You’ve probably seen the headlines or the memes. Whether it’s a rocket landing upright on a barge or a new baby with a name that looks like a Wi-Fi password, the question of how many does elon musk have usually leads down a rabbit hole of numbers that seem frankly impossible for one human being to manage.
Honestly, as of early 2026, the count has changed again. We aren't just talking about cars or rockets anymore. We're talking about a sprawling biological and industrial empire that spans from brain chips to a small army of heirs.
The Family Tree: How Many Kids Does Elon Musk Have Now?
Let’s get the big one out of the way first because it’s the one people search for most. As of January 2026, Elon Musk is the father of 14 children.
Yeah, fourteen.
It’s a lot to keep track of, especially since he’s welcoming them across different states and with different partners. To be fair, he’s been very vocal about "underpopulation" being the biggest threat to civilization, so he’s definitely walking the walk.
His first son, Nevada Alexander, was born in 2002 with his first wife, Justine Wilson. Tragically, Nevada passed away from SIDS at just 10 weeks old. After that, Musk and Wilson turned to IVF, which led to twins Griffin and Vivian in 2004, and then triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian in 2006.
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Vivian has since made headlines for legally changing her name and severing ties with her father, which is a reminder that even for the richest man on Earth, family dynamics are, well, messy.
The Grimes and Zilis Years
Things got a bit more "sci-fi" when Musk started a family with the musician Grimes. Their first son, X Æ A-Xii (just called "X"), was born in 2020. Then came Exa Dark Sideræl (nicknamed "Y") via surrogate in 2021. But here's where the timeline gets wild: just weeks before Exa was born, Musk quietly had twins, Strider and Azure, with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.
Since then, the count has only gone up.
- Techno Mechanicus (Tau): A third child with Grimes, revealed in late 2023.
- Arcadia: A daughter with Shivon Zilis born in early 2024.
- Seldon Lycurgus: A son with Shivon Zilis, confirmed in early 2025.
- Romulus: A son born in late 2024 with author and influencer Ashley St. Clair.
There was a whole legal thing with Ashley St. Clair in New York recently. A paternity test confirmed Musk was the father of Romulus with a 99.9999% probability. He’s currently in a custody battle there, which is becoming a bit of a pattern for him.
The Corporate Empire: How Many Companies Does He Control?
If you thought the nursery was crowded, look at the boardroom. Musk doesn't just "own" things; he operates them as a tightly wound ecosystem.
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- Tesla: This is the big one for his net worth. Even with the stock swings, Tesla is his main public vehicle. In 2026, the focus has shifted entirely from just "selling cars" to the Robotaxi and the Optimus robot.
- SpaceX: This is arguably his most valuable asset now. With a valuation pushing toward $800 billion, SpaceX basically owns the launch market.
- Starlink: Technically a division of SpaceX, but it’s essentially its own global utility. It's the cash cow that funds the Mars missions.
- X (formerly Twitter): Still the "digital town square." It’s basically the marketing arm for everything else he does.
- xAI: His answer to OpenAI. It’s integrated into X and is training on all that real-time data.
- Neuralink: They’ve moved past the first human implants and are aiming for wider clinical trials this year.
- The Boring Company: Still digging holes, mainly in Vegas, though it’s the smallest of the bunch.
He also co-founded OpenAI, but he’s been out of that for years and is actually suing them again. So, he doesn’t "have" that anymore in a literal sense.
The $700 Billion Question: How Much Wealth Does He Actually Have?
In early 2026, Elon Musk became the first person in history to cross the $700 billion net worth mark. Some trackers even have him closer to $750 billion depending on the day's SpaceX valuation.
It’s a number so large it doesn't even feel like money. Most of it isn't sitting in a bank account, obviously. It’s tied up in equity.
Recently, he’s been telling people not to worry about retirement savings because AI is going to create a "world of abundance." Easy to say when you’re worth more than the GDP of most European nations. But he does have real assets—though notably fewer houses than he used to. He famously sold off his California mansions and mostly lives in a modest modular home in South Texas near the Starship launch site.
Well, "lives" is a strong word. He mostly lives on his private jet, traveling between Austin, Brownsville, and San Francisco.
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What People Often Get Wrong
People often think Musk owns 100% of these companies. He doesn't.
For example, he owns about 12-15% of Tesla. He owns about 42% of SpaceX but holds nearly 80% of the voting control. That’s the key—he doesn't need to own the whole thing to run it like he does. He has the "alpha" position in almost every venture he touches.
Actionable Insights for the "Elon Watcher"
If you're trying to keep up with the sheer volume of "stuff" Musk has, here are three things to watch over the next few months:
- The Custody Battles: Watch the New York and Texas court filings. They give more insight into his personal life than any tweet ever will.
- SpaceX IPO Rumors: There’s a lot of talk about a "mega IPO" for Starlink or SpaceX in late 2026. If that happens, his net worth might actually hit $1 trillion.
- FSD Subscriptions: Tesla is moving away from selling Full Self-Driving for a flat fee and pushing subscriptions. This is a huge shift in how the company makes money.
Basically, whether it's kids, companies, or crypto, Musk doesn't do "moderate." He’s a maximalist. If you want to stay updated, follow the SEC filings for the money and the court dockets for the family.
To get a clearer picture of his current financial standing, you should look into the specific details of the $1 trillion compensation package Tesla shareholders approved, as those milestones will dictate his wealth for the rest of the decade.