Here's a summary of our findings: We located reporting from as far back as 2009 and 2014 that said when Elon Musk ("Elon" hereafter) was a child in South Africa in the 1980s, his father ("Errol" hereafter) at some point owned "a stake in an emerald mine" near Lake Tanganyika in Zambia, not South Africa. Copyright Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 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. For the state of Texas, The Onion printed, "Elon Musk: Apartheid.". It was revealed last weekthat he welcomed twochildren with an executiveat his artificial intelligence company, Neuralink, just weeks before hissecond child with his ex-girlfriend, Grimes,was born. But I've been in physical danger before. Elon also denied that Errol invested in the company. "But I mean, we were living together. Business Insider South Africa, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/how-elon-musks-family-came-to-own-an-emerald-mine-2018-2. So we had this planeload of contraband and an overdue passport from another person. At 17, Musk decided to leave home, heading first to Canada and then the U.S. for university. Errol told BI that he was flying from his home in South Africa to the U.K. to sell the plane he was on, with a young Elon in tow. Although Tesla stands out as a groundbreaking company at the forefront of the electric car revolution, its standard operating procedure at the Tesla factory is pre-civil-rights-era race discrimination, Vaughn wrote in his complaint, according to a Daily Beast report. Instead, we will concentrate on the two Business Insider South Africa articles mentioned by Arnold that appeared to provide the roots of the "apartheid emerald mine" rumor. 2021, https://savingjournalism.substack.com/p/i-talked-to-elon-musk-about-journalism. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. His children were reportedly influenced by his liberal political views. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. [3][4], Musk worked as a pilot, a sailor, an electrical engineer, a mechanical engineer, a consultant, and a property developer, before retiring early. Errol. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.". He also sent a link to another interview he did with Elon in 2016. You could tell by the way that he told the story. Musk responded about the time when the photo was clicked. Kimbal is a millionaire who owns restaurant chains and spearheads a nonprofit education program, The Kitchen Community, which grows vegetables in the U.S. Tosca is a film producer and director. Instead, Musk has sought to dispel the general belief that he comes from wealth. Maye and Errol divorced in 1980 when Elon was about 9 years old. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day.. ", Five days later on Feb. 28, Business Insider SA published a second article with the headline, "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine in Zambia here's the fascinating story of how they came to own it.". It was a lucrative decision. She won't speak to me or engage me if we're in the same room which we have been often.". coming from?. [6][7] In a 2018 interview with Business Insider, Musk boasted that as a result of the emerald mine "we had so much money we couldn't even close our safe. Imgur, 5 Dec. 2019, https://imgur.com/SHGhIY2. The 76-year-old is most notable for being Elons estranged father, with the pair famously falling out several years ago. More answers and details are available in Arnold's article. He will plan evil, Elon tearfully told Rolling Stone in 2017. "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. 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 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. Vance, Ashlee. Errol met Maye Haldeman the lady who would become his wife at Clapham High School. However, again, the story was at least partially unavailable on that website, too. R/EnoughMuskSpam via Reddit.com, 5 Dec. 2019, www.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/e6j76f/his_family_stole_an_emerald_mine/. Jump to Main content Search Account Menu icon A vertical stack of three evenly spaced horizontal. He did the investment after selling a plane for about 80 000. According to Ashlee Vances 2017 biography of the Tesla founder, The Musk family owned one of the biggest houses in Pretoria thanks to the success of Errols engineering business, which included large projects such as office buildings, retail complexes, residential subdivisions, and an air force base.. He told The New York Times that as a member of the Progressive Party, he opposed apartheid. 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. I said, Oh, all right. "A Teenage Elon Musk Once Casually Sold His Father's Emeralds to Tiffany & Co. "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege." In 1972, Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in his native South Africa. He has a net worth of $2 million and is living quite comfortably. 