Elon Musk’s boldest leaps: rockets, rings and a $44 billion tweet – inside the billionaire’s most extravagant lifestyle choices

When Elon Musk strapped a cherry-red Tesla Roadster to the nose of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and launched it into the void, the world watched in disbelief. Was it a publicity stunt? A billionaire’s fever dream? Or a declaration that, for Musk, the sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning?

The answer, like Musk’s own, is complicated. Tesla’s moment in space was just one of many surprising and heartbreaking moves in a life defined by audacity, eccentricity, and a willingness to spend unimaginable sums just to prove a point — or, sometimes, simply because he can.

Let’s start with this car. In 2018, Musk sent a $100,000 Tesla Roadster into orbit around the Sun, with a spacesuit-clad mannequin called “Starman” at the wheel. The world was speechless. Why do this? Because Russian rocket suppliers made fools of themselves years ago when they tried to buy rockets to power SpaceX. Musk’s response? Build your own rockets and use one of them to launch a working sports car into space, just to prove you can do it.

It wasn’t about the car. It was about revenge, vision and the kind of ego that can only be fueled by multi-billion dollar risks. Musk reportedly spent more than $100 million of his own money to get SpaceX off the ground. The orbiting Tesla Roadster is a middle finger to all skeptics.

If you think Musk’s spending is limited to rockets, think again. His personal life is equally extravagant and unpredictable. Musk has been married three times (twice to the same woman), and his approach to romance is as over-the-top as his approach to business.

Consider the engagement ring saga: He started with a “respectable” $100,000 diamond ring for his wife. When that wasn’t enough, he opted for a $350,000 Sparkler: bigger, bolder, but still not perfect. The solution? A third ring, this time costing $1 million, was encrusted with diamonds and sapphires.

Did it work? Not exactly. The marriage ended, and Musk’s ex-wife walked away with a $15 million settlement. The lesson? You can buy bigger rings, but you can’t buy love, or at least not for long.

Elon Musk’s tastes aren’t limited to cars and jewelry. He also has a penchant for rare watches and custom sneakers. His $10,000 SpaceX Label chronograph features a rocket design on the back, a nod to his obsession with space travel. And those red Tesla Jordans he wore to an event? They were custom-made, one-of-a-kind, and so close to being sued for copyright infringement by Nike that Musk reportedly kept them locked away, never to be seen again.

For a man worth over $200 billion, Elon Musk’s fashion sense is notoriously… questionable. He’s been photographed wearing everything from ill-fitting suits to outlandish accessories, making it clear that wealth doesn’t always buy style.

When it comes to cars, Musk’s collection is as crazy as you’d expect. Forget the latest Lamborghinis and Ferraris: Musk owns the world’s first gasoline-powered car: a 1950s Ford Model T, which he bought for $25,000. He’s also recovered the Lotus Esprit submarine from the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” which he discovered at a storage auction and bought for nearly $1 million.

But Musk’s most infamous moment in the automotive world came when his McLaren F1, a million-dollar supercar, crashed into the air, destroying everything except the chassis and mid-engine. “We hit a 45-degree angle, threw the car in the air like a discus… and the suspension blew out,” Musk later recalled. He survived, and the legend only grew.

Of course, the Tesla Roadster that Musk launched into space has been replaced by updated models: FASTER, SAFER and, for now, terrestrial.

From investor to CEO: Tesla’s gamble

Musk’s involvement in Tesla is another high-stakes business story. He didn’t find the company, but he saw its potential and invested $6.5 million in its early days. With Tesla on the brink of bankruptcy, Musk doubled down, investing another $130 million over several years and becoming CEO. The gamble paid off, but not before Musk was about to lose everything.

Cars and rockets aren’t Musk’s only obsessions. He’s also a connoisseur of private jets, starting with a $60 million Gulfstream G650er that comes equipped with a dining room, bedroom, and reclining seats. Not content with just one, Musk has since added two more Gulfstreams to his fleet, and when the latest G700 was announced, it was first in line for the $60 million upgrade.

But Musk’s most valuable assets aren’t his vehicles; they’re his 11 children, with three different mothers. Determined to give them a unique education, Musk founded a private school called Ad Astra, where grades were eliminated and the curriculum included artificial intelligence and ethics. It spends $1.5 million a year on each child’s well-being, for a total of $16.5 million a year.

To keep his family together, Musk bought a $37 million estate in Texas, complete with a pool, game room, movie theater and gym. It’s less of a house and more of a private compound, because if you’re Elon Musk, why not?

In a move straight out of a Roald Dahl novel, Musk has purchased the California home of “Willy Wonka” actor Gene Wilder for $13 million. The house is as eccentric as its former owner, with odd artwork, misplaced doors and a layout that defies logic. Musk loves the place, but he rarely lives there. He prefers to sleep on the floor of his office, saying he spends most of his nights at Tesla or SpaceX headquarters. Why buy more houses when you can just take a nap at your desk?

If you thought Musk’s most impulsive purchase was a car or a jet, think again. In 2022, frustrated with what he saw as censorship and fake news, Musk decided to buy Twitter, just so he could remake it in his own image. He began quietly buying shares until he took control of the company, and eventually called out the board when they tried to scare him with a high price.

The result? Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion and immediately set about destroying it: firing executives, changing the name to “X” and promising to turn it into a “super app” that could do anything. Was it a brilliant business decision or the world’s most expensive vanity project? Only time will tell.

Elon Musk’s life reads like a Hollywood script: a mix of genius, madness and spectacle. Whether it’s launching cars into space, buying social media giants or building private schools for his children, Musk seems determined to live life on his own terms, no matter the cost.

Will his next move be even crazier? If history is any guide, the answer is yes. For Elon Musk, the only limits are his imagination and his bank account, which, for now, appears to be bottomless. Stay tuned. If you thought a Tesla in space was impressive, you ain’t seen nothing yet.