Elon Musk’s Business Portfolio
1Tesla
Role: CEO
Founded: 2003
Valuation: ~$800B (Varies)
Focus: Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Solar Panels
Ownership: ~13%
2SpaceX
Role: CEO & CTO
Founded: 2002
Valuation: ~$180B (Varies)
Focus: Aerospace, Space Transportation, Satellite Communications
Ownership: ~42%
3X (formerly Twitter)
Role: Owner & CTO
Founded: 2006 (Acquired 2022)
Valuation: ~$19B (Musk’s estimate)
Focus: Social Media
Ownership: 100%
4The Boring Company
Role: CEO
Founded: 2016
Valuation: ~$5.7B (Varies)
Focus: Tunnel Construction, Transportation Infrastructure
Ownership: ~90%
5Neuralink
Role: Co-CEO
Founded: 2016
Valuation: ~$5B (Varies)
Focus: Brain-Computer Interfaces
Ownership: ~54%
6xAI
Role: Founder
Founded: 2023
Valuation: ~$24B (Varies)
Focus: Artificial Intelligence
Ownership: Not publicly disclosed
Elon Musk’s Business Investment Timeline
- 1995: Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal Musk founded Zip2, an online city guide software company. This marked the beginning of Elon’s entrepreneurial journey, laying the foundation for his future ventures.
- 1999: Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash, providing Elon Musk with his first major financial success. This sale allowed him to invest in his next ventures.
- 1999: Elon Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company. This company was a precursor to PayPal, signaling Musk’s interest in revolutionizing online transactions.
- 2000: X.com merged with Confinity, which had a money-transfer service called PayPal. This merger created PayPal, a dominant player in online payment systems.
- 2002: eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion in stock, giving Musk a substantial return and fueling his ambitions in space exploration and electric vehicles.
- 2002: Elon Musk founded SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.), with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. 1 This ambitious venture aimed to revolutionize access to space.
- 2004: Elon Musk became a major investor and chairman of Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.), an electric vehicle and clean energy company. He played a crucial role in shaping Tesla’s strategy and development.
- 2006: Musk provided the critical funding for the start of SolarCity, a solar energy services company, which was founded by his cousins. This showed his commitment to sustainable energy solutions.
- 2008: Tesla experienced financial difficulties during the global financial crisis, and Musk invested heavily, risking his personal fortune to keep the company afloat. This demonstrated his unwavering belief in Tesla’s potential.
- 2012: SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft successfully delivered cargo to the International Space Station, marking a historic milestone for private spaceflight. This achievement validated SpaceX’s technological capabilities.
- 2016: Tesla acquired SolarCity, integrating solar energy generation with battery storage and electric vehicles. This acquisition aimed to create a vertically integrated sustainable energy company.
- 2016: Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company developing brain-computer interfaces. This venture aimed to enhance human capabilities and address neurological disorders.
- 2016: Elon Musk founded The Boring Company, an infrastructure and tunnel construction services company. This venture aimed to alleviate traffic congestion through underground transportation systems.
- 2022: Musk acquired Twitter, Inc., and later rebranded it as X, aiming to transform the platform into an “everything app.” This acquisition marked a significant move into social media and online communication.