As the mother of one of the wealthiest men alive, this woman wasn’t brought up in luxury and even now doesn’t mind going without, including when she visits her son.
This woman has modeled for global brands, graced magazine covers, and become a best-selling author in her seventies. However, her name often draws attention because her eldest son is a millionaire. Surprisingly, though, she sleeps in the garage when she visits him.
She’s spoken about it publicly, not as a complaint, but as a matter-of-fact detail that stands out given her son’s financial status. But it’s consistent with choices he has publicly made about his living arrangements.
The Scale of Her Son’s Wealth
The woman’s son is widely recognized as one of the richest individuals in the world. His wealth is spread across multiple companies he has founded or co-founded, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket manufacturer SpaceX, and artificial intelligence startup xAI.
As of late 2024, he owned about 12% of Tesla, excluding options, though more than half of his shares had been pledged as collateral for personal loans totaling up to $3.5 billion. Earlier that year, a Delaware judge voided his 2018 compensation agreement, which had included options equaling an additional 9% of Tesla stock.
Forbes discounted those options by 50% pending the outcome of his appeal. He also holds major stakes in his other companies. SpaceX, founded in 2002, was valued at $350 billion in a private share sale in December 2024, with the millionaire holding an estimated 42% stake. In 2022, he acquired Twitter in a $44 billion deal and later renamed it X.
By August 2024, Forbes estimated that X had declined in value by nearly 70%. His newest venture, xAI, launched in 2023, was valued at $50 billion by private investors in November 2024. The entrepreneur owns approximately 54% of the company. Despite the scale of these holdings, he has publicly stated that he does not measure his life by material assets.
In May 2020, the millionaire posted a series of statements on social media outlining his plan to give up nearly all his personal assets. “I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house,” he wrote. In a follow-up post, he added, “Don’t need the cash. Devoting myself to Mars and Earth. Possession just weigh you down. [sic]”
The following year, in June 2021, he clarified that his main residence was a house in Boca Chica, Texas, near the SpaceX site. He described it as “literally a ~$50k house” that he rented from SpaceX. “It’s kinda awesome though,” he wrote.
At the time, the only property he owned outright was an events house in the Bay Area. He said that if he ever sold it, it would likely only be useful to a large family.
Why the Millionaire’s Mother Slept in the Garage at His Texas Home
During a 2022 appearance on the “Full Send” podcast, the millionaire described his main residence. The house, located near the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, cost around $45,000. “It’s very small,” he said. Originally a two-bedroom home, he converted the garage into a third room.The property was chosen for its location. “I can just literally walk to the rocket factory,” he explained. The entrepreneur also mentioned a Boxabl unit on-site, used as a guesthouse. “If a friend comes and stays or something, then they can stay in the Boxabl if they want,” he said.
The millionaire also noted that visitors were often surprised. “Friends of mine come, can stay, and they’re like—they can’t believe I’m staying in this house,” he shared. That same year, his mother shared what her visits looked like. “I have to sleep in the garage,” she told The Times.
She gave a simple reason: “You can’t have a fancy house near a rocket site.” She also added that her son wasn’t concerned with luxury. “He’s not interested in possessions,” She said, “No, not at all in that sense.”
The point was echoed again in 2023, when the woman’s son tweeted that he had slept on a friend’s couch the previous weekend. The woman replied, “Many memories of sleeping on mattresses or blankets on the floor, on couches, or a bed in the garage. This happens to @kimbal, @ToscaMusk and me. We adapt.”
The millionaire’s son doesn’t mind the living conditions her son chooses. She’s lived with less.
Flying Over the Kalahari with Just Maps and a Motto
The millionaire is tech guru, Elon Musk, and his mother is Maye Musk. Maye was born in Canada but raised in South Africa, where her early years were marked by frequent travel and a high tolerance for discomfort. Her father was a single-propeller pilot who took the family flying through remote areas in search of what he called the “lost city of the Kalahari.”
She described sleeping outdoors, sometimes with lions or hyenas nearby. Her father had a saying that he repeated often: “Live dangerously, carefully”—a phrase she said could now apply just as well to her eldest son. These early lessons followed her into adulthood and influenced how she navigated the next phase of her life.