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. "The Man Who's Revolutionizing The Future Of Driving -- And The Universe." Esquire, 5 June 2015, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a35508/elon-musk-college-years-canada-u-penn/. In the past, the Tesla CEO hasrespondedseveral times on Twitter about the emerald mine rumors. So we decided to head back to Lake Tanganyika from where we were, I think we were in Djibouti., Errol Musk (father of one Elon Musk) on raising one of the world's most famous billionaires: http://t.co/Fg8xmqN1L0 pic.twitter.com/LVJyMdebZK. Not all the tweets were supportive of Elon. Errol Musk was born in Pretoria South Africa to Walter Henry James and Cora Amelia Robinson. Arnold's story included answers from Errol about the mine, who said he had "very limited involvement" in it. In addition, they offered Errol a chance to buy partial ownership of a Zambian emerald mine. I wish. The Twitter account no longer exists. "Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done It's so terrible, you can't believe it. Bloomberg.com, 22 May 2020, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-05-22/elon-musk-speaks-frankly-on-coronavirus-spacex-and-rage-tweets. Errol and Heide had two children of their own, but he also helped raise Jana. Ashlee Vance interviewed hundreds of people. Several respondents on social media disputed the emerald mine and privileged-lifestyle story, defending Musks intelligence and questioning the intelligence of the person who started the thread. Click Here to Get Smart on Protecting Your Family and Loves Ones, No Matter What Happens. 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. Meanwhile, Musk's defenders often say that the mogul has denied this story, though that is not precisely true either. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed. Are you prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family? It is often claimed that Musk's father, Errol Musk, once owned shares in a Zambian emerald mine, and that Musk subsequently enjoyed an . Fortier, Alexander. Get down!'. Elon, 51, was brought to tears discussing his dad in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, describing him as evil and a terrible human being.. In an interview with Rolling Stone, during which he reportedly cried, Elon called his father "a terrible human being" and "evil. In his interview with Business Insider South Africa, Errol said that he was to blame for his divorce from model Maye Musk, with whom he shares Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. Twitter, https://twitter.com/elonmusk/. This is not true," Elon told Rolling Stone in 2017. The funny thing is I've not actually been that nervous. The tweet was shared as a screenshot on Imgur.com, which showed the image had been viewed more than 300,000 times. mark_able_jones_. "They were confronted by it every day," he said. Errol and Elons feud has reportedly been exacerbated by the patriarchs eyebrow-raising relationships. 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. Errol talked about Elons fascination with computers when they first came out in the mid-80s, during an interview on radio station 702 in Johannesburg, as reported by Forbes. Bill Gates' mom helped Microsoft get a deal with IBM. On Wednesday, Errol confirmed that he and Jana had welcomed a second child, a daughter who is now 3. He told me over and over that I was stupid, ugly, boring. [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]. "We went to . We went to this guys prefab, and he opened his safe, and there [were] just stacks of money, and he paid me out 80,000, It was a huge amount of money, he said. Bloomberg.com, 22 May 2020. www.bloomberg.com, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-05-22/elon-musk-speaks-frankly-on-coronavirus-spacex-and-rage-tweets. My own (wonderful) mother told me I am ruthless and should learn to be more humane. But I love my children and would readily do whatever for them.. The Onion, 22 Mar. 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.". On their way to England, Errol and his copilot got word that their original flight plan was going to cost a lot of money. As Arnold noted, the headline for this story was later corrected more than two years after it was published, sometime around late July or early August 2020,according to page captures from the Internet Archive. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. He seemed very sad and lonely by himself. Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zip2. He added that Elon left the country as "a clear indication of his willingness to not support the political suppression in the country. Elon Musk said he and his brother have supported their father since he "ran out of money in 90s." He was reacting to a tweet saying he was from a family that owned an African emerald mine.. You have no idea. They never made it to their destination. He's having a tantrum, like a spoilt child. What Happened: Musk's comments came on a Twitter. "Errol also quoted a lower number to me over the phone," Arnold wrote. ---. 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. ", Errol and Elon have an acrimonious relationship. All About Errol Musk", "50 years of Elon Musk's huge wealth, from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla", "How Elon Musk made his money - from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla", "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege", "At 68, Maye Musk, the Mother of Elon, Is Reclaiming the Spotlight", "El padre de Elon Musk dice que la ambicin de su hijo se debe a la educacin austera que recibi: "Fui un padre estricto", "BBC Two - The Elon Musk Show, Series 1, Episode 2", "Elon Musk's dad reveals he fathered an "unplanned" child with his stepdaughter", "Elon Musk's father has baby with step-daughter he has known since she was four", "Elon Musk's father confirms second child with his own stepdaughter - report", "Errol Musk explains why he got his stepdaughter pregnant", "Ayah Elon Musk Punya Bayi dari Hubungan dengan Putri Tirinya", "Meet Elon Musk's controversial father, Errol", "Errol Musk hat Kind mit Stieftochter: "Wir sind zum Fortpflanzen auf der Welt", "Elon Musk's Dad Says Company Wants His Sperm to Impregnate 'High-Class' Women", Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Errol_Musk&oldid=1142497006, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 18:50. My dad was not physically violent with me. All the Musk siblings did well, Forbes reported. In an email to Rolling Stone, Musk's