A recurring theme on social media is the claim that Musks father owned an emerald mine and paid for his sons privileged upbringing and education. Musk has denied that story. Where is this bs coming from? Elon would later get his own pilot's license but no longer has time to fly. SpaceX, his rocket company, is valued at $20 billion-plus. Chromatica Warrior @DebbieTweeted Can he be held responsible for his dads ethics tho? "There's no evidence whatsoever of an 'emerald mine,'" the last part of the tweet read. However, any reconciliation was apparently short-lived. It was that lifestyle, Errol says, that turned Elon into the kind of merchant adventurer who would laterbreak the rules of the motoring businesswith Tesla, then go on tochange spaceflight with SpaceX, BI reported. Its unclear how old Elon was at the time and whether he was even present is in dispute. With his new riches, Errol also bought half of an emerald mine. Errol Musk, the familys patriarch, is in the news after confirming he fathered a second secret love child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, 35. Maye and Errol divorced in 1980 when Elon was about 9 years old. But the emerald mine story keeps coming back. Esquire, 5 June 2015, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a35508/elon-musk-college-years-canada-u-penn/. "She wasn't planned," Errol said of his youngest child.
Errol Musk was born in 1946 in Pretoria to Walter Henry James Musk and Cora Amelia Robinson. For a while, I thought things were so obvious that everyone must know this.". Regardless of your opinion of him, he is aself-made billionaire." [20] Musk has a total of seven children. Musk's critics often paraphrase the story on social media, who accuse him not only of benefitting from wealth rather than genius but of indirectly profiting from Apartheid. The Musk name might be one of the most recognizable on the planet, but little is known about its patriarch, Errol Musk. [2] His grandmother was the first chiropractor in Canada. I was 15 and really wanted to go with him but didn't realize how dangerous it was. The interview is no longer available on the Forbes website. My dad was not physically violent with me. 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 owned one of the largest homes in Pretoria and took his children on many overseas trips, according to the book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, written by Ashlee Vance. The Associated Press, 20 July 2021, https://apnews.com/article/business-science-3546262d41f4c84763aa15339f642a5a. 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. Market Realist is a registered trademark. In addition, they offered Errol a chance to buy partial ownership of a Zambian emerald mine. By Michael Hein His mother Maye responded on Twitter in December 2019 in defense of Elon. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years., When the Tesla CEO was around 16 years old, he and his brother Kimbal sold two emeralds to Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York City while Errol snoozed, according to what Musk's father told Business Insider South Africa. Recently, Elon Musk had to set the record straight on a narrative spun over three years ago about his family owning an emerald mine in South Africa. "Elon Musk's Vision of an Electric-Car Future." Arnold paraphrased his answers, publishing that he said "it was a handshake deal with a Panamanian man that resulted in something like 110 emeralds up front and then a semi-regular trickle of rough stones over a few years following," and that "there was never formal ownership.". "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.
Elon Musk: The Truth About His Dad and Emerald Mines - Trending . [9], Errol Musk's claims that he invested in Elon Musk's software company Zip2 have been rejected by Elon Musk. 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." Are you prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family? Clearly, Elon Musk doesn't like being mocked. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, grew up in South Africa and made his way via Canada to the U.S. as a transfer student before attending the Wharton School and becoming the billionaire tech founder he is today. We did not receive a response before this story was published. Since at least 2018, a rumor has been shared online about Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk in regard to his father's purported past ownership of an "apartheid emerald mine" or "slave emerald mine." He did the investment after selling a plane for about 80 000. r/EnoughMuskSpam via Reddit.com, 18 Dec. 2021, https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/rj689s/elon_musk_and_the_emerald_mine/. [1] His father was a South African veteran of World War II and his mother was British. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. 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. You have no idea. 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. While His Dad Was Sleeping." 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.
