Elon Musk’s lengthy historical past of getting a brief fuse and burning by way of mates
Turn out to be mates with Elon Musk and, probably, the clock will probably be ticking. Characters as various as Silicon Valley tech moguls and Canadian alt-pop singer Grimes have all entered his private orbit earlier than later screeching out once more, often adopted by a point of scorched earth by way of social media.
There isn’t a higher instance than Musk’s relationship with now-President Donald Trump. Everybody knew the richest man on this planet would fall out with probably the most highly effective, however few predicted it could occur so rapidly — simply six months after the inauguration.
“He’s susceptible to lash out,” admitted Faiz Siddiqui, writer of “Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk,” to The Publish. “He’s insulated and may make his level.”
No matter how sharp the purpose could also be, Musk can shed a good friend and stroll away unscathed.
“He has a military, the most important following on X [the social media platform], that may again him.”
Right here then is a sampling of former mates, colleagues and family members who as soon as embraced Musk, solely to later really feel the burn.
Larry Web page
Google co-founder Larry Web page and Elon Musk have been so chummy Musk routinely crashed at Web page’s residence. Fortune included the pair in a narrative about “eight enterprise leaders you didn’t know have been BFFs.”
However issues fell aside when Musk employed a prime scientist away from Google in 2015. Musk’s synthetic intelligence firm, xAI, paid Ilya Sutskever $1.9 million to move up its new lab.
In keeping with “Musk,” by Walter Isaacson, the poaching ended their friendship. “Larry felt betrayed and was actually mad at me,” Musk informed Isaacson within the e book. “He refused to hang around with me anymore.”
Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt
It’s onerous to think about the world’s richest man in a infantile spat with a web-based gaming streamer. However that was the scenario with Musk and Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt.
Like different skilled players, Asmongold watched Musk taking part in “Path of Exile 2” on a livestream. Following frequent sentiment, he alleged Musk paid different individuals to play for him, which known as “boosting.”
Apparently insulted by the allegation, Musk unfollowed Asmongold and eliminated his blue checkmark from X. In response, Asmongold posted a YouTube video known as “Elon Musk has Misplaced It.”
Musk went on to push out personal direct messages between them. Forbes summed up the fallout by noting about Musk, “He could not likely have time to beef with Twitch streamers … But, right here we’re.”
Justine Wilson
Justine Wilson was married to Musk from 2000 to 2008. She watched him turn into a billionaire and bore six youngsters (considered one of whom died tragically at 10 weeks as a result of Sudden Toddler Dying Syndrome). She later described herself as a “starter spouse.”
Musk, in response to Wilson, informed her, “When you have been my worker, I might fireplace you.”
After eight years and three classes of couple’s counseling, Musk filed for divorce. Throughout two years of litigation – which Musk stated value him $4 million – she rallied for his or her home in Bel Air, 10 % of his Tesla shares, 5 % of his SpaceX shares, $6 million and a glacier blue Tesla Roadster.
However due to a prenup, Wilson stated, “I had successfully bought away all my rights as a married individual.” She wound up with far lower than the billions gained by different tech divorcees like Invoice Gates’ ex Melinda French and Jeff Bezos’ firs spouse, MacKenzie Scott.
Whereas Forbes estimates Wilson’s wealth at $18 million, in addition they estimate she would have $17.3 billion had she obtained the settlement requested.
Vivian Jenna Wilson
Initially title Zavier, Vivian Jenna Wilson was born male, to Musk and Justine, together with a twin sister, in 2004. Responding to Vivian’s transgender id, Musk publicly maintained that his offspring was “not a lady” and described them as being “lifeless” to him.
Vivian went to a California courtroom to vary their title and distance themselves from their father. “I not dwell with or want to be associated to my organic father in any approach, form or type,” Vivian said within the submitting.
Philip Low
After assembly Elon Musk socially in 2011, neuroscientist Philip Low, who had been a take a look at topic for Stephen Hawking, turned quick mates with the Silicon Valley mogul.
Quickly after, Low launched an organization known as NeuroVigil, which boasted a non-invasive machine for mind monitoring. Musk invested and joined the board.
In 2021, in response to Politico, Musk – who had his personal mind implant firm, Neuralink – needed to resign from the opposite firm’s advisory board. Not wanting him to train his inventory choices, which might considerably damage Neurovigil, Low fired him.
He despatched an e mail to Musk, warning, “Don’t f—ok with me.”
In keeping with Politico, Low “[cast Musk] as obsessive, susceptible to searching for revenge, energy hungry and in fixed search of dominance.”
Martin Eberhard
In 2003, Martin Eberhard was considered one of two co-founders who included Tesla. Elon Musk invested within the firm and, one 12 months later, turned chairman. Musk was later acknowledged as a cofounder, following a lawsuit.
“That was a facet difficulty and it acquired sorted out,” Siddiqui informed The Publish. The falling out has extra to do with Musk “claiming that he was virtually solely answerable for the corporate.”
It doesn’t assist that Musk ousted Eberhard from his CEO publish in 2007, in response to Enterprise Insider.
Musk has since described Eberhard as “by far the worst individual I’ve ever labored with in my whole profession.”
