The family tree.

South African electromechanical engineer and property developer; Elon's estranged father.

Errol Musk was born in 1946 in Pretoria, South Africa, and worked as an electromechanical engineer and property developer. During Elon's childhood he held a partial stake in a Zambian emerald mine, which gave the family relative financial comfort — though Elon later disputed characterizations of their wealth. After Maye and Errol divorced in 1980, Elon and Kimbal initially alternated between parents before choosing to live with Errol in Pretoria. Elon has spoken candidly in interviews about a difficult relationship with his father, describing Errol as a difficult and complicated man. The relationship became increasingly strained over decades; as of the mid-2020s Elon has publicly described the estrangement as near-total. Errol has remained publicly outspoken, giving interviews and, controversially, fathering a child with his stepdaughter Jana in 2017.

Canadian-South African supermodel, registered dietitian, and Elon's mother.

Maye Musk was born on April 19, 1948, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and raised in South Africa. A registered dietitian and nutritionist by profession, she has simultaneously maintained a decades-long modeling career — becoming one of the industry's most recognizable faces at an age when most models retire. She appeared on the cover of Time magazine and was featured in a Beyoncé music video. In 2017, at age 69, she graced the cover of Vogue magazine, becoming one of the oldest models ever to do so. After divorcing Errol in 1980, Maye raised Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca largely on her own, moving between South Africa, Canada, and eventually the United States. She has written a memoir, A Woman Makes a Plan (2019), and remains close to all three of her children.

Restaurateur, food activist, and co-founder of Zip2 — Elon's younger brother.

Kimbal Musk was born on September 20, 1972, in Pretoria, South Africa. He was one of Elon's earliest business partners, co-founding Zip2 in 1995 and receiving approximately $15M from its sale to Compaq in 1999. Rather than follow Elon deeper into tech, Kimbal pivoted to the food industry, co-founding The Kitchen Restaurant Group in Boulder, Colorado, which grew to dozens of farm-to-table restaurants across the US. He also co-founded Big Green, a non-profit that builds outdoor classrooms and learning gardens at underserved schools. A member of Tesla's board of directors since 2004, he resigned in 2021 amid controversy around his stock sales ahead of a Twitter poll. Kimbal and Elon remain close personally despite occasional public divergences.

South African-Canadian film producer and founder of Passionflix streaming service.

Tosca Musk was born in 1974 in Pretoria, South Africa, the youngest of Maye and Errol's three children. She pursued a career in film and television, working as a director and producer across multiple projects. In 2017 she co-founded Passionflix, a streaming platform dedicated to adapting romance novels into films and series — positioning it as a niche but fast-growing competitor in the streaming space. Tosca has been more private than her brothers, rarely appearing in mainstream press outside of entertainment coverage. She has spoken in interviews about growing up alongside Elon and Kimbal, describing their childhood as simultaneously challenging and intellectually stimulating. She is based primarily in Los Angeles.

Canadian fantasy author and Elon's first wife; mother of six of his children.

Justine Wilson was born in 1972 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. She met Elon at Queen's University in the early 1990s, and they married in January 2000. Together they lost their first son Nevada Alexander to SIDS in 2002, then had five more children via IVF — twins Griffin and Xavier (now Vivian) in 2004, and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian in 2006. The marriage ended in divorce in 2008. Justine subsequently wrote a candid first-person essay for Marie Claire (2010) describing the power dynamics of their relationship, noting that Elon had told her early in their marriage, 'I am the alpha in this relationship.' She is a published fantasy author and has remained a thoughtful public voice on the experience of being Elon Musk's first partner. She maintained her hyphenated name Musk for years before reverting to Wilson.

British actress who married Elon twice — 2010–2012 and again 2013–2016.

