How many companies does Elon Musk own?
The world’s richest man has stakes in plenty of big businesses and has been involved in other household companies.
South Africa-born Elon Musk is not oft out of the headlines, and his acquisition of X, formerly known as Twitter, has the world talking about him day in, day out. Costing around $44 billion, or just under one-fifth of his total wealth, the purchase put him in a league with the richest men in the world controlling some of the world’s most important media and information companies.
Coming from the humble background of emerald mine owners, Musk made his early break in software companies such as Zip2 and Paypal, before taking the plunge into some huge business ventures.
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What companies does Elon Musk have a stake in?
Tesla
Tesla is perhaps Musk’s most well known business. Though no longer the company head, now CEO, Musk has had enormous say in how the company is run since 2008. The car company manufactures electric vehicles on a large scaling, earning him praise in an era where the world needs to cut down on emissions.
It is the world’s most valuable automotive companies and has a market value of over $1 trillion. Despite the positives, the company has been hit with allegations of unsafe worker conditions, as well as the self-driving mode having the potential to be faulty.
Tesla also has a subsidiary company which specialises in the production of long-lasting batteries, called Tesla Energy.
SpaceX
Founded by Musk in 2002, SpaceX is an aerospace manufacturer. With NASA taking a backseat in space exploration since the 1980s, SpaceX and its competitors hope to be the companies that can take humanity further into the stars. For Musk, his aim is to make it commercially viable for humans to explore space and colonise the planet Mars.
SpaceX has completed a number of firsts for a private company, such as the first reuse and reflight of a crewed space capsule, and the first private company to send humans into orbit.
Neuralink
Musk co-founded the neurological research company in 2016. Its aim is to treat serious brain disease, as well as attempt to link artificial intelligence with the human mind. Clinical trials are expected to begin soon.
He has promised that the technology “will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs”.
The Boring Company
Founded in 2016, the company is for Musk’s infrastructure planning. In the past, he has discussed his plans for a ‘Hyperloop’ transport system, basically underground tunnels for cars. The plans have been criticised for being more expensive and less practical compared public transportation methods, such as trains.
Twitter, now X
Musk’s latest purchase is social media site Twitter, which he claimed would be used to be a “free speech absolutist.”
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Elon Musk said in a statement.
Critics argue that Musk’s approach to free speech on X is more arbitrary and opaque than the platform’s previous policies, and that he uses his power to retaliate against critics. Instances such as the suspension of journalists critical of certain geopolitical issues further fuel the perception that Musk’s commitment to free speech is inconsistent and selective.