Billionaire Dad, Absent Father? The Truth About Elon Musk

Elon Musk and X Æ A-Xii in Oval Office, 2025. Photo by The White House. Public domain.

Elon Musk — the billionaire tech mogul known for his ambitious ventures — has once again found himself at the center of controversy. This time, it's not about Tesla^®, X (formerly Twitter), or even DOGE, but rather his personal life. His father, Errol Musk, publicly criticized his parenting style, accusing his son of being an absent father to his large family. Is there any truth to that accusation? What are Elon's relationships like with his children and the mothers of his children? And is Errol Musk really in any position to pass judgment?

Errol Musk Publicly Calls Out His Son

In a bombshell interview on the "Wide Awake" podcast, 79-year-old Errol Musk didn't hold back with harsh words about his son. "No, he hasn't been a good father. The first child was too much with nannies and died in the care of a nanny. If Elon hears this, he's going to shoot me or something," Errol said in a report by the Independent, referencing Elon's first child Nevada Alexander, who tragically died at 10 weeks old from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

"Then he had five children, each one had their own nanny. It was a weird situation. He didn't spend enough time with them," Errol continued, according to the Independent, emphasizing that Elon's kids lacked real-world experiences because of their privileged upbringing. He even claimed that some of his grandchildren did not know how to cross the street.

Is Elon Really a Bad Dad?

Elon Musk's approach to fatherhood is certainly unconventional. He has had (at least) 13 children with four different women, including his first ex-wife Justine Wilson, musician Grimes, and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. His ever-growing family added another member in 2024 when conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair revealed that Musk was the father of her child. Even more recently, Musk and Zilis welcomed Seldon Lycurgus, the pair's fourth child, on Feb. 28, 2025.

Musk's relationships with the mothers of his children and some of his adult children paint him in a complicated light. His marriage with Justine Wilson, his college sweetheart, ended so badly that she wrote an article about it entitled "I was a Starter Wife: Inside America's Messiest Divorce." More recently, Grimes has praised Elon for his intelligence and even referred to him as the love of her life.

Grimes performing at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City, June 2014.. Photo courtesy of Jordan Uhl under CC BY 2.0.

However, she also stated that he has since become "unrecognizable" to her, according to E! News, and the two are locked in a bitter custody battle over their three children.

Meanwhile, Musk's eldest daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, has been estranged from her father for four years because Wilson is openly transgender. As reported by USA Today, in a 2024 Daily Wire interview with Jordan Peterson, Musk said, "I lost my son, essentially. They call it 'deadnaming' for a reason. The reason they call it 'deadnaming' is because your son is dead."

Musk blames the "woke mind virus" for the estrangement. For her part, Wilson has pushed back, becoming a strong critic of her father both personally and politically.

Additionally, Musk is a well-documented workaholic, admitting in interviews he often sleeps at the office. But he has frequently disputed that he is uninvolved as a parent. He often brings his younger kids to high-profile events, including meetings with world leaders such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Most notably, his 4-year-old son X Æ A-Xii (known as X) has been spotted at White House press briefings and international summits while Musk works alongside the Trump administration. These politically charged father-son bonding experiences have irritated X's mother, Grimes, who only learned about X's presence at these events through social media.

Additionally, according to Musk's personal philosophy, having children is in and of itself a net good not just personally, but socially. He's a powerful pro-natalist deeply concerned with declining birth rates in developed nations. In comments reported by Fox News, Musk wrote, "If the alarming collapse in birth rate continues, civilization will indeed die with a whimper in adult diapers." In a separate post on X, he wrote, "Having children should be incentivized, not be a financial penalty like it is in most countries! We must create the next generation of humans or spiral into oblivion."

Pot Calls the Kettle Black

Even looking through Elon Musk's controversial track record as a parent, it's hard to escape the irony that his father is the one throwing the sharpest barbs.

Errol's relationship with his son has been strained at the best of times. In a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, without getting into specifics, Elon called his father "a terrible human being" and claimed, "almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done."

Elon Musk Colorado 2022. Photo by Trevor Cokley, U.S. Air Force. Public domain.

Yet the most controversial aspect of Errol's parenting history is his relationship with his former stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout. Jana was only 4 years old when Errol married her mother, Heide. Years later, after Errol divorced Heide and Jana was an adult, they began a romantic relationship, according to E! News. The couple, who now have two children, have an age gap of 42 years.

Nothing Is Ever Simple With Elon

In short, Elon Musk's family life seems impossible to parse fully from the outside. Ultimately, whether Musk is a "bad father" depends on who you ask. Some see him as a busy genius doing his best with a sprawling family, while others believe his ambition and political leanings leave a trail of heartache behind for his children. In either case, much like everything else Musk does, he parents in a way that is truly all his own.

References: Elon Musk's Dad Errol Musk Slams Him for Alleged Bad Parenting | Errol Musk Says Tesla Billionaire is a Bad Dad | Every Woman Elon Musk Has Children With | All About Elon Musk's Children and Their Mothers | Elon Musk: The Architect of Tomorrow | Elon Musk Has Welcomed Yet Another Baby With Shivon Zilis | He has already fathered many children. Now Musk wants all of the US to embrace extreme breeding | 'I Was a Starter Wife' | What is a pro-natalist? Elon Musk's warnings to humanity underpin a growing movement among tech billionaires | Musk says estranged child's gender-affirming care sparked fight against 'woke mind virus'