‘The suit cost $99 which included a free shirt, tie and sock…’
Maye Musk, mother of billionaire Elon Musk, looked back on a time when her family lived modestly, revealing the financial challenges they faced years ago.
In reaction to a photo of her son shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, captioned “Elon Musk in 1990,” Maye Musk recalled the context of the image. The photo features a young Elon Musk in a black suit, white shirt, and tie, standing in front of a painting in an apartment.
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
Maye wrote, “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,” she wrote.
She further added, “He wore this suit every day to his bank job in Toronto. I couldn’t afford a second suit. We were happy 
”
For the unversed, Maye Musk, a dietitian and model, has openly shared her struggles as a single mother raising three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren after a difficult divorce. After emigrating from South Africa to Canada and then the U.S., she worked hard to support her family despite financial challenges, often relying on second-hand clothes and simple meals, as detailed in her memoir A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success.
Signing my book in China. Thank you for making it a bestseller
#AWomanMakesAPlan#ItsGreatToBe76 pic.twitter.com/DK5haAsNIK
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) December 11, 2024
Elon Musk has spoken openly about the challenges he faced growing up with his father, Errol Musk, describing him as emotionally abusive. In a past interview with Rolling Stone, Elon shared that his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood was unhappy due to his father’s behavior. He also revealed that severe bullying at school, which once landed him in the hospital for four days, was made worse by his father siding with the bullies and calling him a “loser.” Musk’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, also highlighted these traumatic experiences in his book, noting that Elon’s difficult 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood contributed to his estranged relationship with his father.
Elon Musk has become the first person to surpass a net worth of $400 billion, largely due to a $50 billion boost from a recent SpaceX insider share sale, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Despite fluctuations in Tesla’s share price, Musk has consistently held the title of the world’s richest person since May. Musk is the richest man in the world, with Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison trailing behind in second and third place, respectively.