With a net worth of $37 billion, Musk hopes to revolutionize transportation on Earth and in space, bringing fully-electric vehicles to the mass market through his auto manufacturing company, Tesla. Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in 1972 and was an outspoken advocate for abolishing apartheid. Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, remains a mysterious figure, and there is still no common consensus how his work or his wealth during Elon's childhood. Musk had earlier slammed Reich for misrepresenting his background in the post, which argued that "self-made billionaires are a myth" and named the SpaceX founder and other prominent business. [13] After engaging in extra-marital affairs,[4] Errol and Maye divorced in 1979, and both sons moved in with their father. Elon Musk's father Errol was penniless in the '90s & Tesla chief helped In 2017, Errol told Rolling Stone that while he has never intentionally hurt or threatened anyone, he once shot and killed a group of burglars at his home in Johannesburg, though he says he was cleared of all charges because he acted in self-defense. Fortier, Alexander. We sought evidence in the case that they still had any documentation from past decades about the mine, the around $100,000 in student debt that Elon has repeatedly said he had accumulated during college, or anything else related to Elon's early finances that they have mentioned in past interviews. To me, he sure is trying to make the world better right now, and thats the best thing he could do with his fathers money. The same story appeared to have also been published the day before with the headline, "A teenage Elon Musk once casually sold his father's emeralds to Tiffany & Co. while his dad was sleeping. "What's very difficult for others is easy for me. A post on Reddit mentioned a theory that said Elon "convinced these publications to remove the articles," but there's no evidence to support that. Kimbal is a millionaire who owns restaurant chains and spearheads a nonprofit education program, The Kitchen Community, which grows vegetables in the U.S. Tosca is a film producer and director. Musk, Elon. Elon Musk was highlighted as the wealthiest resident of Texas, Americas second-biggest state. On July 28, 2014, Forbes.com published an interview with Elon Musk, which was conducted by Jim Clash. He also claimed, "My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years.". Elon called the story "actually accurate." However, $800 was probably pocket change for the family, judging by what Musk's father told the site. On May 22, 2020, Bloomberg.com published an interview with Elon, which was penned by Ashlee Vance. In the past, the Tesla CEO hasrespondedseveral times on Twitter about the emerald mine rumors. He was married to Maye Musk and also to Heide Musk, with whom he has two children, Alexandra and Rose. Instead, we will concentrate on the two Business Insider South Africa articles mentioned by Arnold that appeared to provide the roots of the "apartheid emerald mine" rumor. The emerald mine was not mentioned in that interview. He also co-founded PayPal, which means a Twitter user said The WHOLE bank on the internet was started by him (yes, your credit card as well). Who is Errol Musk? Five things to know about Elon's SA father Forbes, 1 Oct. 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2016/10/01/can-elon-musk-really-get-us-to-mars-within-10-years/. "Is It True That Elon Musk's Family Got Their Wealth from Apartheid Emerald Mining?" However, any reconciliation was apparently short-lived. "Elon Musk's Family Once Owned an Emerald Mine in Zambia Here's the Fascinating Story of How They Came to Own It." In a February 2018 interview with Business Insider South Africa, Musk's father said he did own half share in an emerald mine in Zambia. The Musk name might be one of the most recognizable on the planet, but little is known about its patriarch, Errol Musk. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, Image Via PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images. Click Here to Get Smart on Protecting Your Family and Loves Ones, No Matter What Happens. Theyd seen I was sleeping in one morning, and they said, Oh lets just try, lets go.. It was also shared on Reddit.com. Jeff Bezos' garage-based start was funded by a quarter . So we got one, thank God at a discount, and with that computer he taught himself, using Disk Operating System, which is DOS, to program, Errol said. Its obvious why Musk would want to distance himself from apartheid in every possible way. Errol Musk was born in Pretoria South Africa to Walter Henry James and Cora Amelia Robinson. He added that Elon left the country as "a clear indication of his willingness to not support the political suppression in the country. The 51-year-old has refuted claims that he grew up rich amid statements that his father Errol owned an emerald mine in South Africa. The New York Times, 5 May 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/world/africa/elon-musk-south-africa.html. Answer