What Companies Does Elon Musk Own?

Elon Musk is one of the most famous business people in the world. He has created, grown and transformed businesses into multi-million dollar enterprises, pioneering areas like space exploration, social media and electric vehicles.

However, Elon Musk has recently become a controversial figure, especially as he has taken a more active role in politics.

His relationship with Donald Trump has raised interesting questions around how much business and politics intersect in the modern age.

Here, we explore more about one of the world’s richest men.

 

Who is Elon Musk?

 

Elon Musk is an entrepreneur that was born in Pretoria, South Africa.

After moving to the US, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in physics and economics. He then dropped out of a PhD  at Stanford to work on his own businesses in the 1990s.

His first successful business was Zip2, a company that created an online version of the yellow pages, but with maps. The company was later sold in 1999 for a huge $305 million. But Musk was only just getting started.

He then went on to found X.com in 1999, later known as PayPal, which sold for a huge $1.5 billion to eBay just 3 years later. At the time, he was around 31 years old.

But his success didn’t stop there. He reinvested his money into creating companies like Tesla and SpaceX, which were designed to re-define industries. As of 2025, his estimated net worth is around $303 billion, making him the wealthiest man in the world.

 

Why is Elon Musk So Controversial?

 

Elon Musk is an incredibly talented business person, but he is also a controversial figure. Here are a few reasons why:

 

His Purchase and Leadership at X

 

In 2022, Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion after it was announced that the social media company was struggling. This was a controversial enough move, as the platform was already under fire for allowing hate-speech and the spread of misinformation.

Almost instantly after he bought the company, he laid off a huge chunk of employees, citing lack of productivity. He later introduced a subscription scheme to the platform, which undermined its position as a free space.

Recently, Twitter, now rebranded to X, has come under fire for removing its community notes feature, which allowed readers to see if posts were false. Many critics have said this will further speed up the spread of misinformation, especially in times of global political uncertainty.

 

 

Politics

 

Elon has become an increasingly political figure over the last few years. Most recently, he backed Donald Trump’s campaign and has been appointed as a senior advisor in his cabinet.

Leading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he is already leading the charge in reducing the amount of public sector employees in the US. As he himself has become so politically vocal, it raises questions about his ability to lead a social media platform whose core aim is around free speech.

 

Influence

 

Musk’s businesses don’t just allow him to be influential politically, but give him genuine impact in global affairs.

For example, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Musk deployed Starlink services to the region to help with operations. This gave Ukraine an edge in the war, as it made it difficult for Russia to cut off communications.

In 2025, The US threatened Ukraine with shutoff of the service if it did not reach a deal on minerals (Reuters). This gives Musk considerable power in shifting global politics.

Starlink has also been deployed in Northern Israel to help maintain communications in case of a war with Lebanon.

 

His Personal Life

 

Musk doesn’t just ruffle feathers in the business and politics world, but in his personal life too. According to People, he has welcomed 14 children over 20 years with 7 women.

With this, of course, comes a lot of public discourse. Musk’s children and ex-wives are constantly accusing him of being absent or not paying his fair share of child support.

 

What Companies Does Elon Musk Own?

 

Musk owns multiple companies. Some he founded himself, some he invested in and some he took over. Here is a breakdown of his current business empire.

 

1. Tesla

Tesla has changed the electric vehicle industry, completely revolutionising what is possible. It has produced cars like the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Cybertruck. The company also works to develop solar energy technology through Tesla Energy.

• Industry: Electric vehicles, solar energy, energy storage.
• Role: CEO.
• Value: Over $700 billion.

 

2. SpaceX

SpaceX is a private space exploration company that uses reusable rockets to explore space. Currently, the company aims to colonise Mars and make space travel affordable. It also created Starlink, a satellite-based internet provider that can maintain communications without relying on infrastructure on the ground.

• Industry: Space exploration, Internet (Starlink).
• Role: CEO, Co-Founder, Director.
• Value: $350+ billion.

 

3. X (previously Twitter)

Musk bought and rebranded Twitter as X, and is on a mission to to turn it into an “everything app” with payments, streaming services and AI all built into 1.

• Industry: Social media..
• Role: Executive Chairman, CTO.
• Value: $44 billion.

 

4. Neuralink

Neuralink is developing brain computer chips to help people with paralysis and boost human thinking.

• Industry: Neurotechnology, AI.
• Role: Co-Founder, CEO, majority shareholder.
• Value: $8 billion.

 

5. The Boring Company 

The company develops underground tunnel systems to help solve congestion problems in big cities.

• Industry: Tunnel Construction.
• Role: Founder.
• Value: $5.6 billion.

 

6. xAI

xAI is an AI company, founded to rival OpenAI. Their chatbot, Grok, is being developed and has recently been integrated into X.

• Industry: AI
• Role: Founder, CEO.
• Value: TBC.

 

Musk’s Business Empire

 

Elon Musk has built some of the world’s most innovative companies, including SpaceX, Neuralink and Starlink.

From space to media and AI, his influence across business and politics is certainly unmatched. As tech becomes a huge influence in modern politics, it will be interesting to see how his role evolves.

References:

• Thomasnet
• Madison Trust
• HowStuffWorks
• ExecutiveHeadlines