Elon Musk’s 12 children and counting – What you need to know about the billionaire Tesla’s big offspring

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed he welcomed his third child with Neuralink head Shivon Zilis earlier this year, making the tech mogul the father of at least 12 children.

Half of the $210 billion man’s children were born in the last five years.

His children include his three with Zillis, three with Canadian popstar Grimes and five with his ex-wife Justine Wilson.

Musk, 52, a “pro-natalist” who has long asserted that the population is declining and previously joked that he was “doing his best to help solve the underpopulation crisis.”

Even though global fertility rates are declining, the UN predicts that the world’s population will reach 10 billion by the end of the century.

News of the Musk family’s rapid growth also comes as the tech mogul has been accused by several female subordinates of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior at his space exploration company, SpaceX.

He denies any wrongdoing.

Here’s everything you need to know about the very modern family founded by the second richest man in the world.

Justine Wilson – Mother of Griffin, Vivian, Kai, Saxon, Damian and Nevada

Musk and his first wife, Justine Wilson, had twins Griffin and Vivian in 2004 after the couple had a son named Nevada in 2002, who died at just 10 weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Although Musk rarely discussed his loss, he expressed sympathy in an email chain with the father of an 18-year-old boy who died in a fiery 2018 Tesla crash.

“There is nothing worse than losing a child,” Musk wrote, according to Bloomberg.

“My eldest son died in my arms. I felt his heart beating.

Musk’s child Vivian came out as transgender in 2022 and legally changed her name from Xavier Musk, including taking her mother’s last name.

In court, Vivian said she “no longer lives with my biological father or wishes to be connected with him in any way.”

Five years after the birth of their twins, the couple had triplets, Kai, Saxon and Damian, in 2006, through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Musk and Wilson divorced in 2008.

After his divorce from Wilson, Musk married actor Talulah Riley in 2010.

The couple divorced in 2012, remarried in 2013, and divorced for the final time in 2016.

The actor and the tech guru never had children together.

Grimes – Mother of X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno

Musk and the “Oblivion” singer’s first son, X Æ A-Xii, was born in May 2020.

In December 2021, the couple quietly welcomed their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, via surrogate.

Their son, originally named X Æ A-12, had to legally change his name to comply with California birth certificate laws, although his parents simply call him “X”.

His name is pronounced “X Ash A Twelve,” Musk explained on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast right after his birth, praising Grimes for coming up with the majority of the name.

“My partner came up with the name the most,” he said.

“It’s just X, the letter X, and then the ‘Æ’ is pronounced like ‘Ash,’ and then ‘A-12’ is my contribution.”

The couple split in September 2021 before getting back together around the time of the birth of their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, whose name is pronounced “Sigh-deer-ee-el”, but who was given the nickname ” Y”.

Last September, it was confirmed that the couple had a third child, a boy named Techno Mechanicus, who they nicknamed “Tau.”

Grimes, real name Claire Elise Boucher, opened up about their third child in an X postwriting, in part, “I wish I could show you how cute little Techno is, but my priority is keeping my babies out of the public eye.”

“Please respect that at this time,” she added.

In September 2023, Grimes filed a motion in court to establish parental rights for their three children following her breakup with Musk. .

Shivon Zilis – Mother of Strider, Azure and unnamed newborn

In November 2021, Musk and Shivon Zilis welcomed twins Strider and Azure.

Musk and Zilis, who works for the tycoon at his brain chip company Neuralink, reportedly had twins through in vitro fertilization.

The couple filed a petition in a Texas court to allow the children to “bear their father’s last name and contain their mother’s last name in their middle name,” Business Insider reported in 2022.

The couple welcomed their third child – whose name has not been revealed – earlier this year, it was revealed on Saturday.

While the public only just learned of the baby’s birth, Musk told Page Six on Sunday that the child was no secret to their friends and family.

“As for ‘begotten in secret,’ that is also false,” he said.

“All our friends and family know it. Not issuing a press release, which would be odd, does not mean “secret”.

Musk and Zilis have not shared the sex of the baby.