Elon Musk has revealed he does not own his own home and ‘literally’ couch surfs at his friends’ houses depending on where he needs to be.
The world’s richest man, 50, said he rotates through spare bedrooms, citing when he has to stay in San Francisco’s Bay Area.
He told how he did not spend huge sums on accommodation for himself but admitted his private jet was the exception.
His comments came during a wide-ranging TED Talk in which he also claimed ‘almost anyone’ could save up $100,000.
The Tesla and PayPal magnate said the ‘doable’ cost for one-way tickets on his SpaceX rockets to Mars were so it was ‘available to anyone who wants to go’.
But his claims were slammed by some as ordinary Americans struggle amid spiraling inflation, soaring rental prices and rising electricity fees.
The world’s richest man, 50, said he rotates through friends’ bedrooms, citing when he has to stay in San Francisco’s Bay Area
In an interview with TED’s Chris Anderson on Saturday, which was released last night, Musk said: ‘It would be very problematic if I was spending billions of dollars a year in personal consumption, but that is not the case’
In an interview with TED’s Chris Anderson on Saturday, which was released last night, Musk said: ‘It would be very problematic if I was spending billions of dollars a year in personal consumption, but that is not the case.’
He continued: ‘In fact I don’t even own a home right now, I’m literally staying at friends’ places.
‘If I travel to the Bay Area, which is where most of Tesla’s engineering is, I basically rotate through friends’ spare bedrooms.
‘I don’t have a yacht. I really don’t take vacations. It’s not as though my personal consumption is high.
‘I mean the one exception is a plane, but if I don’t use the plane then I have less hours to work.’
Musk’s living arrangements have been widely speculated in the past, with him tweeting last year his main home was a $50,000 rental from SpaceX in Texas
Musk’s living arrangements have been widely speculated in the past, with him tweeting last year his main home was a $50,000 rental from SpaceX in Texas.
But his post in June also saw him admit to owning an ‘events house’ in the Bay Area of San Francisco.
Yet the Wall Street Journal reported in December he had actually been staying in a mansion in Austin owned by his PayPal cofounder Ken Howery.
The house, believed to be 8,000 sq ft and worth $12million, was the most expensive place in the city when it was bought in 2018.
Meanwhile in May 2020 Musk tweeted: ‘I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.’
The Wall Street Journal reported in December Musk had actually been staying in a mansion in Austin owned by his PayPal cofounder Ken Howery
Howery disputed that Musk was living in his waterfront mansion in Austin, telling the Wall Street Journal: ‘Elon does not live at my home, he lives in South Texas. He stayed at the house as my guest occasionally when traveling to Austin’
Musk, one of the world’s richest men, had reportedly been living in a tiny prefab house by the company Boxabl on the SpaceX site in Texas, according to reports (Pictured: A Boxabl Casita similar to the one Musk is said to be renting)
In the same TED Talk over the weekend, Musk sparked outrage by claiming ‘almost anyone’ could save up $100,000.
He said: ‘If moving to Mars costs… $100,000, then I think almost anyone can work and save up and eventually have $100,000 and be able to go to Mars if they want.’
The billionaire added during the sit down: ‘We want to make it available to anyone who wants to go.’
He previously claimed on Twitter the $100,000 cost of a flight on his SpaceX rocket was doable.
He posted in 2019: ‘I’m confident moving to Mars (return ticket is free) will one day cost less than $500k & maybe even below $100k.
‘Low enough that most people in advanced economies could sell their home on Earth & move to Mars if they want.’
But his comments were seized on by some amid a cost of living crisis sweeping the country.
Public Citizen, a Washington DC-based nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, said: ‘Wealth of Elon Musk: 2013: $2,700,000,000. 2022: $266,100,000,000.
‘Wealth of Jeff Bezos: 2009: $6,800,000,000. 2022: $177,600,000,000. Wealth of Bill Gates: 2009: $40,000,000,000. 2022: $132,500,000,000.’
The group added: ‘Minimum wage: 2009: $7.25 2022: $7.25. Anyone else see the problem here?’
Musk claimed to live in 375-square-foot box
Elon Musk previously said he was living in a 375-square-foot modular home made by the company Boxabl, according to the Musk fan blog Teslarati and the Houston Chronicle.
He had said he was renting the home for about $50,000.
Though Musk has not confirmed the name of the company that made his home, a Boxabl unit appears to be visible on the site on Google Earth.
A model layout of a Boxabl Casita)
The company’s homes are tiny but stylish, set up like a studio apartment with an open plan living area, kitchen and bedroom, with an adjacent bathroom.
The properties are assembled from a folded box made of concrete panels and steel.
Teslarati reported that the model Musk was renting was a mass-produced 20-foot-by-20-foot ‘foldable prefabricated home,’ named the Boxabl Casita.
Boxabl was not confirmed whether Musk was living in one of its homes but in November announced it had built a Casita for a ‘high-profile’ and ‘top secret’ customer in Boca Chica.
‘My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though,’ he wrote in early June.