--- title: "Mystery Deepens About Whether Elon Musk Actually Lives in Prefab Box" description: "The more we learn about whether Elon Musk lives in either a shack or a palace, the more confusing the story becomes." date: "2021-12-23" modified: "2021-12-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-box-mansion" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Mystery Deepens About Whether Elon Musk Actually Lives in Prefab Box ![The more we learn about whether Elon Musk lives in either a shack or a palace, the more confusing the story becomes.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* The more we learn about whether Elon Musk lives in either a shack or a palace, the more confusing the story becomes. After a [damning *Wall Street Journal*]() report suggested the world's richest man [may actually be living in his buddy's multi-million-dollar Austin mansion]() instead of a prefabricated hovel like he claims, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO denied the claim outright when [speaking to *Business Insider*]() — but his friend's denial isn't as clear. "Elon does not live at my home, he lives in South Texas," PayPal co-founder Ken Howery, allegedly known as "Kenny" to his maybe-tenant Musk, told *BI.* "He stayed at the house as my guest occasionally when traveling to Austin." That final clause — that Musk has "occasionally" been a "guest" to Howery — is remarkably ambiguous. It could mean that the world's richest man actually is living in a little shack by SpaceX's campus near the US-Mexico border. But it could also mean that he stays there all the time. Musk's denial of *WSJ*'s report, which he simply called "false," was much less equivocating. "I don't live there and am not looking to buy a house anywhere," he said, noting the chunk of the *WSJ*'s anonymously-sourced article claiming that the billionaire troll is actively house hunting in Austin, to the point where he's employed lawyers to handle real estate brokers. Because he is a troll, however, Musk apparently couldn't resist the urge to mock the report that, in all reality, would make far more sense than a man worth more money than the GDP of North Korea living in a rented shack. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1473911046981271554?s=20 There was no doubt that Musk was going to deny the *WSJ*'s claim — which, let's be honest, isn't exactly Pentagon Papers material. It's worth pointing out, by the way, that the "people familiar with the matter" who spoke to the *WSJ* on background about this alleged secret real estate hunt said that Musk is trying to keep it quiet on purpose. If they conjectured about what purpose that could be, the newspaper chose not to print it. So now, we're stuck in the fuzzy grey area of an incredibly goofy story, even by Musk standards. Does Elon Musk actually live way, way, way below his means for some sort of minimalist reason? Or is it all a play to make him seem more relatable? The world may never know. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk denies report that he's been staying in a $12 million lavish waterfront Austin estate owned by a 'PayPal Mafia' member]() \[*Business Insider*\] **More on Muskbrags:** [*Elon Musk Brags That He’s Paying More Taxes Than Anyone Else in History*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()