--- title: "Elon Musk Moans About His Student Loan Debt" description: "\"I came to the US with no money and graduated with over $100k in debt, despite scholarships and working 2 jobs while at school,\" Musk wrote." date: "2021-12-16" modified: "2021-12-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-student-debt" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Moans About His Student Loan Debt !["I came to the US with no money and graduated with over $100k in debt, despite scholarships and working 2 jobs while at school," Musk wrote.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Fan Service When tweeting in response to an adoring fanboy, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accidentally made the case for canceling student loan debt. "I came to the US with no money and graduated with over $100k in debt, despite scholarships and working 2 jobs while at school," Musk [wrote](). ## Rags to Rockets Naturally, this narrative serves Musk's up-by-his-cyber-bootstraps narrative, and as such, is a repeat of statements he's made in the past. In late 2019, when rumors that the Musk family owned "emerald mines" in South Africa were circulating, the incredibly-online CEO [called the accusation]() "a pretty awful lie" and fleshed out what is now a familiar backstory: that he paid his way through college and had roughly $100,000 in loan debt to show for it. "I couldn’t even afford a 2nd PC," Musk added, for some reason. As with much of his background, the main reason to believe Musk's claim about his student loan debt is that there doesn't appear to be a lot to gain from him lying about it. Musk having had six figures of loan debt wouldn't cancel out his contemporary wealth, nor does it appear to have [impacted his politics at all](). But for one shining moment, the man who [keeps trolling Bernie Sanders]() seemed to have gained some class consciousness — and it was almost beautiful. **READ MORE:** [*Elon Musk Brags That He is the "Best At Humility"*]() ## 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]()