these 2 simple questions & WIN R1000 in cash! Meet Elon Musk's controversial father, Errol Are you prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family? "And we got emeralds for the next six years.". ---. On July 3, 2020, Elon tweeted about the subject again, responding to a since-deleted tweet with, "I don't have an 'emerald mine,' nor was I given free money from anyone, inheritance or otherwise. Given Elon Musks interest in exploration and adventure, its no surprise he descends from intrepid stock, and its Errols side of the family that is seemingly responsible for his innovative, envelope-pushing genes. . Kaizer Chiefs to sign more Swallows players. Its so terrible, you cant believe it.. The 76-year-old is most notable for. Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, remains a mysterious figure, and there is still no common consensus how his work or his wealth during Elon's childhood. He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure, regulatory, and environment. In December 2019, Elon denied the emerald mine-and-lavish-lifestyle story on Twitter, saying it was a lie. "Nothing, nothing. However, in the recent Channel 4 documentary Elon Musk: Superhero or Supervillain, co-founder of SpaceX, Jim Cattrell, claimed Elon was home at the time. ", In 2018, he explained that he was helping Jana get over a breakup at the time of Rushi's conception, but he initially assumed the baby's father was Jana's ex. [10] She gave birth to three children; Elon Reeve Musk born on 28 June 1971, Kimbal Reeve Musk born on 20 September 1972, and Tosca Musk born on 20 July 1974. The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2009, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in. Errol Musk, the father of Elon Musk, told British tabloid The Sun Wednesday that he had a second and previously-unknown child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, in 2019 leaving many. According to reporting we reviewed, the stake his father had in the emerald mine appeared to have both started and ended in the 1980s. That conversation is more valuable but less newsworthy than just resurfacing the same lazy claims every few months, which are guaranteed to get clicks. "My brother and I paid for college through scholarships, loans and working two jobs simultaneously. Bloomberg.com, 22 May 2020, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-05-22/elon-musk-speaks-frankly-on-coronavirus-spacex-and-rage-tweets. Has even greenlit racism by saying those on receiving end need thick skin.https://t.co/DhpANcrqNp https://t.co/OESO1BJTtE, Can he be held responsible for his dad's ethics tho? [18][19] Musk described the first child as unplanned. EM: Company death not succeeding with the company causes me a lot more stress than physical danger. Headded, also on Dec. 28, "We started Zip2 with ~$2k from me plus my overclocked home-built PC, ~$5k from my bro & ~$8k from Greg Kouri (such a good guy he is greatly missed). After obtaining the mine, he tells that he had so much money, that 'he couldn't close his safe'. All About Errol Musk." And he had a disastrous relationship with his father. ", His post ended with this: "Finally, it is necessary to acknowledge the wrong and oppressive nature of apartheid and we do need to recognise the pain and suffering it caused for many South Africans, but I do not feel it is fair to associate any of that with what Elon has achieved through hard work since he left South African shores as a teenager of 17.". He's having a tantrum, like a spoilt child. Jack @lets_gobaby tweeted, Ok but how does inheriting money mean you arent smart?. This is a pretty awful lie. The billionaire, who was born in South Africa, took to Twitter to answer claims made by The Onion about how his family made their money in apartheid South Africa. Errol and a co-pilot were flying a plane from South Africa to England to sell the aircraft but when they couldn't make a scheduled stop in Saudi Arabia, he pivoted his plan and changed his life. "Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine." [2] His grandmother was the first chiropractor in Canada. He is the father of business magnate and billionaire Elon Musk, restaurateur Kimbal Musk, and filmmaker Tosca Musk. On their way to England, Errol and his copilot got word that their original flight plan was going to cost a lot of money. Elon and Kimbal allegedly sold 2 emeralds: one worth $800 and another worth $1200. In 2019, Elon Musk confronted the Twitter talking point about his father's supposed emerald mine head-on, writing, "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. Errol Musk's Emerald Mine (@ErrolsEmeralds) / Twitter After the divorce, Elon lived with his father in Pretoria, where he attended Pretoria Boys High. Elon Musk Denies The Existence Of His Family's Emerald Mine In Africa mark_able_jones_. 