Musk, Bezos, Gates: How these billionaires got their start Rolling Stone reported in 2017 that Errol was, by his own account, making money in the often dangerous worlds of construction and emerald mining at times so much that he claims he couldnt close his safe.. 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..
Get to Know Errol Musk, Elon's "Brilliant," "Terrible" Father And I was too scared to tell anyone [about his violence]," Maye told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. Imgur, 5 Dec. 2019, https://imgur.com/SHGhIY2. 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. Meanwhile, Musk's defenders often say that the mogul has denied this story, though that is not precisely true either. 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. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. He said that they stopped in Djibouti to avoid pricey airport fees, and there happened to meet some Italian merchants who offered to buy the plane from him then and there. 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." Shame on you, Onion. The netizen claimed that the Business Insider article didnt show the real extent of the Musk family profiting from apartheid. What Happened: Musk's comments came on a Twitter. Note: Less than two weeks after Arnold's piece was published in 2021, the satirical website The Onion printed a story with the headline, "The Richest Person In Every State And How They Made Their Money." According to the Internet Archive, the article was still available months after it was published, onSept. 1, 2014, but was gone by Sept. 18. And thats when Musk's father was offered half an emerald mine in return for half of his earnings.
Elon Musk helped his financially 'broke' father but on 1 condition She won't speak to me or engage me if we're in the same room which we have been often.". Unlike his son, Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk, Errol has mostly flown under the radar, though the father of seven has had an increasingly public profile over the last few years, largely due to his complicated family relationships. Errol and Elons feud has reportedly been exacerbated by the patriarchs eyebrow-raising relationships. "My [former] wife doesn't speak to me, even when we're together, she won't speak to me, so we haven't spoken to one other for 37 years. Elon also denied that Errol invested in the company. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zip2. I'm going to wait until he comes to his senses. Musk, Elon. 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. Jana was 4 years old when Errol married her mother, Heide Bezuidenhout though he claims that he didn't consider Jana his stepdaughter, as she primarily grew up separate from the Musks. The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2009, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in.
Errol Musk - Wikipedia Arnold's story included answers from Errol about the mine, who said he had "very limited involvement" in it. His parents divorced. "Nothing, nothing. Elon Musk addressed the recent social storm when claims related his familys emerald mines in apartheid-South Africa resurfaced online. I arrived by myself in Canada in 89 with ~CA$2500 Paid my own way through college, ending with ~$100k student debt Started 1st company with no funding & just one computer I built Theres no evidence whatsoever of an emerald mine, 2/2My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years. Forbes, 28 July 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2014/07/28/elon-musk-tells-me-his-secret-of-success-hint-it-aint-about-the-money/. Nothing, nothing. 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. "[4][8], In 1972, he was elected to the Pretoria City Council as a representative of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party. "'We Had so Much Money We Couldn't Even Close Our Safe': Elon Musk's Dad Tells BI about the Family's Insanely Casual Attitude to Wealth." The 76-year-old is most notable for. When Errol and Maye divorced in 1979, a then-8-year-old Elon chose to live with his dad. Errol. Note: Some of the tweets that promoted the rumor said that Elon did not found Tesla, which was true. In a 2019 . 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. by Marilynn Manuel 13-02-2023 13:43 "The Man Who's Revolutionizing The Future Of Driving -- And The Universe." "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine" was corrected to "Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine." Invest in the future today. On an undisclosed date, Errol reportedly shot and killed three of up to a half-dozen armed intruders who broke into his Johannesburg home, according to Rolling Stone. ---. It was that lifestyle, Errol says, that turned Elon into the kind of merchant adventurer who would later break the rules of the motoring business with Tesla, then go on to change spaceflight with SpaceX. Errols grandmother was Canadas first chiropractor, while Errols own mom and dad were the first two people to fly from South Africa to Australia in a single-engine airplane, according to Forbes magazine. Our offices are for administrative purposes only, no visitors will be accepted without an appointment. He told The New York Times that as a member of the Progressive Party, he opposed apartheid. Meet. But by many accounts, the issues at the Tesla factory go beyond the need for a thick skin, New York Times reported.
