Maye Musk on life as mother to world’s richest person and Donald Trump’s ‘good sense of humour’

Model and dietician shares insights on life in the Musk family on final day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit

Maye Musk addresses delegates at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

The mother of billionaire tycoon Elon Musk has opened up about the formative years of the world's richest person and told of his influential role within the inner circle of the "benign" US president-elect Donald Trump.

Maye Musk, 76, speaking on the final day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai on Monday, said she had encouraged her children to run their own companies from a young age and to always seek to “do good and be successful”.

Ms Musk, a model and dietician who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's famous swimsuit edition at the age of 74, said Elon and his siblings experienced a nomadic upbringing as her career took her around the world.

She said Mr Musk had bought Twitter, which he rebranded as X, in order to protect the right to free speech in a move she insisted was “good for America”.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss has come under fire in recent weeks for using his social media platform to weigh in on political matters in Europe, including calling for the resignation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and turning his ire towards UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The entrepreneur is set to be a key part of the political landscape in 2025, having been appointed by Mr Trump to lead a task force to help rein in US government spending and inefficiency.

Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk's political influence is set to grow in 2025. Photo: AP

Ms Musk, who herself has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, says her son's political role will not deter him from his leadership positions at Tesla and SpaceX.

“So now he will work in Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) but he still will handle all the other companies as he sort out things,” she said.

Turning to her son's purchase of Twitter, she said his goal was to tackle what he believed to be government censorship on the social media network.

Good-humoured Trump

Ms Musk said Donald Trump leans on her son for advice on developments across technology and spoke favourably of the incoming US leader.

“Donald Trump is so benign and he's got a good sense of humour,” she said.

Elon Musk also shares a fascination with space with Mr Trump's teenage son, Barron.

“Trump's son Barron loves planets and he was talking with Elon and he knew everything about planets and Elon does too, so it was really exciting to watch them talking,” she said.

Juggling work and family

Ms Musk released a book in 2019, entitled A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime for Adventure, Beauty and Success, to share insight into her own achievements and those of her famous family.

She said her children saw up close the value of hard work as she started up her own private practice following her divorce from husband Errol in 1979 and moved from city to city to build her career.

She moved to nine cities in three countries to work as a dietician and said to her children “why didn't you complain” and they said "you wouldn't have listened”, which she said she agreed with.

She said her children had always been a source of support to her and her career.

“Elon was my encyclopaedia, Kimbal would cook for us, Tosca would answer the phone and type the doctors' reports,” she said.

“I always make them do what they want to do,” she said, adding that her advice to them was to “do good and be successful”.

She said their focus was not on merely making money but being good at what they do.

1 Billion Followers Summit – in pictures

The 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s first and largest event dedicated to shaping the content creation economy, got under way in Dubai on Saturday. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

American commentator Tucker Carlson was at the summit

Journalists Taylor Lorenz and Jane Ferguson discuss managing misinformation and disinformation

The three-day event is taking place at Dubai's Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Museum of the Future

This year's summit is the third edition

More than 15,000 content creators and 420 speakers are expected

Top influencers and industry experts will also be in attendance

This year's summit aims to advance the content economy

The event will feature more than 420 keynote speakers, including more than 125 chief executives and global experts

The summit features more than 340 sessions

Sessions will include keynote addresses, roundtables, interactive discussions and training workshops

Discussions will focus on trends in digital media, best practices, and advancements in business, economy, investment, and content creation

The world’s leading social media platforms, including Snapchat, X, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Meta will discuss the future of the industry

Platform representatives, influencers, and content creators will also exchange ideas

The summit will also announce the winner of the One Billion Award, a $1 million prize deemed the world’s largest and most valuable for content creators

The award aims to celebrate creators whose content inspires positive change, fosters unity, and shapes future generations

Ahmed Aboushabab, deputy head of creative at IMI and Sky News Arabia, addresses the crowds

The event is organised by the UAE Government Media Office under the theme 'Content For Good'