"How I Raised the World's Richest Man": Maye Musk Reveals Secrets of Elon Musk's Success in Dubai

In a captivating talk at the 1 Billion Summit in Dubai, Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, shared insights into her son’s early life and how she raised him, along with his siblings Kimbal and Tosca, as a single mother. Maye, a celebrated dietician and model, provided a rare glimpse into the upbringing of the world's richest man.

During her conversation at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Maye explained how Elon had always been an inquisitive and driven child. "Elon was my encyclopedia and my tech support," she said, fondly recalling his fascination with technology and his ability to foresee future needs.

Maye highlighted that Elon’s goal was never about challenging the status quo for the sake of it. “He doesn’t do things to challenge the status quo. He does things to do good,” she stated. She shared the example of Zip2, Elon's first company, which provided online door-to-door directions, a service she personally appreciated given her own use of cumbersome maps. She continued by recounting how Elon launched PayPal with the vision of enabling people to send money through email and eventually revolutionized the electric car industry with Tesla.

As of January 2025, Elon Musk is the owner of several high-profile companies, including Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), and SpaceX. He was also recently chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head a proposed advisory commission on government efficiency. Maye explained that Elon’s ability to anticipate future needs was a unique gift. “When he launched the Cybertruck, he said it would save lives in emergencies, whether people were stranded in forests, mountains, or the ocean,” she said. "Now, he is supplying Cybertrucks to help in the fires in Los Angeles."

With a mix of humor and wit, Maye shared that when Elon first told her about his plans to launch rockets, she found it to be a "cute" idea, questioning the need for space exploration. However, over time, she came to appreciate his visionary mindset.

Maye also spoke about the challenges she faced as a single mother, raising three children after her divorce from Errol Musk in 1979. She recalled how her children supported her through her career shifts, particularly when she was pursuing her academic qualifications and hospital internship. "Elon was my encyclopedia, and of course, my tech expert. Kimbal would cook for us, and Tosca would answer the phone and type up doctor’s reports," she said.

Her son Kimbal Musk is an entrepreneur and chef, while her daughter Tosca is a filmmaker and co-founder of the OTT platform Passionflix. Despite their immense success, Maye emphasized that none of her children were driven by the pursuit of money. “They never wanted to make money. They always wanted to do good,” she explained. “They invested in their own companies and the companies did well."

Maye’s reflections on her children’s upbringing and her role in shaping their values resonated with the Dubai audience, highlighting the importance of perseverance, hard work, and doing good for others.