He is also known for his ownership of X Corp. At the age of 18 he immigrated to Canada, acquiring its citizenship through his Canadian-born mother, Maye. Two years later, he matriculated at Queen's University in Canada. Musk later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and received bachelor's degrees in economics and physics. He moved to California in to attend Stanford University but never enrolled in classes, and with his brother Kimbal co-founded the online city guide software company Zip2.
That same year, Musk co-founded X. In , Musk was an early investor in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors, Inc. He later became the product architect and, in , the CEO. In , Musk helped create SolarCity , a solar energy company that was acquired by Tesla in and became Tesla Energy.
In , he proposed a hyperloop high-speed vactrain transportation system. In , he co-founded OpenAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence research company. The following year Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company developing brain—computer interfaces , and the Boring Company, a tunnel construction company. In , the U. Securities and Exchange Commission SEC sued Musk, alleging he falsely announced that he had secured funding for a private takeover of Tesla.
In , Musk founded xAI, an artificial intelligence company. Musk's actions and expressed views have made him a polarizing figure. He has been criticized for making unscientific and misleading statements, including: COVID misinformation ; affirming antisemitic , homophobic and transphobic comments; and promoting conspiracy theories.
His ownership of Twitter has been controversial because of: large employee layoffs; an increase in posts containing hate speech , misinformation and disinformation on the service; and changes to service features, including verification. Musk has engaged in political activities in several countries, including as a vocal and financial supporter of U. In January , he was appointed by Trump as administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency. The Musk family was wealthy during Elon's youth.
