Everything Elon does is to do good, says his mother in Dubai

Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, attended a session at the 1 Billion Followers Summit featuring Maye Musk, a renowned dietitian, model, and mother of tech pioneer Elon Musk.

During the session, which was hosted by Alia AlHammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, Musk shared her extraordinary journey of parenting one of the most influential figures in the world. Musk also offered a rare glimpse into her experiences, values, and parenting philosophy that contributed to her children’s success.

The session was also attended by Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Maryam AlHammadi, Minister of State and Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet, and Saeed Al Eter, Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office.

The session, titled ‘How I Raised Three Amazing Children, Including the Richest Man in the World’, took place during the third edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit – the world’s largest event dedicated to the content creator economy.

Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the summit was held in the UAE from 11th to 13th January 2025, across prestigious venues including Dubai’s Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Museum of the Future, under the theme ‘Content for Good’.

The event brought together over 15,000 content creators and influencers, more than 420 speakers, 125 CEOs, and global experts.

Reflecting on the importance of social media in advancing the medical professional field, Maye Musk stated, "I used to give lectures around the world to medical professionals about how to promote their own businesses because they’re very shy. I always said, ‘You have to brag about yourself without sounding like you’re bragging, and you have to let people know that you are relevant.’

When asked about what she would advise content creators, having worked across various and diverse industries, she said, "Get out there and show people what you do. If you don’t like what you do, make a change, and then let people know about it. You’ve got to stay relevant.”

Maye Musk also discussed some of the factors behind the success of her three high-achieving children – Kimbal, Elon, and Toska. She stated, "My children always saw me working. When I got divorced, I had to start my practice very quickly - I had to keep working, although I worked from home as I couldn’t afford an office.” She noted moving to nine cities across three countries, having to rewrite the dietitian’s exams several times, and earning several science degrees.

"My kids put up with everything and they helped me a lot,” she stated. "For instance, Elon was my encyclopaedia and, of course, my tech expert. Kimbal would cook for us, and Toska would answer the phone or type doctors’ reports.”

Musk’s children also learned the value of hard work early on, she stated, as they had to apply for loans when approaching their university studies, which they had to pay off themselves soon after graduation.

"Taking on those loans to study what they loved was their choice,” she stated. "I always let them do what they want to do and then help them any way I can.”

Reflecting on the common factor between her three billionaire children, she stated, "They never wanted to make money. They always wanted to do good. I never heard ‘I want to make money’ from any of them. They just wanted to be good at what they were doing.”

When asked about Elon’s vision for X, Musk stated that Elon initially approached the platform with the idea of enhancing it overall and making it a more "transparent” platform. She stated, "Elon doesn’t do things to challenge anyone; he does them to do good. Everything he does is to do good, such as when he launched Zip2 door-to-door directions. When he told me he was going to start making satellites, for example, he said that it could save people stranded in forests or in the middle of oceans.”