Maye Musk, the 74-year-old model and mother of billionaire Elon Musk, recently shared that her son has been giving her investment advice since he was just 14 years old. Over 35 years ago, Elon recommended she invest in a company he “really believed in,” despite a stockbroker friend warning that it was a “bad idea.”
Maye shared the story on Twitter after Elon advised his followers to invest in companies whose products they “believe in” and to avoid panicking during market fluctuations. To illustrate this approach, Maye recounted how, in the 1980s, she invested 1,000 South African Rands (around $1,000 USD at the time) in the stock her son suggested. It was the most she was willing to risk, she said, but Elon’s confidence quickly paid off as the investment tripled in value. However, she “panicked” and sold her shares early, a decision Elon wasn’t pleased with. “You weren’t happy,” she wrote to her son on Twitter, adding that Elon thought it was “unfair” when she split the profits with his siblings, Kimbal and Tosca Musk.
While Maye didn’t disclose which company Elon had recommended, her anecdote reflects Elon’s enduring investment philosophy. Just recently, Elon sold 9.6 million shares in Tesla, valued at $8.5 billion, likely to support his $44 billion purchase of Twitter.
This isn’t the first time the world’s wealthiest person has shared investment advice. Earlier this year, Elon recommended owning tangible assets like a home or stock in companies over holding cash, particularly during high inflation.
In her Twitter thread, Maye also shared that she bought her first stock in 1969 for 100 South African Rands and later transferred it into Elon’s name in 1971, the year he was born. That investment later helped fund Elon’s move from South Africa to Canada in 1989.
Maye Musk has frequently spoken about supporting her children’s individual interests. In an interview with “Insider”, she explained that her parenting approach allowed them to pursue their passions freely. Elon, who had a deep interest in books and computer programming, later described his success as driven by a desire to answer essential questions about life’s meaning, as he noted in an April TED talk.
Maye Musk explores these experiences in her memoir, “A Woman Makes a Plan”, where she shares stories about family and her early ventures in the stock market.