Maye Musk has defended her son Elon Musk as a misunderstood “genius” who wants to improve the world, while describing the difficult circumstances she overcame while raising him and his siblings.
Speaking in an interview, she said the Tesla and SpaceX chief had been treated unfairly by members of the public because his determination to achieve his goals often upset others.
“People are mean. And they’re strangers, or they’re not accomplished themselves, and then they can do insults,” she said. “It makes me angry.”
Maye Musk added: “He does whatever is best for America and what’s best for the world.” Referring to her son’s long-standing ambition to establish a human presence on Mars, she said: “And then, if we don’t listen, then let’s go to Mars.”
Elon Musk’s DOGE role
Elon Musk faced frequent criticism during his brief tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, which overhauled government organisations and cut funding for a number of programmes, including global aid services.
His time in government was followed by a public dispute with Donald Trump, after Mr Musk criticised the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”. The two men exchanged attacks before their relationship appeared to thaw.
Since leaving the federal government, Mr Musk has backed Republican candidates in the midterm elections and encouraged the construction of data centres. He also took SpaceX public and became the world’s first trillionaire, while saying in December 2025 that he would probably not repeat his work with DOGE because of the negative public reaction.
Asked about claims that her son is on the autism spectrum, Maye Musk said: “Well, when I read ‘the spectrum,’ maybe on one of the points that he’s a little awkward, yeah.”
Maye Musk’s memoir
In her new memoir, Timeless, she writes about leaving what she describes as an abusive marriage while raising three young children. The family moved from South Africa to Canada, where she established a practice as a dietitian.
“I didn’t know it was possible,” she said. “Until you just have enough, and you run away.”
She recalled balancing parenthood, her work and studying for her first master’s degree while she and the children lived in a one-bedroom flat. They also slept on couches and floors, she said, but did not complain.
“I said to them, ‘Why did you put up with that?’ And they said, ‘Well, if we complained, would you listen?’ And I said ‘No,’” she recalled.
Decades later, her grown-up children bought her an apartment in New York City, giving her the stability to reinvent herself. She had worked as a model as a teenager and continued modelling part-time while studying for a second master’s degree.
She found renewed success in her seventies, becoming a prominent figure on runways and in magazines. In 2022, she became the oldest woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
“You just get wiser and, you know, you can say no,” she said. “When you feel like you are right for something, you can put yourself forward.”
