Maye Musk, Elon Musk’s mother, recently gave the world a glimpse of her son’s early days in a throwback photo from the 1990s. The image was shared on social media, which shows a young Elon Musk in his early days working at a bank in Toronto wearing a black suit, white shirt, and tie. In the caption, Maye Musk had shared details about their simple life, saying, “This photo was taken in our rent-controlled apartment in Toronto, with my mom’s painting on the wall. The suit cost $99 (Rs. 8,396), including a free shirt, tie and socks. A great bargain!”
Reflecting on those moments, Maye said, “He wore this suit every day to his bank job in Toronto. I couldn’t afford a second suit. We were happy.” But the picture starkly differs from the current status where Elon Musk is the richest man alive, with a net worth which is over $430 billion dollars, according to Forbes, but the story reminds Musk of how he had once went through financial struggles to achieve global success.
This photo was taken in our rent-controlled apartment in Toronto, with my mom‘s painting on the wall. The suit cost $99 which included a free shirt, tie and socks. A great bargain! He wore this suit every day to his bank job in Toronto. I couldn’t afford a second suit. We were… https://t.co/jh2SHOXwpe
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) December 12, 2024
The Musk family originated from South Africa and later moved to Canada before settling in the United States. Maye Musk in her memoir ”A Woman Makes a Plan – Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success,” wrote about how tough it was to raise her children without much money. She reminisced, “We couldn’t afford to go out and eat. I fed them peanut butter sandwiches. My kids loved it!
They didn’t know they were deprived.” She also shared about wearing second-hand clothes and working hard to ensure that her children received education and other necessities. Recently, in an interview with Fox Business, Maye Musk stated that she wanted people to notice her son’s brains rather than just his money, saying, “I think he’s the genius of the world.”
Elon Musk himself often looks back at his hardships. In 2020, he gained headlines by declaring that he sold all his possessions and houses. He tweeted, “I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house,” which highlighted his minimalist way of living. The picture with the thoughts shows not only the hardship Musk experienced in his early life but also the strength and resolve that helped him to form such an amazing journey.