Talulah Riley was born on September 26, 1985, in Hertfordshire, England. She is best known for her roles in St Trinian's (2007), Pride & Prejudice (2005), and as Dolores in HBO's Westworld. She met Elon shortly after his divorce from Justine in 2008; they married in 2010 and divorced in 2012. They then remarried in 2013, only to divorce a second time in 2016. Riley has spoken publicly about both marriages with remarkable equanimity, describing Elon as one of the most singular people she has ever known while acknowledging the relationship's inherent difficulty. After the final divorce she returned to acting and writing. In 2019 she published a novel, Acts of Love. Riley has maintained a cordial relationship with Elon and has spoken warmly of his mission to make humanity multiplanetary.

American actress; dated Elon briefly in 2016–2017 amid the Depp-Heard divorce.

Amber Heard was born on April 22, 1986, in Austin, Texas. She rose to prominence in films including Aquaman (2018) and The Rum Diary (2011). Her relationship with Elon Musk began in 2016, overlapping with the early stages of her divorce proceedings from Johnny Depp — a timeline that became public fodder during the 2022 Depp v. Heard defamation trial. Elon and Amber's relationship was intermittent and reportedly ended finally in 2017. During the trial it emerged that Elon had briefly offered Heard 24/7 security detail. Heard became one of the most discussed figures in 2022 social media, and Elon's prior connection to her was widely covered. The relationship was never characterized by either party as long-term or serious.

Canadian musician and artist; mother of Elon's children X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus.

Claire Elise Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, was born on March 17, 1988, in Vancouver, British Columbia. One of the most eclectic and critically acclaimed musicians of her generation, her albums Visions (2012) and Art Angels (2015) earned widespread acclaim. She began dating Elon in 2018, appearing together at the Met Gala in May of that year. Their relationship captured enormous public attention due to the contrast in their worlds — avant-garde indie musician meets world's wealthiest industrialist. Together they have three children: X Æ A-Xii (born May 2020), Exa Dark Sideræl (born December 2021 via surrogate), and Techno Mechanicus (born June 2022 via surrogate). Grimes and Elon announced their separation in September 2021 but remained co-parents. She later moved to Austin, Texas, to be closer to the children.

Canadian-American AI researcher, Neuralink executive, and mother of two of Elon's children.

Shivon Zilis was born in 1987 in Ontario, Canada. A graduate of Yale University, she built her career in artificial intelligence and venture capital, becoming a partner at Bloomberg Beta. She joined Neuralink as Director of Operations and Special Projects, working closely with Elon on the brain-computer interface company. In 2022, court filings revealed that Zilis and Musk had petitioned to change the names of their twins — born in November 2021 — to include the Musk surname. The twins, named Strider Sekhar Sireus Musk and Azure Astra Alice Musk, were the first children from this relationship made public. Subsequent reporting in 2023 suggested a possible third child. Zilis has maintained a low public profile, rarely giving interviews about her personal life, while continuing her work at Neuralink.

Elon's cousin; co-founded SolarCity and served as its CEO until the Tesla acquisition.

Lyndon Rive was born in 1977 in South Africa, the son of Maye Musk's sister. He is the cousin of Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca Musk. In 2006, Elon pitched Lyndon and his brother Peter the idea for SolarCity while they were all at Burning Man together. Lyndon and Peter co-founded SolarCity, with Lyndon serving as CEO. Under his leadership the company became the largest residential solar installer in the US. In 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity for approximately $2.6 billion — a deal that generated significant controversy and shareholder lawsuits given Elon's roles at both companies. Lyndon stayed on briefly post-acquisition before departing. He has since worked on other energy ventures.

Elon's cousin; co-founded SolarCity alongside his brother Lyndon.

Peter Rive was born in 1977 in South Africa, the son of Maye Musk's sister and twin brother of Lyndon Rive. Like Lyndon, he became one of the principals in SolarCity after Elon proposed the venture to both brothers at Burning Man in 2006. Peter served as SolarCity's CTO, leading the technical and engineering side of the business while Lyndon handled operations and sales. The company grew rapidly under their joint leadership before being acquired by Tesla in 2016. Peter has maintained a lower public profile than his brother since the acquisition, though both remained briefly involved in the combined entity.