--- title: "Elon Musk’s Mom Says She Knew He Was a Genius at Age Three" description: "In an interview with People magazine, Maye Musk, Elon Musk's mother, said that she knew the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was destined to do great things." date: "2021-01-27" modified: "2021-01-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-mom-genius-age-three" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk’s Mom Says She Knew He Was a Genius at Age Three ![In an interview with People magazine, Maye Musk, Elon Musk's mother, said that she knew the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was destined to do great things.]() *\Image: Image via Pixnio/Victor Tangermann\* ## Proud Mommy In a [new interview with *People* magazine](), Elon Musk's mother Maye Musk said that she knew the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was destined to do great things from an early age. "Well at three, I knew he was a genius, but you still don't know if he's going to do great things," Maye told *People*. "Because many geniuses end up in a basement being a genius but not applying it," she said. "So I was so excited when he started Zip2 because it just made life easier with door-to-door directions and then newspapers could have a link that took you to a restaurant." ## Road to Success "And then of course he thought the banking system needed some some help, so then he did PayPal," the proud mother continued. "And then after that, he thought, well, should he do space research or solar energy or electric cars? I said just choose one, and of course he didn't listen to me." The billionaire's ascent didn't stop there. With Tesla valuations skyrocketing over the last couple of years, Musk has become filthy rich. In fact, Musk is now jostling with Jeff Bezos to be the [richest man in the world](). ## Next Generation If you want to raise your kid to be the next Elon Musk, Maye has some tips as well. "People often ask me how I have raised such successful kids," she wrote in her 20019 book "A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success," as [quoted by *KLAS*](). "I did it by letting them follow their interests," she wrote. "If they prefer to start a business and you think it’s a good idea, support them. Teach your children good manners. But let them decide what they want." **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk’s Model Mom Maye Knew Her Billionaire Son Was a Genius When He Was 3]() \[*People*\] **More on Musk:** *[Elon Musk Directs His 43 Million Followers to Wall Street Bets]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()