father said he smacked the Tesla CEO only once and on the bottom. He also said that the only criminal charges that had been filed against him from when he killed three home invaders in self-defense had been cleared. Jordan Liles is a Snopes reporter with expertise in investigating misinformation, inauthentic social media activity, and scams. The entire episode started when the satirical publication The Onion published a piece on the wealthiest person in each American state. On May 22, 2020, Bloomberg.com published an interview with Elon, which was penned by Ashlee Vance. Black Americans Have the Highest Mortality Rates But Lowest Levels of Life Insurance "Can Elon Musk Really Get Us To Mars Within 10 Years?" We sent these messages on Nov. 16, but did not receive responses before publishing this story on the following day. In December 2019, Elon denied the emerald mine-and-lavish-lifestyle story on Twitter, saying it was a lie. 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. The 51-year-old has refuted claims that he grew up rich amid statements that his father Errol owned an emerald mine in South Africa. The story included reporting of Elon's denials that the emerald mine had provided any seed money for the wealth he would later accumulate. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he co-owned an emerald mine in Zambia. I couldn't even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. Maye and Errol divorced in 1980 when Elon was about 9 years old. In a 2017 Rolling Stone cover story, the Tesla CEO described his childhood and revealed that he moved in with his father at eight years old after his parents split. You have no idea.. "Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? He would throw out everything they arrived with, so I had to buy them all new clothes and school things. It is still hard to discern whether this story is true and what conclusions can be drawn. ", In the post, he claimed that his family stood in opposition to apartheid, saying he went so far as to be elected as a Pretoria city councillor to aid that opposition. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.. So it was very formative for him. Their half-sister.. ", Elon has said one of the reasons he is so skilled at engineering is because of his father. We also reached out to media relations personnel at SpaceX, where he is the founder and CEO, as well as Tesla and Twitter. Still, Elon's tweets leave just enough room for Errol's story to be accurate, even if the inferences about his family's wealth are not. Errol has long since retired from the engineering business and now lives a quiet life in the Western Cape in South Africa. The share in the mine wasnt acquired until the 1980s. The headline of the story read, "Elon Musk Tells Me His Secret Of Success (Hint: It Ain't About The Money).". Errol was a successful consulting engineer, and also owned an emerald mine in Zambia. "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine" was corrected to "Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine." Market Realist is a registered trademark. "Is It True That Elon Musk's Family Got Their Wealth from Apartheid Emerald Mining?" [11] The family lived in Pretoria,[10][12] where Maye worked as a dietician and a model. He's the son of Maye Musk, a model and dietitian from Canada, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. All About Errol Musk." "I said, 'Oh, all right.' Smart Policies are as low as $30 a month, No Medical Exam Required 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. The most direct address was a tweet that said his father "didn't own an emerald mind [and] I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt.". 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. Zip2's purpose was to provide "a searchable business directory that could be described as an internet version of the yellow pages telephone directory with maps included," according to Britannica.com. He attended Queens University in Canada. In 1970, Errol married modelMaye Haldeman Musk before the pair welcomed three children: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. Errol and a co-pilot were flying a plane from South Africa to England to sell the aircraft but when they couldn't make a scheduled stop in Saudi Arabia, he pivoted his plan and changed his life. "Elon Musk: The College Years." SASSA: Here are your March 2023 grant payment dates. His mother Maye responded on Twitter in December 2019 in defense of Elon. Meet. The article was titled, "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story.". "We were very wealthy. He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure, regulatory, and environment. In 2017, Errol told Rolling Stone that while he has never intentionally hurt or threatened anyone, he once shot and killed a group of burglars at his home in Johannesburg, though he says he was cleared of all charges because he acted in self-defense. Elon, by his father's recollection then probably 16 years old, and his brother Kimbal, decided to sell emeralds to Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York . There, the two South Africans ran into a group of Italians who, as it happened, were in the market for an airplane. Elon was a witness to this, bullets flying around, Cattrell further claimed. This story was picked up by other news outlets and peddled as a sign of the Musk family's "lavish lifestyle. [1] His father was a South African veteran of World War II and his mother was British. Later, on Sept. 20, 2022, hecalledRobert Reich "an idiot and a liar" for tweeting a video that pushed the emerald mine wealth rumor as fact. 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. "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.