Said mine was connected to apartheid. A narrative surrounding Elon Musk is that his dad owned an emerald mine in apartheid South Africa and that money from that mine was used to fund Elon Musk as he built up his business empire. The Twitter users comment did not seem to be satirical. Elon Musk has made a name for himself as the world's wealthiest man. He seemed very sad and lonely by himself. He was such a terrible human being, Musk told the magazine. If you know the history of Elon Musk, you will know that an important factor in the success of the tycoon was the existence of an emerald mine.Well, since its popularization in the media, Musk has tried to distance himself from this narrative. All Rights Reserved. 1. Several respondents on social media disputed the emerald mine and privileged-lifestyle story, defending Musks intelligence and questioning the intelligence of the person who started the thread. The profits thereof were material to the family's wealth. In the wake of the news that Elon Musk had purchased Twitter for $44 billion, a number of social media users suggested that the Tesla CEO's money could have been better spent elsewhere . Elon Musk is denying claims that his family owned an emerald mine, even though he was bragging about it less than a decade ago. Not to mention the fact that the claim clashes with the image of Musk being a self-made billionaire, a titan of industry who seeks to transcend humanity into a space-faring civilization; that narrative rings a little hollow when one thinks of Musk as some trust fund baby. At the conference, Elon talked to some professors who told Errol, This boy needs to get his hands on one of these computers. According to him, the mine also paid for Musk's move to the US. Kimbal told me that they could never have survived without the money.. Although Musk said that his father was brilliant at engineering in the Rolling Stone interview, thats where the praise ended. What We Know About Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine Rumor. The world's richest man who was born in South Africa. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The article attributed the source of Elon Musks wealth to apartheid. "This is going to sound slightly crazy," the multi-hyphenate billionaire is quoted as saying, "but my father also had a share in an Emerald mine in Zambia.". One day, I found him in bed looking depressed. I was 15 and really wanted to go with him but didnt realize how dangerous it was. This negates rumors surrounding the mine's existence in South Africa. South Africa Blue Sky Publications (Pty) Ltd T/A TheSouthAfrican Number: 2005/028472/07. Theyd seen I was sleeping in one morning, and they said, Oh lets just try, lets go.. He added some key caveats to the announcement. Or maybe, he does not want it to look like the emeralds played any role in his success. This article is actually accurate: https://t.co/eVpCX9V1NB, We pay cash for videos. We've received your submission. This is why people are switching to @TheBabylonBee! Musk wrote. The senior Musk, in an interview with The Sun, said he can prove that the mine existed. As with many Muskian stories, it is unclear what's true about this emerald mine too. I write about film, television, pop culture, and other fun stuff. I said, Oh, all right. Bridges to Italy tweeted, Yeah, hes not that bright, just like the guy who started this thread. Like where exactly is this thing anyway!?. He recently offered a million Dogecoin to whoever can prove the existence of this mine. To me, he sure is trying to make the world better right now, and thats the best thing he could do with his fathers money. To me, he sure is trying to make the world better right now, and that's the best thing he could do with his father's money. Elon saw them (the emeralds) at our house. This is going to sound slightly crazy, but my father also had a share in an emerald mine in Zambia, Musk was quoted as saying. Explaining why he thinks that Elon has pushed back on the emerald mine story, Errol said: Elon's main concern is not to appear to be a 'trust fund kid who got everything given to him on a plate. However, $800 was probably pocket change for the family, judging by what Musk's father told the site. Address: Regus Business Centre 1st Floor, Block B, North Park, Black River Park, 2 Fir Street, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa Postal: Blue Sky Publications (Pty) Ltd T/A TheSouthAfrican, PO Box 44354, Claremont, 7735, South Africa, United Kingdom Blue Sky Publications Ltd Company Registration Number: 04683692. While there are a few variations now, the common features go something like: Errol Musk owns/owned an emerald mine in Africa. Elon Muskhas offered a million doge bounty for anyone who can front up evidence that he or his family has ever owned an emerald mine. But he was very unhappy there. He has previously slammed the claim, saying: The fake emerald mine thing is so annoying. You may opt-out by. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed it at night & the website only worked during the day. All rights reserved. It was heartbreaking to see him like that. snopes.com @snopes Since at least 2018, a rumor has circulated about Elon Musk in regard to his father's purported past ownership of an "apartheid emerald mine" or "slave emerald mine." We analyzed newspaper archives and other evidence to piece together facts. Also, even though Elon claimed the stuff about the emerald mine started in 2018, this New Yorker article from 2009 states that his father owned an Emerald Mine, long before the business insider article did. Musk, seemingly a sensitive soul, didnt like that at all. How did Elon Musk start and build his career? "I will pay a million Dogecoin for proof of the existence of said mine!", He assured in Twitter.Now, it looks like the CEO of SpaceX will have to . It turned out the Italian-employed locals dig out emeralds deep in the Zambian bush and Errol decided to go into business with him. The Onion, a satirical publication, shared an article on Twitter titled The Richest Person In Every State And How They Made Their Money. In the tweet, The Onion stated that the wealthiest person in Texas was Elon Musk, who made his money through apartheid. All the kids know about it. A frequently shared picture purportedly shows Tesla CEO Elon Musk posing next to convicted sex t A story about Musk's father once owning an emerald mine evolved into a larger rumor that had no Might be the most expensive thing anyone ever bought for the purpose of destroying it. And thats when Musk's father was offered half an emerald mine in return for half of his earnings. Copyright , Recurrent Ventures Inc All Rights Reserved. Elon Musk is not a big fan of the emerald mine that his father purportedly owned. Amit Mishra becomes third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history: Stats, Ducati Monster SP launched at Rs. It was a rock formation protruding from the ground in the middle of nowhere.". Nov 17, 2022 A story about Musk's father once owning an emerald mine evolved into a larger rumor that had no . But the father did not throw his son completely under the bus. Musk's decision to buy Twitter is unrelated to any philanthropic efforts. His companies Tesla and Space X have helped him build an amazing net worth of over $297 000 billion. Musk's father not only confirmed the existence of the mine but also said Musk knew about it. Where is this B.S. Elon Musk is denying claims that his family owned an emerald mine, even though he was bragging about it less than a decade ago. One thing most of us can agree on is that there is a more nuanced conversation to be had about how Musk specifically and South Africas white population in general, even those who didnt own mines benefitted from apartheid. It is often claimed that Musks father, Errol Musk, once owned shares in a Zambian emerald mine, and that Musk subsequently enjoyed an incredibly privileged upbringing. +(91)-9821210096 | paula deen meatloaf with brown gravy. Tiffany's later set the $800 emerald into a ring and sold it for $24,000. 15.95 lakh: Check features, ICC Test Rankings: India reclaim top spot, dethrone Australia, These souvenirs speak volumes about Cuba's warm culture, Twitter locks news agency ANI's handle: Here's why, Twitter's new anti-shadowbanning labels go live: What is their significance, Elon Musk earning over Rs. If we believe Musk's words from 2014, it is baffling to see him offering a million Dogecoin to anyone who can prove its existence. He didn't own an emerald mine, but he did have "a stake" in an emerald mine that collapsed in 1989, per Snopes. The gist of the claim was that Elon's father, Errol Musk, who reports say has been estranged from his son for some time, owned an emerald mine during apartheid in South Africa, and that. But the father did not throw his son completely under the bus. The article in question is no longer live on the Forbes website but isarchived. It should be interesting to see how Musk responds to his father's claims. Heres his story. "There was no mining company. Elon Musks family wealth has once again resurfaced as a talking point. Theyre the same, except for the fact that he is a billionaire, started multiple successful companies and doesnt live in his mothers basement. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. There were AK-47s all over the place and Im thinking, Man, this could really go bad.. "During that time," he said speaking of Musk's college years, "I managed to send money I made from emerald sales to him and Kimbal for living expenses." One rumor is that his father owned an emerald mine, which Musk denied. snopes.com What We Know About Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine Rumor Are you prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family? The emerald mine story, reported in 2018 in Business Insider, tells how, in the mid-1980s, Errol acquired a half-share in a Zambian emerald mine, which would help to fund his familys lavish lifestyle of yachts, skiing holidays, and expensive computers.. Musk replied, linking to Jeremy Arnolds article, which gave Musks side of the story. It was not a good idea.. Born in 1971, Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. Errol owned one of the largest homes in Pretoria and took his children on many overseas trips, according to the book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, written by Ashlee Vance. Errol went as far as to say that emerald money paid for his son's move to the US, where Elon would go on to attend the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School on scholarship with, apparently, emerald-generated cash in his pocket for living expenses. Born in 1971, Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. Shame on you, Onion. It was that lifestyle, Errol says, that turned Elon into the kind of merchant adventurer who would laterbreak the rules of the motoring businesswith Tesla, then go on tochange spaceflight with SpaceX, BI reported. Chromatica Warrior @DebbieTweeted Can he be held responsible for his dads ethics tho? But when the bottom dropped out of the emerald business due to the emergence of a cheaper lab-made version of the gemstone, Errol had to sell assets to keep cash flowing to his sons. CreditL Reuters File Photo. As the conspiracy-debunking siteSnopes reported back in November, many of those claims don't hold up. If you have any tips, email us attips@teslarati.comor reach out to me atmaria@teslarati.com. Landing at an airstrip near Zambias northern borders with Tanzania and what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he met and befriended the Italian owner of the airstrip. According to fact-checking website Snopes, Elon said in a since-deleted interview with Forbes in July 2014: "This is going to sound slightly crazy, but my father also had a share in an Emerald . Hes the son of Maye Musk, a model and dietitian from Canada, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. "Elon knows it's true. The Italian business partner would then pay the locals around $2 a load, enough to feed an entire family for a month, Errol says. The share in the mine wasnt acquired until the 1980s. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done. His mother Maye worked as a model and dietitian and his father Errol worked many jobs including as an engineer and property developer. Elon Musk's dad Errol claims he bankrolled his billionaire son's escape from South Africa to America with emeralds from an "under the table" mine in Zambia. Not all the tweets were supportive of Elon. The Forbes writer, Clash, told us he was unsure why the magazine had taken the interview down. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images). Elon has previously claimed that he arrived in Canada in 1989 with just CA$2,500 and paid his own way through college, ending with $100,000 in student debt. According to a 2017 Rolling Stone profile, Elon once said his father "has a genius-level IQ". He unsuccessfully tried to cash in on his share in a game farm, so was forced to his ocean-going yacht for R100,000 (then around $29,000), a quarter of its value. "We went to . The workers would bring them in for shipment to Errol in what the retired electromechanical engineer described as an under the table operation. . He recently offered a million Dogecoin to whoever can prove the existence of this mine. Infncia e Educao. Musk stated that Arnolds article was actually accurate., 2/2My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years. "Musk and his family seem particularly sensitive about shaping the narrative about their history lately, especially around the emerald mine," tech critic Paris Marx tweeted in response. My dad was not physically violent with me. Elon's father claimed that he stumbled upon the formation by chance through the Italian owner of the airstrip that he landed on in the country while traveling from South Africa to the UK for the sale of a Cessna Golden Eagle plane.. "The fake emerald mine thing is so annoying (sigh),". The senior Musk, in an interview with. 8h. luis carruthers @orthereaboot tweeted, When the same pattern of racist behavior happens at all $tsla locations, its the company thats racist, and the fish rots from @elonmusks head.. If this is half of an article is a small glimpse into the apartheid mines his [family-owned] haha even [T]he Onion tells more truthful stories than CNN and Fox, commented @howlpolitically. Me neither. Went to Queens Univ with scholarship & debt, then same to UPenn/Wharton & Stanford. That conversation is more valuable but less newsworthy than just resurfacing the same lazy claims every few months, which are guaranteed to get clicks. Jc Garcia The billionaire, who was born in South Africa, took to Twitter to answer claims made by The Onion about how his family made their money in apartheid South Africa. It looks like. According to him, the mine also paid for Musk's move to the US. Errol Musk (born 1946) is a South African retired politician, electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, and property developer who once co-owned a Zambian emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika. I managed to send them about R400,000 (then around $115,000) in total. Nowadays, he seems to have lost his affection for the biting satirical publication, after they cut a little close to the bone. A number of verified Twitter users eventually connected the Musk familys wealth with apartheid in South Africa in posts addressing the BI articles. Considering the high-scale impact that tech has on the world (good and bad), we should want our best candidates to bring their best, secure in the knowledge that they dont need the privilege to apply and that what they build wont be attacked without cause, Arnold wrote. As with many Muskian stories, it is unclear what's true about this emerald mine too. But I didnt really understand at the time what kind of person he was. The Babylon Bee is also the kind of hard-hitting satirical publication that makes I identify as an attack helicopter, jokes, repeated ad infinitum. For more information, please see our It's no surprise, then, that Snopes readers have asked us about everything from claims regarding Musk's immigration status to those "apartheid emerald mine" rumors. Since at least 2018, a rumor has circulated about Elon Musk in regard to his father's purported past ownership of an "apartheid emerald mine" or "slave emerald mine." We analyzed newspaper archives and other evidence to piece together facts.