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He has also dismissed rumors that his father co-owned a Zambian emerald mine, writing on Twitter in 2019: He didnt own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. Harris Goe Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Murdaugh son collapsed outside court after sitting stone-faced through dad's 6-week murder trial: source, Murderer Alex Murdaugh shaves head for latest mugshot after learning his fate, Kelly Osbourne posts first photo of baby son as he hangs out with uncle Jack, Greys Anatomy alum Isaiah Washington retiring from acting: The haters have won, Madonna watches new boyfriend Joshua Poppers fight in New York City, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. He told me over and over that I was stupid, ugly, boring. The story also included the same information from Elon's tweets where he said again that he had "ended up with $100,000 of student debt. I'm going to wait until he comes to his senses. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. He was such a terrible human being. Soon after Elon left for Canada, his mother, Maye, moved there too, along with Elons brother, Kimbal, and sister, Tosca. The wealth earned from the investment in the mine was quantified to be about $400,000 USD, taking into account inflation when Arnold's piece was written in 2021, according to Errol. Errol himself has an adventurous streak and is an avid sailor and pilot. Behind the billions: Errol Musk's net worth, scandals and more Errol Musk (born 1946) is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, and property developer who was once a co-owner of a Zambian emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika . Errol admitted to having affairs, but his ex-wife, now a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, said the problems in their marriage extended beyond infidelity, alleging that Errol was abusive. They never made it to their destination. Elon Musk isn't innovative. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he co-owned an emerald mine in Zambia. Jump to Main content Search Account Menu icon A vertical stack of three evenly spaced horizontal. The way Errol tells it, that all started with an inconvenient religious holiday. The article was titled, "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story.". In a 2019 . https://web.archive.org/. "They didn't like it.". ---. I said, Oh, all right. "Zip2." We also reached out to both men for additional comment and to ask if they could potentially provide any evidence that would support their statements, even though they didn't start the rumor. Black Americans Have the Highest Mortality Rates But Lowest Levels of Life Insurance I left South Africa by myself when I was 17 with just a backpack & suitcase of books. "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege." de Wet, Phillip. I couldnt even afford a second [computer] at [web software company] Zip2, so [I] programmed at night and the website only worked during the day. Elon Musk Once Called His Father, Errol Musk, a 'Terrible Human' [10][11] Musk told Agence France-Presse that he was a strict father who raised his children with discipline and austerity. r/EnoughMuskSpam via Reddit.com, 18 Dec. 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/rj689s/elon_musk_and_the_emerald_mine/. As well as providing links, people started commenting Musk's own words back at him under his tweet. Elon Musk has a wild story!" he captioned it. More answers and details are available in Arnold's article. Errol has long since retired from the engineering business and now lives a quiet life in the Western Cape in South Africa. Former Tesla employee Marcus Vaughn, who worked in the Fremont, California, factory in 2017, alleged that the companys production floor was a hotbed for racist behavior. Supervisors regularly used the N word around Black workers and he said he was fired after complaining to human resources about workplace harassment. Moneycontrol.com, 21 Sept. 2022, https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/elon-musk-hits-out-at-us-professor-over-emerald-mine-claims-idiot-and-liar-9208281.html. Fact Check: Did Elon Musk Inherit Apartheid Money From His - Moguldom Ashlee Vance interviewed hundreds of people. [11] The family lived in Pretoria,[10][12] where Maye worked as a dietician and a model. Musk's defenders have also pointed out that Errol's alleged trade took place in the mid-1980s, at which point Zambia was independent. He will plan evil. Clearly, Elon Musk doesn't like being mocked. Regardless of your opinion of him, he is aself-made billionaire." We reached out to Clash and Forbes PR to ask why the interview was no longer available. He also sent a link to another interview he did with Elon in 2016. Errol Musk was born in 1946 in Pretoria to Walter Henry James Musk and Cora Amelia Robinson. The entire episode started when the satirical publication The Onion published a piece on the wealthiest person in each American state. