--- title: "Elon Musk’s Dad Says His Son’s Whole Career Was Funded by That Emerald Mine" description: "In recent months, Elon Musk has backtracked on previous claims that his family owned part of an emerald mine. But according to his dad? The mine was real." date: "2023-04-22" modified: "2023-04-22" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-dad-emerald-mine" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "Musk" --- # Elon Musk’s Dad Says His Son’s Whole Career Was Funded by That Emerald Mine ![In recent months, Elon Musk has backtracked on previous claims that his family owned part of an emerald mine. But according to his dad? The mine was real.]() *NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: (L-R) Elon Musk, Mayor Eric Adams and Tracey Collins attend the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Sinna Nasseri/Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images/Sinna Nasseri\* You know that supposed Musk family-owned emerald mine that Elon has recently been saying is just a rumor, despite [previously saying on record]() that the mine definitely existed? "I will pay a million Dogecoin for proof of this mine's existence!" Musk [tweeted]() earlier this month, similarly [complaining]() back in January that "the fake emerald mine thing is so annoying (sigh)." Well, according to Errol Musk, the unsurprisingly eccentric — and in one major way, [extremely creepy]() — father of Elon, the mine definitely exists. And come to think of it, he'll take that Dogecoin, thanks! "When I read that, I wondered, 'Can I enter, because I can prove it existed," Errol [told *The Sun*]() in a new interview, referring to his son's Dogecoin tweet. "Elon knows it's true. All the kids know about it." "Elon saw them (the emeralds) at our house," he added. "He knew I was selling them." The emerald mine is a particularly strange piece of Muskian lore — not strange due to the mine's existence per se, but because of Elon's more recent decision to suddenly and completely backtrack on his previous claims. Per his new *Sun* interview, however, Errol seems intent on setting the record straight, explaining to the tabloid that he happened upon the Italian owner of the mine at a Zambian airstrip that said Italian also owned. The Italian apparently told Errol that he paid Zambian locals to dig for the gems, and Errol decided to go into business with the gentleman (you know, as one does.) "What Elon is saying is that there was no formal mine. It was a rock formation protruding from the ground in the middle of nowhere," Errol told the tabloid, noting that he kept his involvement with the operation "under the table." "There was no mining company. There are no signed agreements or financial statements," he explained. "No one owned anything. The deal was done on a handshake with the Italian man at a time when Zambia was a free for all." Errol went as far as to say that emerald money paid for his son's move to the US, where Elon would go on to attend the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School on scholarship — with, apparently, emerald-generated cash in his pocket for living expenses. In other words, according to the senior Musk, it sounds a lot like Elon's entire road to wealth and fame beyond South Africa was paved with Zambian emeralds. "During that time," said Errol, speaking to Elon's college years, "I managed to send money I made from emerald sales to him and \[Elon's brother, Kimbal Musk\] for living expenses." Look, Errol isn't at all a capital Good Dude, and the Musk family is seemingly pretty strained. But somehow, "I met a random Italian on an airstrip and got into emerald mining from there" seems to check out for these folks, and some clarity on behalf of the world's second-richest man — who [doesn't exactly have the soundest relationship to truth]() himself — would be welcome. And as for why Errol thinks his son won't just admit that the mine was real? "Elon's main concern is not to appear to be a 'trust fund kid' who got everything given to him on a plate," Errol told the tabloid, though did add that the belief that his son was born with a silver — or, well, emerald — spoon in his mouth "isn't true." "Elon took risks and worked like blazes to be where he is today. The emeralds helped us through a very trying time in South Africa, when people were fleeing the country in droves, including his mother's whole family, and earning opportunities were at an all-time low," he continued. "That's all." **More on Elon's emerald denial:** [*Elon Musk Now Denies That His Family's Emerald Mine Existed, In Spite of Previously Bragging About It*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()