Errol and Heide had two children of their own, but he also helped raise Jana. How much of a Momentum Proteas Womens cricket fan are you? Business Insider South Africa, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/how-elon-musks-family-came-to-own-an-emerald-mine-2018-2. 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 . Jack @lets_gobaby tweeted, Ok but how does inheriting money mean you arent smart?. Hull, Dana, and Patrick May. Below, we have laid out all of the data that we found, including examples of the rumor, as well as stories from newspaper archives and blogs. He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure, regulatory, and environment. In 2017, family members were left stunned when Jana became pregnant with Errols baby. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years..
Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? All About Errol Musk 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. 2021, https://savingjournalism.substack.com/p/i-talked-to-elon-musk-about-journalism. This article is actually accurate: https://t.co/eVpCX9V1NB. Elon Musk: The Truth About His Dad and Emerald Mines, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Should Remain On-Air Couple After ABC Exit, According to TV Host, King Charles' Reported Reason for Evicting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Revealed, Hoda Kotb Makes Brief 'Today Show' Appearance Amid Family Health Matter, 'Creed III': Why Sylvester Stallone and Rocky Balboa Are Missing From Latest Film, Disney World Brings Back 'Beauty & the Beast' Experience for First Time Since COVID-19 Pandemic Began, QVC Hosts Call it Quits After Nearly 20 Years, Florida Residents Urged to Use Caution With Tap Water After Man Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba. The patriarch confirmed the shootings to the publication in 2017, saying manslaughter charges were later dropped because he acted in self-defense. ", For his part, Errol told the Daily Mail that Elon "needs to grow up" and "get over himself," adding, "I'm not going to hit back. Meanwhile, Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering. In 2017, he also told Rolling Stone that Errol was the youngest person to get a professional engineers qualification in South Africa., Im naturally good at engineering thats because I inherited it from my father, the worlds richest man stated.
What We Know About Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine Rumor Or they'd take the plane to Lake Tanganyika [in Zambia], where Errol had a stake in an emerald mine. The tweet was shared as a screenshot on Imgur.com, which showed the image had been viewed more than 300,000 times. ", Though he claimed Elon and Kimbal were upset with him for fathering a child with a woman they felt was "their sister," Errol told The Sun, "The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce. We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. Copyright Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved. After Maye and Errol divorced in 1980, Elon mostly lived with his father, who says he owned thoroughbred horses, a yacht, several houses and a Cessna. Eligon, John, and Lynsey Chutel. "Elon Musk Is the Hero America Deserves." He once tweeted he arrived in 1989, not 1988, however.
The child, a boy named Elliot Rush, is now 5 years old. [22] He is estranged from his son Elon. ERROL IS A RETIRED SOUTH AFRICAN ENGINEER. But little else is known about Errol outside of his native South Africa, where he has made a name for himself as a high-powered engineer, property developer and political advocate who vehemently opposed apartheid. Elon Musk has a wild story!" he captioned it. "They just walked into Tiffany's and said, 'Do you want to buy some emeralds?' 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. I said, Oh, all right. ANC accuses De Ruyter of ruining its good name and reputation, BREAKING: Chiefs confirm another MASSIVE injury blow. Below we have provided a small sampling of the many different ways the rumor has been framed in past years. Errol and Jana welcomed a son, Elliot "Rushi" Rush, in 2017 and a daughter in 2019. Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in 1972 and was an outspoken advocate for abolishing apartheid. Errol employed a cutter in Johannesburg and sold the stones wherever his travels as an engineer or family holidays took him. After the divorce, Elon lived mostly with his father until he left South Africa at age 17 partly to avoid conscription in the South African army. In the mid 1980s, Elon Musks father Errol and a copilot were on their way to England aboard a plane they hoped to sell when they landed there. Elon Musk's father planned to fly a plane from South Africa to England and sell it once they got there. Still, it wasarchived by the Internet Archive. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Musk left his father behind at the age of 17 to pursue his dreams in North America and escape conscription into the South African military. "Elon Musk Is the Hero America Deserves." Musk's defenders have also pointed out that Errol's alleged trade took place in the mid-1980s, at which point Zambia was independent. Black Americans Have the Highest Mortality Rates But Lowest Levels of Life Insurance 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. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done. To add to the truth, we went to Boston Chicken in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving because we couldnt afford a turkey. In 1970, Errol married modelMaye Haldeman Musk before the pair welcomed three children: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. The rumor of the "apartheid emerald mine" received a spike in shares around the time that Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter in late 2022. 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. Errol Musk says teenage Elon Musk once casually walked around with emeralds in his pocket. Twitter, https://twitter.com/elonmusk/. 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). He was such a terrible human being, Musk told the magazine. The article attributed the source of Elon Musks wealth to apartheid. 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. While the story merely pointed to the facts that apartheid existed at the time and the Musk family made money from emerald mining, Musk to his frustration has found it hard to brush off the narrative of his wealth being linked to apartheid. "Can Elon Musk Really Get Us To Mars Within 10 Years?" Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done, he continued. Several decades ago, Errol allegedly shot and killed three armed intruders who broke into his Johannesburg home. I tried threats, rewards, intellectual arguments, emotional arguments, everything to try to change my father for the better, and he no way, it just got worse., Errol subsequently told the publication in an email: Ive been accused of being a Gay, a Misogynist, a Paedophile, a Traitor, a Rat, a St (quite often), a Bastard (by many women whose attentions I did not return) and much more. But I didnt really understand at the time what kind of person he was. I left South Africa by myself when I was 17 with just a backpack & suitcase of books. Elon Musk was highlighted as the wealthiest resident of Texas, Americas second-biggest state. Beyond that, we were unable to find any evidence that showed money generated from his father's involvement in the mine helped Elon build his wealth in North America. [23], In 1998, Musk shot and killed three out of six or seven burglars who forced their way into his Johannesburg home and who opened fire upon detection.[24]. So I became a half owner of the mine," he told the outlet. The 51-year-old has refuted claims that he grew up rich amid statements that his father Errol owned an emerald mine in . Bloomberg.com, 22 May 2020, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-05-22/elon-musk-speaks-frankly-on-coronavirus-spacex-and-rage-tweets. [14], Musk was married to Heide Bezuidenhout for eighteen years and helped her raise her young daughter Jana Bezuidenhout, a child from a previous relationship. "Errol also quoted a lower number to me over the phone," Arnold wrote. To summarize Arnold's story would be difficult, as it contained a considerable amount of data and analysis. In an interview with Rolling Stone, during which he reportedly cried, Elon called his father "a terrible human being" and "evil. Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering.. "We were very wealthy. He also added, "'Self-made billionaires' are a myth." The New York Times, 5 May 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/world/africa/elon-musk-south-africa.html. "I screwed up the marriage, I was totally responsible. In the meantime, Musk continues to make waves on multiple technological fronts, all while raising concerns about workers' rights and income inequality. In 2019, a Twitter user claimed that Musk's father Errol owned an emerald mine. TheSouthAfrican.com is all about South Africa and the stories that affect South Africans, wherever they are in the world. While in Djibouti, he and his co-pilot sold their plane to some Italian nationals. Born in 1971, Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. Forbes, 1 Oct. 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2016/10/01/can-elon-musk-really-get-us-to-mars-within-10-years/.
A teenage Elon Musk once casually sold his father's - Businessinsider A common story about Musk on social media is that his father owned part of an emerald mine, providing a bedrock of wealth that buoyed Elon up to his current level of success. 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. 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. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Standing with the cash in his hand, Errol was made another offer he couldn't refuse: Would he like to buy half an emerald mine for half of his new riches? Where is this B.S. Errol Musk was born in Pretoria South Africa to Walter Henry James and Cora Amelia Robinson. On Feb. 23, 2018, Business Insider SA published a story with the headline, "'We had so much money we couldn't even close our safe': Elon Musk's Dad tells BI about the family's insanely casual attitude to wealth."
Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine in Zambia here's the Not all the tweets were supportive of Elon. Image via Instagram @mayemusk. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his mother, Maye Musk. Address: Regus Business Centre 1st Floor, Block B, North Park, Black River Park, 2 Fir Street, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa Postal: Blue Sky Publications (Pty) Ltd T/A TheSouthAfrican, PO Box 44354, Claremont, 7735, South Africa, United Kingdom Blue Sky Publications Ltd Company Registration Number: 04683692. According to reporting we reviewed, the stake his father had in the emerald mine appeared to have both started and ended in the 1980s. Then he'd sue me and say that I was unfit to parent.". An avid pilot and sailor, as well as an electrical and mechanical engineer, he made his money consulting and developing properties and retired early. Fortier, Alexander. At 17, Musk decided to leave home, heading first to Canada and then the U.S. for university. D'Innocenzio, Anne. The 76-year-old hasnt ruled out having more children, saying: The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. 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. I felt sorry for my father, because my mother had all three kids. 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. If I could have another child I would. Musk's father said that Tiffanys set the $800 emerald in a ring and offered it for $24,000, which he said was an object lesson in retail markup for the family. In an interview with The Sun, Errol recalled the attack, claiming that he was confronted by a group of seven men inside his home and shot back at the intruders after they opened fire. Theyd seen I was sleeping in one morning, and they said, Oh lets just try, lets go.. "'His Family Stole an Emerald Mine.'" Business Insider South Africa, 23 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-dad-tells-bi-about-the-familys-casual-attitude-to-wealth-2018-2. 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.
Errol Musk Net Worth: Inside the Fortune of Elon Musk's Dad Elon called the story "actually accurate." There is a more nuanced conversation to be had about how Elon Musk specifically and South Africas white population in general benefitted from apartheid. In the past, the Tesla CEO hasrespondedseveral times on Twitter about the emerald mine rumors. Facebook, 27 July 2020, https://www.facebook.com/errol.musk/posts/10218340000911015. Inside the fabulous Dior couture world of 'Mrs. And we spent three weeks making our rent-controlled apartment livable in Toronto, Maye tweeted. The Buffalo News via San Jose Mercury News via Newspapers.com, 20 Apr.
Elon Musk, After Emerald Mine Twitter Spat, Says Father Errol Ran Out Regardless of your opinion of him, he is aself-made billionaire. And, on at least one occasion, his now famous son also took his hand at dealing in the gems, with peculiar results. "We went to . He can't have what he wants and now I am apparently an evil monster.".
Elon Musk's father Errol was penniless in the '90s & Tesla chief helped He just had a rich dad and a got lucky. He was bullied at school. . [17] Later in life, after splitting from Heide Bezuidenhout, he fathered two children with her daughter (his former step-daughter) Jana Bezuidenhout; a son born in 2017 and a daughter born in 2019. The 76-year-old is most notable for being Elons estranged father, with the pair famously falling out several years ago. All the Musk siblings did well, Forbes reported. There, the two South Africans ran into a group of Italians who, as it happened, were in the market for an airplane. The article was republished in several other newspapers around the U.S. For example, on Dec. 28, 2019, hetweetedthat his father "didn't own an emerald mine" and that he (Elon) had worked his way through college, ending up with around $100,000 in student debt. Errol Musk said he bought half of an emerald mine after selling a plane. "Is It True That Elon Musk's Family Got Their Wealth from Apartheid Emerald Mining?" We've received your submission. South Africa Blue Sky Publications (Pty) Ltd T/A TheSouthAfrican Number: 2005/028472/07.