INVENTOR
Elon Musk
1971 - Today

Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( EE-lon; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in the world since 2021; as of May 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$424.7 billion. Born to a wealthy family in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk emigrated in 1989 to Canada. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Elon Musk is the 7th most popular inventor (down from 6th in 2019), the 3rd most popular biography from South Africa and the most popular South African Inventor.
Elon Musk is a South African-born American entrepreneur and inventor. He is the founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX; co-founder, CEO, and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; and chairman of SolarCity. In December 2016, he was ranked 21st on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People.
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Among INVENTORS
Among inventors, Elon Musk ranks 7 out of 426. Before him are Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Johannes Gutenberg, James Watt, and Karl Benz. After him are Alexander Graham Bell, Guglielmo Marconi, Henry Ford, Louis Braille, Charles Babbage, and Samuel Morse.
Most Popular Inventors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsLeonardo da Vinci
1452 - 1519
HPI: 96.80
Rank: 1
Nikola Tesla
1856 - 1943
HPI: 91.90
Rank: 2
Thomas Edison
1847 - 1931
HPI: 91.65
Rank: 3
Johannes Gutenberg
1394 - 1468
HPI: 90.58
Rank: 4
James Watt
1736 - 1819
HPI: 88.47
Rank: 5
Karl Benz
1844 - 1929
HPI: 88.12
Rank: 6
Elon Musk
1971 - Present
HPI: 86.81
Rank: 7
Alexander Graham Bell
1847 - 1922
HPI: 85.31
Rank: 8
Guglielmo Marconi
1874 - 1937
HPI: 83.41
Rank: 9
Henry Ford
1863 - 1947
HPI: 82.33
Rank: 10
Louis Braille
1809 - 1852
HPI: 81.98
Rank: 11
Charles Babbage
1791 - 1871
HPI: 81.59
Rank: 12
Samuel Morse
1791 - 1872
HPI: 80.49
Rank: 13
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1971, Elon Musk ranks 1. After him are Justin Trudeau, Tupac Shakur, Pep Guardiola, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Jared Leto, Anna Netrebko, Jada Pinkett Smith, Selena, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Andy Cole, and Marco Rubio.
Others Born in 1971
Go to all RankingsElon Musk
INVENTOR
1971 - Present
HPI: 86.81
Rank: 1
Justin Trudeau
POLITICIAN
1971 - Present
HPI: 78.86
Rank: 2
Tupac Shakur
SINGER
1971 - 1996
HPI: 78.51
Rank: 3
Pep Guardiola
COACH
1971 - Present
HPI: 77.30
Rank: 4
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
EXTREMIST
1971 - 2019
HPI: 73.04
Rank: 5
Jared Leto
ACTOR
1971 - Present
HPI: 72.93
Rank: 6
Anna Netrebko
SINGER
1971 - Present
HPI: 71.96
Rank: 7
Jada Pinkett Smith
ACTOR
1971 - Present
HPI: 70.37
Rank: 8
Selena
SINGER
1971 - 1995
HPI: 70.32
Rank: 9
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
COMPANION
1971 - Present
HPI: 69.31
Rank: 10
Andy Cole
SOCCER PLAYER
1971 - Present
HPI: 69.28
Rank: 11
Marco Rubio
POLITICIAN
1971 - Present
HPI: 69.09
Rank: 12
In South Africa
Among people born in South Africa, Elon Musk ranks 3 out of 454. Before him are J. R. R. Tolkien (1892), and Nelson Mandela (1918). After him are Allan MacLeod Cormack (1924), J. M. Coetzee (1940), Nadine Gordimer (1923), Sarah Baartman (1788), F. W. de Klerk (1936), Desmond Tutu (1931), Miriam Makeba (1932), Shaka (1787), and Christiaan Barnard (1922).
Others born in South Africa
Go to all RankingsJ. R. R. Tolkien
WRITER
1892 - 1973
HPI: 90.69
Rank: 1
Nelson Mandela
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1918 - 2013
HPI: 90.45
Rank: 2
Elon Musk
INVENTOR
1971 - Present
HPI: 86.81
Rank: 3
Allan MacLeod Cormack
PHYSICIST
1924 - 1998
HPI: 76.80
Rank: 4
J. M. Coetzee
WRITER
1940 - Present
HPI: 75.60
Rank: 5
Nadine Gordimer
WRITER
1923 - 2014
HPI: 75.27
Rank: 6
Sarah Baartman
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1788 - 1815
HPI: 74.82
Rank: 7
F. W. de Klerk
POLITICIAN
1936 - 2021
HPI: 73.73
Rank: 8
Desmond Tutu
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1931 - 2021
HPI: 73.44
Rank: 9
Miriam Makeba
SINGER
1932 - 2008
HPI: 73.35
Rank: 10
Shaka
POLITICIAN
1787 - 1828
HPI: 73.31
Rank: 11
Christiaan Barnard
PHYSICIAN
1922 - 2001
HPI: 73.02
Rank: 12
Among INVENTORS In South Africa
Among inventors born in South Africa, Elon Musk ranks 1. After him are Phil Ramone (1934).