In 2009, Eberhard sued Musk for defamation. Although the go well with was settled out of courtroom, in Isaacson’s Musk bio, Eberhard does marvel, “That is the richest man on this planet beating on somebody who can’t contact him.”
Sam Harris
Disagreeing with Elon Musk won’t be a great way to foster a friendship with him.
The neuroscientist Sam Harris found this the onerous approach. Harris and Musk first turned acquainted in 2008. They fell out in 2020 when Musk tweeted “the coronavirus panic is dumb.” Harris has claimed that he requested Musk to “stroll again” from the place.
“There was a query about Musk weighing in on one thing that he doesn’t have the experience to weigh in on,” stated Siddiqui. “Is that placing individuals in danger?”
Harris claimed Musk wager $1 million with him that there could be not more than 35,000 COVID-19 instances in America. If the quantity exceeded 35,000 Harris could be paid $1 million, to go to a charity. If it didn’t, Musk would get a $10,000 bottle of tequila.
Harris clearly gained. However did the million materialize? His texts went unanswered. Since then, by way of X, Musk known as Harris “mentally ailing.”
Harris stated there’s “one thing significantly unsuitable with [Musk’s] ethical compass.”
Grimes
The singer whose actual title is Claire Boucher was romantically concerned with Elon Musk from 2018 till 2021.
They’ve three youngsters with distinctive names: X AE A-XII (aka, X), Exa (aka, Y) and Techno Mechanicus. There have additionally been fits and countersuits over custody.
In February 2025, Grimes posted to X Musk ought to reply to a “medical disaster” involving considered one of their youngsters. When someone questioned her taking a non-public scenario to social media, she replied, “If I’ve to use public stress then I suppose that’s the place we’re at.”
X accompanied Musk when he met with President Trump within the Oval Workplace. Grimes allegedly posted to X she does “not approve that in each conceivable approach … I’m determined to unravel it … However at present I don’t know the way to do it.”
Sam Altman
In 2015, Musk, Altman and others based synthetic intelligence firm OpenAI as a non-profit. It then launched its for-profit arm, ChatGPT. Musk and Altman then fell out over the path of the corporate.
“Musk needed OpenAI to carry onto this concept that it’s a non-profit,” stated Siddiqui. “Like that it could be for the nice of humanity.”
When Musk moved to purchase OpenAI, Altman, 40, accused the tech billionaire of being in “a place of insecurity,” including “I really feel unhealthy for the man.”
He additionally not too long ago informed The Publish: “Elon busts up with all people, that’s what he does,” the 40-year-old golden boy behind ChatGPT informed The Publish.
Musk has taken to referring to Altman as “Rip-off Altman.”
Jack Dorsey
Dorsey co-founded micro-blogging website Twitter, which Musk finally purchased and re-named X.
In 2022 because the deal was about to undergo, Dorsey went to date to say he had religion in Musk’s “mission to increase the sunshine of consciousness.”
However as soon as in place, Musk made job cuts, adjustments in coverage and the title change. By 2023, Dorsey was saying Twitter “went south” after his buy.
Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel and Elon Musk have identified one another lengthy sufficient for his or her relationship to be sophisticated. In 2000, they mixed their respective banking corporations to create PayPal. By 2025, it’s been a little bit of a curler coaster.
In keeping with Thiel biography “The Contrarian,” the 2 males realized their variations early on. Quickly after the merger, Musk crashed his million greenback McLaren whereas driving Thiel to a gathering. Thiel, in response to the e book’s writer, noticed Musk as reckless. Musk considered Thiel as revenue pushed.
Following the merge, whereas Musk was on his honeymoon, Thiel and his loyalists pushed Musk out of his CEO spot. However the grudge didn’t maintain. In spite of everything, when Musk’s SpaceX was going by way of uneven instances in 2008, Thiel offered a $20 million funding that set the corporate proper — and its rocket entered orbit on its subsequent try.
Although they’ve known as each other unflattering names – in response to Enterprise Insider, Musk regards Thiel as “a sociopath” and Thiel views Musk as “a fraud” – Siddiqui sees frequent floor. “I feel philosophically they’re largely aligned,” he stated. “Within the political enviornment, they’ve advocated for lots of the identical insurance policies.”
Vernon Unsworth
Generally two individuals attempt to do the correct factor and it goes terribly sideways.
Such was the case when Elon Musk and British caver Vernon Unsworth pitched in to save lots of 12 boys trapped in a waterlogged Thai cave system for 15 days.
Musk despatched engineers from Tesla and a mini submarine to the location. Unsworth took a extra conventional method, discovering expert cave divers and dispatching them to the place the boys – members of a Thai soccer crew – have been trapped.
Musk’s vessel by no means acquired used and Unsworth dubbed it a PR stunt, suggesting that he “stick his submarine the place it hurts.” Musk entertained his 30 million followers on X by dubbing the diver “pedo man” in a since deleted tweet.
Unsworth sued for defamation Musk insisted that, in his native South Africa, “pedo man” is a typical phrase. The children have been saved, Musk was discovered not responsible of defamation.
Musk’s lawyer said the apparent in his summing up: “In arguments, you insult individuals.”
