What Companies Does Elon Musk Own and Operate?

Here are all eight major companies Elon Musk founded, listed in chronological order.

1. Zip2

His first private company, Zip2, was an online business directory that Compaq Computer Corporation bought in 1999.

2. PayPal

Musk was a cofounder and CEO of the financial services company PayPal in 1999, but he left in 2000.

3. SpaceX

In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX to advance space exploration and make it accessible to humanity. The company is known for its reusable rocket systems, satellite networks (such as Starlink) and missions to the International Space Station. SpaceX's ultimate goal is to colonize Mars.

4. Tesla, Inc.

Musk cofounded Tesla in 2004, aiming to revolutionize the automotive industry through electric vehicles. A leader in clean energy technology, the company manufactures electric vehicles and energy storage devices.

Tesla is named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian inventor and engineer known for his work developing modern alternating current (AC) electricity.

5. OpenAI

Musk cofounded OpenAI in 2015 to develop artificial intelligence in a way that benefits humanity. Other cofounders in this venture included Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Reid Hoffman, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel and more.

Musk is no longer directly involved, and the company has developed cutting-edge AI systems, including the popular GPT (generative predictive text) models.

6. Neuralink

Musk cofounded Neuralink in 2016, an artificial intelligence company focused on developing brain-machine interfaces. Its technology aims to treat neurological conditions and eventually merge human cognition with AI.

7. The Boring Company

The Boring Company, which Musk founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of SpaceX, became its own company in 2018. It aims to solve urban transportation challenges through underground tunnels. The name "Boring" refers to the act of boring tunnels underground. The company oversees projects like the Vegas Loop to reduce traffic congestion and improve city infrastructure.

8. xAI

Musk founded xAI in 2023. He registered the new AI company on the same day he registered X Corp. The company has released various Grok AI chatbot models that is available to X Premium subscribers.

Musk doesn't fully own any of his six companies, but The Boring Company is the one he's closest to fully owning.

1. The Boring Company

Musk owns over 90 percent of The Boring Company. Early employees received a small percent of equity. SpaceX owns 6 percent, in exchange for resources it has provided to The Boring Company.

2. X Corp.

Musk purchased the social media site Twitter in 2022, in a deal valued at $44 billion, and rebranded it as X, under the new company X Corp.

He owns 79 percent of X Corp., and his ownership has sparked changes in platform policies and user dynamics.

3. xAI

According to Forbes, Elon Musk is estimated to own around 54 percent of xAI.

4. SpaceX

Elon Musk owns 42 percent of SpaceX's equity and has 79 percent voting control of the company.

5. Neuralink

Eight people — Musk, Max Hodak, Tim Hanson, Tim Gardner, Venessa Tolosa, Ben Rapoport, Paul Merolla, Dongiin Seo and Philip Sabes — founded Neurolink in 2016, but as of 2022, only Musk and Seo remain. Musk is the majority owner of Neurolink.

6. Tesla, Inc.

Tesla is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol TSLA. As of 2024, Musk is Tesla's largest individual shareholder, holding about 13 to 15 percent of the company's stock.

Musk also formerly owned SolarCity, which was initially founded by his cousins. Tesla acquired it in 2016 and incorporated it into its Tesla Energy operations.

There's a big difference between putting money into a company and putting time into it.

1. Tesla, Inc.

Musk is Tesla's CEO and product architect, roles he's held since 2008. As Tesla's CEO, Musk oversees its lineup of electric vehicles, energy products and autonomous driving technologies.

As product architect, he is involved in the design and development of Tesla's vehicles and energy products (including the Model 3 and Cybertruck) and Tesla's solar energy generation systems (such as the Solar Roof and Powerwall battery storage solutions).

2. SpaceX

Musk is SpaceX's CEO and chief engineer. As CEO, Musk oversees SpaceX's overall strategy and operations. His role as chief engineer involves involvement in the design and engineering of SpaceX's technologies, including the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Starship rockets.

3. The Boring Company

Though the Boring Company has leadership managing day-to-day operations, Musk's role includes setting strategic priorities, promoting the company's vision and ensuring the development of practical and scalable tunneling technologies.

4. X Corp.

Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino as CEO of X in 2023, but Musk is the company's executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO).

5. xAI

As the CEO, Musk leads the executive team at xAI.

Honorable Mention: The Musk Foundation

Musk and his brother Kimbal are the sole officers of the Musk Foundation, which is not a company.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.