Elon Musk: My father did not support me financially after high school

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla Inc., on Saturday, shared a part of his childhood experience with his followers.

Musk, in a tweet on Saturday, responded to a post that claimed he was from “a wealthy family but had financial difficulties”.

The Twitter chief executive officer (CEO) said he did not have a happy childhood due to the lack sufficient financial support.

Musk, who also shared memories of his father’s effort in raising him and his siblings, said Errol Musk — his father — had a company that lasted for 20 years, until things became difficult.

The billionaire said Errol became bankrupt for 25 years leaving him and his brother to bear the financial burden.

“I grew up in a lower, transitioning to upper, middle-income situation, but did not have a happy childhood. Haven’t inherited anything ever from anyone, nor has anyone given me a large financial gift,” he said.

“My father created a small electrical/mechanical engineering company that was successful for 20 to 30 years, but it fell on hard times. He has been essentially bankrupt for about 25 years, requiring financial support from my brother and me.

“That said, he does deserve credit for teaching me the fundamentals of physics, engineering, and construction, which is more valuable than money, but did not support me financially after high school in any meaningful way.

“Our condition of providing him financial support was that he not engage in bad behavior. Unfortunately, he nonetheless did. There are young children involved, so we continued to provide financial support for their well-being.

“Regarding the so-called ’emerald mine’, there is no objective evidence whatsoever that this mine ever existed. He told me that he owned a share in a mine in Zambia, and I believed him for a while, but nobody has ever seen the mine, nor are there any records of its existence.

“If this mine was real, he would not require financial support from my brother and me.”

Despite the relatively sombre narrative around his childhood, Musk is one of the world’s richest men, with many companies and investments attached to his name.