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. The child, a boy named Elliot Rush, is now 5 years old. In a 2017 email to employees which the company later released in response to one of the lawsuits, Elon warned against being a huge jerk to members of a historically less represented group. He also wrote, if someone is a jerk to you, but sincerely apologizes, it is important to be thick-skinned and accept that apology.. [Jana] stayed here for about 18 months after Rushi was born. We also reached out to media relations personnel at SpaceX, where he is the founder and CEO, as well as Tesla and Twitter. Maye and Errol divorced in 1980 when Elon was about 9 years old. Errols other children we also shocked and uncomfortable about the surprise pregnancy. The gist of the claim was that Elon's father, Errol Musk, who reports say has been estranged from his son for some time, owned an emerald mine during apartheid in South Africa, and that it was seed money from his father's wealth from the mine that made it possible for him to become the American billionaire he is today. Errol Musk, the family's patriarch, is in the news after confirming he fathered a second secret love child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, 35. How A Rumor About Elon Musk's Family Emerald Mine Fortune Took A Life For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Inside the fabulous Dior couture world of 'Mrs. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zip2. Zip2's purpose was to provide "a searchable business directory that could be described as an internet version of the yellow pages telephone directory with maps included," according to Britannica.com. He has also fathered two children, a son and a daughter, with his stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout. Who Is Elon Musk's Dad Errol Musk? | Entrepreneur Musk, Errol. ", She added, "He was very rich, but he made sure I had nothing. 2021, https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Elon-Musks-family-got-their-wealth-from-apartheid-emerald-mining. Quora, 9 Mar. "They just walked into Tiffany's and said, 'Do you want to buy some emeralds?' Errol was born in South Africa to a British mother and a South African father. The funny thing is I've not actually been that nervous. 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On March 25, 2021, Elon Musktweetedthat the emerald mine inheritance rumor was false, and that he had arrived by himself in Canada in 1989 "with ~CA$2,500." He didnt own an emerald mine, and I worked my way through college, ending up [around] $100,000 in student debt, Elon tweeted. Though Errol has made headlines in recent years after the births of his two youngest children, he seemingly avoids the spotlight. However, Errol also told the outlet that life in apartheid South Africa was ultimately "better" and "safer" than it is today. He seemed very sad and lonely by himself. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he once owned half of an emerald mine in Zambia, which he claimed to have purchased on a whim. Musk readily jumps onto Twitter to refute the charges that his empire was forged with the aid of family wealth, and part of the reason he wanted to talk to merather comically given the rocket launch and, well, trollswas because the jabs bug him, and he hopes to set the record straight. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Kaizer Chiefs to sign more Stellenbosch players? Address: Riverbank House, 1 Putney Bridge Approach, London, SW6 4TJ. His father, Errol Musk, had a casual attitude towards the family's considerable wealth, including the stones that came from the Zambian emerald mine in which Errol owned a half share. It was a lucrative decision. Where is this B.S. He didnt own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. . Born in 1971, Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. In 2018, Musk also told Business Insider that his father Errol purchased a 50 per cent share in the mine after selling a plane. Business Insider South Africa, 22 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/elon-musk-sells-the-family-emeralds-in-new-york-2018-2. Hull, Dana, and Patrick May. Jain, Sanya. The 76-year-old hasnt ruled out having more children, saying: The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.. Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering.. And we spent three weeks making our rent-controlled apartment livable in Toronto, Maye tweeted. Where is this bs coming from? (We'll have more on Vance's Bloomberg.com interview later in this story.). In April 2014, Dana Hull and Patrick May penned an article for San Jose's The Mercury News with the headline, "The otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk." He will plan evil, Elon tearfully told Rolling Stone in 2017. