. She is the mother of richest man Elon Musk, and his two other siblings, who also are billionaires. Born in 1948, in South Africa, she is a model and a dietitian and has modelled for 50 years. She has appeared on the covers of several big magazines including Time magazine, Vogue, and Sports Illustrated. Amazingly enough, she made a comeback on the runway as a model in her 50s.

Raising Three Billionaires

Maye started working at the age of 8, where she prepared monthly bulletins and photocopy newsletters, and then put the stamps on the envelopes. By 12 she worked as a receptionist alongside her twin sister for their father. Her work ethic is what her children also inherited and made it big.She got married at a young age. She was only 22 when she got married to a South African engineer she met in high school, Errol Musk. Together, they had three children Elon Musk, an entrepreneur and a large stakeholder in several companies including Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Co., and many more; Kimbal Musk, owner of the restaurant chain The Kitchen, and Tosca Musk, co-founder of a streaming service Passionflix.

Elon Musk, Tosca Musk and Kimbal Musk as children. Source: Maye Musk Instagram

Maye’s Oldest Son

Elon Musk co-founded seven companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAl. He also bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal in 2022. His network is estimated at $290.3 billion.

Maye’s Another Son

Along with being a board member at Tesla and SpaceX, he is a chef and founded a restaurant chain called The Kitchen. In an earlier interview, he said that he has always loved food and that growing up, he would cook for everyone in the house. As of 2021, his net worth was estimated at $700 million.

Maye’s Daughter

Tosca is the co-founder of a streaming platform called Passionflix, which adapts romance novels into films. As of 2022, Tosca’s net worth was just under $170 million. The trio makes Maye, the richest mother in the world. While Maye Musk alone is worth $45 million.

Age Is Just A Number For Her

After getting married at 22, Maye shared that she endured domestic violence for nine long years and left the marriage with nothing at 31. Despite being alone, she raised the three kids on her own, all making billions. “People think I’m positive and fun. But I had to talk about what I endured,” she said in an interview.

Talking about the abuse she went through in a past interview, she said, “Everybody I knew called him ‘the Pig’ because he treated me so badly in public. And I was too scared to tell anyone [about the deeper violence]. Like every abused woman, I was embarrassed, and I knew I had made a mistake, you know?”

Recalling the emotional abuse she went through, she said, “He told me over and over that I was stupid, ugly, boring. He was very rich, but he made sure I had nothing. Once the kids were living with me, they visited their father some weekends. He would throw out everything they arrived with, so I had to buy them all new clothes and school things. Then he’d sue me and say that I was unfit to parent. He saw a blister on Tosca’s mouth and said I was malnourishing her. He saw a bruise on Kimbal’s arm- imagine, an active little boy with a bruise! and said I was beating him.”
However, Maye did not let it affect her growth and became more determined to raise her kids. Her kids too became a great support. In her book, she writes that 5-year-old Elon tried to stop his father from beating Maye by hitting him on the knees.

In her 40’s, Maye earned two Master’s degrees and a doctorate. She was now a nutritionist along with a model. Then in 50’s she made a comeback on the ramp. At 69, she appeared on the big screens of Times Square, as a spokesperson of a makeup company. Then, at 72, she wrote a book titled A Woman Makes A Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success, where she talked in length about nutrition, the importance of a strict dietary practice, and her efficient work management which raised three billionaires.

As she nears 80, Maye is gearing up for more adventures. She is a living example of “when life gives you lemons, make a lemonade”!