As the richest person ever with a net worth over $200 billion, Elon Musk has plenty of resources for raising kids. You likely know Musk as the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, casually Tweeting memes, or sniping with politicians. But how much do you really know about Musk the Dad outside of his companies?
Turns out, he‘s a very busy father of 10 children (1 sadly deceased), ranging from toddler to college-aged, with 3 different women. Let‘s unpack everything you need to know about how many kids Elon Musk has and their ages!
The Road to Fatherhood – Relationship History
Before diving into all the details on Musk‘s kids, let‘s recap his relationship history with the 3 women who would become the mothers to his big brood:
Justine Wilson – Author and Musk‘s first wife from 2000 to 2008. Their first son died of SIDS, then twins and triplets were conceived via IVF.
Claire "Grimes" Boucher – Eclectic musician and Musk‘s on-again, off-again girlfriend since 2018, mother of sons X and Y.
Shivon Zilis – Project director at Musk‘s brain-interface startup Neuralink and mom of his twin babies born in late 2021.
By the Numbers – Musk Kids Summary
Let‘s get organized about the Musk progeny with some at-a-glance details before getting into more about each child:
| Child | Gender | Birth Year | Age | Mother |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Alexander | Male | 2002 | Died at 10 weeks | Justine Wilson |
| Griffin & Vivian | Fraternal Twins | 2004 | 19 years | Justine Wilson |
| Saxon, Kai, & Damian | Triplets | 2006 | 17 years | Justine Wilson |
| "X" | Male | 2020 | 3 years | Grimes |
| "Y" | Female | 2021 | 1 year | Grimes |
| Twin Son & Daughter | Fraternal Twins | 2021 | 1 year | Shivon Zilis |
That‘s 6 sons and 3 daughters including his deceased firstborn.
Family With First Wife Justine Wilson
Musk met Justine while both were students at Queen‘s University in Ontario. After marrying in 2000, their first child tragically passed away at 10 weeks old from SIDS. What followed were two sets of multiples – twins and then triplets – conceived through IVF.
Twins Griffin & Vivian – Now 18 years old, they lived with their mom after the divorce but reportedly had a decent relationship with their dad, even visiting SpaceX. However, right after turning 18 last year, daughter Vivian filed to legally change her name and gender, wanting to cut ties with Musk.
Triplets Saxon, Kai, & Damian – These 17-year-old brothers also lived with Wilson after the split but visited Musk for summers and holidays. They once even got to hang out on the set of Iron Man 2! Not much is known about their personalities or current activities.
Justine Wilson‘s Take – In a Marie Claire article, she discussed the sadness and challenges of losing their firstborn. She also touched on the isolation of raising 5 young kids mostly as a single mom after divorce. Co-parenting and rebuilding relationships was clearly complicated.
Relationship With Musician Grimes
Musk first met the eclectic musician Grimes at a joke cryptocurrency conference in 2018. Grimes, real name Claire Boucher, is known for her unique avant-garde style and unusual creative persona. Their first child arrived in spring 2020.
"X" – Born X Æ A-12, he goes by "X" or "Little X" after the state of California rejected certain characters in his full name. Now almost 3, his early years are certainly unconventional. Grimes has posted about him on social media over the years.
"Y" – In a surprise March 2022 announcement, it was uncovered that Grimes secretly gave birth to a daughter in late 2021 named Exa Dark Sideræl, nicknamed "Y." Now over 1 year old, she‘s only been seen once in photos.
Are They Still Together? – Grimes has indicated she and Musk broke up again at some point after their daughter‘s birth. Co-parenting two young kids while splitting time between two intensely busy celebrity parents sounds…complicated, to say the least.
Twin Infants with Neuralink Executive
Just weeks before Grimes gave birth to Exa "Y" Musk in late 2021, reports revealed another set of Musk‘s twins were born quietly to Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.
Shivon Zilis – As early as spring 2020, Zilis was seen accompanying Musk on SpaceX business. In 2021, the Yale Ph.D. and super-coder gave birth to twins shortly before he had daughter Exa with Grimes.
Mystery Twins – While their birth was uncovered by press last summer, no further information is yet known about their names, sex, custody arrangement, etc. They would also be about 1 year old now.
The Musk Brood – Insights on Family Life
"I try to do useful things and really move the needle on civilization," Musk said on parenting. Though absent from many daily parental duties, he makes a point of having his children join him sometimes at SpaceX and on trips.
Musk is on record wanting his kids to be ethical, thoughtful, have explored their creative side, and ultimately "be useful." But with 10 kids from toddlers to adults, achieving strong connections and relationships with every individual child presents clear challenges, especially with such demands on his time.
"Family has always been very important to me. What‘s most important for a child is to make sure they feel loved."
- Elon Musk
The picture of Musk‘s family dynamics remains murky, but something tells me this will not be the last we hear of surprises, shifting relationships, and even more children for the billionaire visionary. One thing‘s for certain – it‘s never dull in the ever-evolving Musk household!