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. So we decided to head back to Lake Tanganyika from where we were, I think we were in Djibouti., Errol Musk (father of one Elon Musk) on raising one of the world's most famous billionaires: http://t.co/Fg8xmqN1L0 pic.twitter.com/LVJyMdebZK. Several decades ago, Errol allegedly shot and killed three armed intruders who broke into his Johannesburg home. He has a net worth of $2 million and is living quite comfortably. The Twitter account no longer exists. Are broader financial markets in a massive speculative bubble? FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ERROL MUSK 1. Invest in the future today. Errol Musk says teenage Elon Musk once casually walked around with emeralds in his pocket. Errol and Heide eventually divorced after an 18-year marriage. Elon Musk Emerald Mine (Blood Emeralds & Apartheid?) But by many accounts, the issues at the Tesla factory go beyond the need for a thick skin, New York Times reported. ", He grew up in South Africa and had the good fortune of doing so in an upper-middle-class home. Musk's father, Errol, an engineer, married Maye when she was 22, and Musk was born shortly . These tweets from December 2019 appeared to have stemmed, at least in part, from a since-deleted tweet from a user with the handle @1aprildaniels. ", Inoneof the tweets from Elon in which he refuted the emerald mine rumor, he linked to an article that had been published on March 9, 2021. He is the father of Elon Musk, the CEO of 'SpaceX,' 'Tesla, Inc.,' and 'Neuralink' and one of the co-founders of 'PayPal.' Errol is mostly known for his scandalous life and his estranged relationship with his children. In the interview, Musk's father explained that he bought his share of the emerald mine after selling a plane to a group of Italians. Viral: When Elon Musk's bank account was in negative due to student Earlier in this story, we referenced a July 3, 2020, tweet from Elon that mentioned Vance's interview. "Elon Musk's Vision of an Electric-Car Future." According to the Twitter flag, Musk claimed in 2014 to Forbes that he had an emerald mine in Zambia. The interview is no longer available on the Forbes website. We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. But the emerald mine story keeps coming back. "I said, 'Oh, all right.' "I'm naturally good at engineering that's because I inherited it from my father," he told Rolling Stone. [3][4], Musk worked as a pilot, a sailor, an electrical engineer, a mechanical engineer, a consultant, and a property developer, before retiring early. He confirmed the birth of their daughter to The Sun in 2022. Rumor is Errol Musk owned an emerald mine. The Onion, a satirical publication, shared. In 2018, Errol Musk interviewed Business Insider South Africa, where he told a story about bartering his way into partial ownership of an emerald mine in Zambia. On Aug. 17, 2009, The New Yorker printed one of the earliest known searchable records of an emerald mine being tied to the Musk name. The emerald mine story, reported in 2018 in Business Insider, tells how, in the mid-1980s, Errol acquired a half-share in a Zambian emerald mine, which would help to fund his familys lavish lifestyle of yachts, skiing holidays, and expensive computers.. It would have been great if someone was paying for my college, but my dad had neither the ability nor the inclination to do so. Esquire, 5 June 2015, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a35508/elon-musk-college-years-canada-u-penn/. This is going to sound slightly crazy, but my father also had a share in an Emerald mine in Zambia. [22] He is estranged from his son Elon. People.Com, 7 Nov. 2022, https://people.com/human-interest/who-is-errol-musk-elon-musk-father/. "One thing he claims is he gave us a whole bunch of money to start, my brother and I, to start up our first company. In a rare interview with Forbes, Errol revealed that his parents were the first to ever fly from South Africa to Australia in a single-engine airplane. R/EnoughMuskSpam via Reddit.com, 5 Dec. 2019, www.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/e6j76f/his_family_stole_an_emerald_mine/. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done., He was such a terrible human being. "We were going to fly into Jeddah and there was a religious holiday, and they said if we come in now we have to pay $2,000, but if we wait 10 days we can come in at no charge," he recalled to Business Insider. Arnold's story included answers from Errol about the mine, who said he had "very limited involvement" in it. The Buffalo News via San Jose Mercury News via Newspapers.com, 20 Apr. "And then there'd still be all these notes sticking out and we'd sort of pull them out and put them in our pockets.". Wayback Machine. By some accounts, Elon is reported to have witnessed the attack, with Errol later telling Rolling Stone that he acted in self-defense; he was never convicted of any crime. We were very wealthy. Elon was a witness to this, bullets flying around, Cattrell further claimed. Errol also added that his children were keenly aware of the country's government-sanctioned racial segregation. They still feel a bit creepy about it., They still dont like it, Errol admitted in a new interview withthe Sun: They still feel a bit creepy about it because shes their sister.