Elon Musk's Money Moves: From Submarine Cars to Starbase Living

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is known for being one of the wealthiest people on the planet. In October, he became the first person to reach a net worth of over $500 billion. Despite his incredible wealth, Musk claims to live a simple life. In 2021, he revealed that he lived in a small house in Texas worth about $50,000. His former partner, Grimes, who shares two children with him, has said that Musk does not live like a typical billionaire. She described his lifestyle as sometimes being below the poverty line, mentioning that he once refused to buy a new mattress even though the old one was damaged.

Musk’s real estate history is impressive. He once owned seven luxurious homes in Bel-Air, California, spending around $100 million over seven years. These properties featured swimming pools, tennis courts, wine cellars, and even a ballroom. One of the homes was previously owned by Gene Wilder, the famous actor from Willy Wonka. However, in 2020, Musk decided to sell almost all his physical possessions, including his houses, saying that owning things weighed him down and that he wanted to focus on his work for Mars and Earth. He sold the Wilder house to the actor’s nephew but later took it back when the nephew could not keep up with payments. Musk now says his main home is a small prefabricated house near SpaceX in Texas, in a place called Starbase. Sometimes, he does not own a home at all and stays in friends’ spare bedrooms when he travels for work.

While Musk does not spend much on homes, he has a passion for unique cars and private jets. His car collection includes a Ford Model T, a Jaguar E-Type Roadster, a McLaren F1, and a Tesla Roadster. One of his most unusual cars is the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, which could turn into a submarine in the movie. Musk bought this car for nearly $1 million and hopes to make its submarine feature real. He also owns several private jets, including expensive Gulfstream models, which he uses to travel between his companies and for international trips.

Musk is also known for his philanthropy, though it has faced criticism. His Musk Foundation claims to support scientific research and technological innovation, but reports suggest that many donations go to organizations linked to Musk himself. Some critics say his giving is haphazard and mainly benefits his businesses. Musk has said that he believes his companies are a form of philanthropy because they aim to help humanity. Tesla works on sustainable energy, SpaceX focuses on the future of humanity in space, and Neuralink tries to solve brain injuries and risks from artificial intelligence. Musk believes that making a real difference is more important than just giving money for appearances.