book.chapter Early days

Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, to Errol, an engineer and entrepreneur, and Maye Musk, a dietician and fashion model. Growing up, Elon visited his father's emerald mine in Zambia and later welcomed his siblings Kimbal and Tosca. Known for his photographic memory and love for reading, Elon did well in school but faced social challenges and experienced his parents' divorce as a teenager. At 17, he moved to Canada using his Canadian-born mother's citizenship to gain entry. He worked various jobs and eventually enrolled at Queen's University, valuing its social environment, and was later joined by his siblings. Elon's academic prowess led him to transfer to the University of Pennsylvania on a scholarship, where he pursued degrees in economics and physics. He and his roommate Adeo Ressi ran a successful weekend nightclub from their rented house, funding their studies. Elon's academic work included papers on space-based solar power and ultracapacitors, earning high praise for his ability to link science and business. After Penn, Elon considered the video game industry but instead focused on sectors he believed were ripe for innovation: the Internet, renewable energy, and space. Despite skepticism, he was driven not by wealth but by the desire to make a significant technological impact. Elon has since emphasized that his collegiate ideas were genuine and not opportunistic, reflecting his commitment to advancing important technologies for the future.