Why Elon Musk's Living Situation Is So Strange

There's no disputing that Elon Musk is unique. He thinks outside the box, acts in ways that bewilder onlookers, and lives his life in a manner many view as unconventional. So, it's hardly surprising that Musk's living situation is so strange because, of course, it is.

There's fierce debate over whether Musk is a genius or a fool. Sometimes, there's a fine line between the two, or it's simply a matter of perception. The Los Angeles Times plumps for fool — and possible psychopath. They cite his refusal to learn from mistakes, his willingness to propagate false narratives to achieve cult-like status, and Musk's short-lived time as Twitter CEO. "He may have looked like a business genius before now, but at the moment, the only thing he has accomplished with Twitter is to make himself look stupid," the Times opines.

Well, idiot or not, when you consider how rich Musk is, how stupid can he possibly be? According to Forbes' real-time billionaire list, Musk ranks behind Jeff Besos and Larry Ellison as third most affluent in the world with an estimated $2.3 billion fortune and rising. Still, given Musk's staggering net worth, you've got to ask, what's with his living situation? Per Insider, Besos is the 24th largest landowner in the USA, with 420,000 acres of land. But Musk? Well, Forbes reports that he rents a 400 sq-foot studio in Boca Chica, Texas. Okay, prices are steep in the 78520, but surely Musk could stretch to a one-bedroom?

With just a tiny micro-house in which to lay his head, Elon Musk likely won't be hosting sleepovers for any of his ten offspring. Even though he insisted in an Insider op-ed, written after he divorced his first wife, Justine Musk, that he shares equal guardianship of their kids. "Custody of our five children is split evenly. Almost all of my non-work waking hours are spent with my boys, and they are the love of my life," Elon wrote. Meanwhile, Vanity Fair reports that Grimes has accused Elon of preventing her from seeing their third child. Begging the question, where does Elon keep him?

Per TMZ, Elon has been skipping the comforts of a home, choosing instead to crash on friends' sofas. During a TED interview, he claimed that he's eschewing the trappings of wealth. Instead, Elon's using the cash to help make the world a better place — presumably before he ditches it and jets off into space to start his mini-Musk Mars colony.

However, Elon always has his 400-square-foot house to fall back on if the sofa surfing gets tiresome. Forbes reports that the billionaire rents the "foldable, prefabricated home" from his company, SpaceX, making for a wondrous tax deduction. Ka-Ching! The 20x20 foot portable micro-house comprises one room split into a living area, bathroom, and kitchen. "My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX," Elon tweeted. "It's kinda awesome, though."

Elon Musk is on a mission. He will sell off all his possessions to help make the earth a better place, then board his rocket and zoom off to Mars to start afresh. According to the BBC, Musk vowed to offload all of his worldly goods during a series of tweets in 2020. And fair play, he's done a stellar job. Amongst the properties he's offloaded are a Hollywood mansion once owned by film icon Gene Wilder and a sprawling $30 million Bel Air estate with breathtaking views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Forbes reported that Musk had sold six of his seven properties. "Only house I own is the events house in the Bay Area," he tweeted. "If I sold it, the house would see less use unless bought by a big family, which might happen someday." However, Musk, being Musk, soon had a change of heart and placed the property on the market. "Decided to sell my last remaining house," he tweeted days later. "Just needs to go to a large family who will live there. It's a special place."

Per the Wall Street Journal, Musk sold the remaining home in November 2021. His seven properties were valued at $127 million in total, but after clearing taxes and outstanding mortgages, Musk netted $25 million. Upon becoming homeless, he went and crashed with a "rich friend" who owns a waterfront mansion in Austin, Texas.