Elon Musk’s name is synonymous with innovation, ambition and, well, a fair bit of controversy these days. But before he became the richest man in the world and the face of Tesla, SpaceX and social media drama, he was just a kid trying to escape a rough childhood – and a young man with a relentless determination to win over Justine Musk, his college sweetheart and eventual wife.
Justine, who married Elon in 2000 and shares five children with him, has a unique perspective on his meteoric rise. She knew him back when he was just another student at Queen’s University in Canada, long before Tesla was a household name or he was launching rockets into space. He was the guy who wouldn’t stop calling her until she finally agreed to a date – a persistence that would later define much of his career.
In a TEDx talk in 2017, Justine shared a deeply personal story about Elon’s past. She revealed that it took him a decade of friendship before he opened up about the bullying he endured as a child. “When he was a kid, he hated going to school because the other kids liked to follow him home and they would throw soda cans at his head,” she said. It’s a vivid, painful image of someone who would later become a tech giant, disrupting entire industries.
But instead of letting those experiences crush him, Elon found refuge in computer games. In those quiet moments of escape, he discovered coding, a skill that would ultimately shape his future. That passion led to his first major success: creating a company he sold in his mid-20s. By then, the boy who had once been pelted with soda cans was already on his way to reshaping the world of tech and business. Justine said, “Nobody’s throwing soda cans at him now.”
Her reflections also touched on how society often perceives visionaries before they achieve success. “Before we call these people visionaries before they have that kind of success, we have other words for them,” she said. “We call them geek, outsider, socially awkward, weird, a little different, odd one out.” It’s a powerful reminder that the traits that make someone stand out in their youth often become the foundation for their greatest achievements.
Justine’s insights offer a rare glimpse into the human side of Elon Musk. While many see the billionaire innovator, she knew the socially awkward young man who sought solace in his ideas and worked tirelessly to turn them into reality. When asked for advice she could share with aspiring entrepreneurs, Elon himself had a sobering thought: “I don’t know if they would still want that if they really knew what it’s like to be me.”
It’s easy to look at someone like Musk and focus on the accolades, the headlines and the billions of dollars. But his story, as told by someone who knew him before the fame, is also one of resilience, grit and the ability to channel childhood struggles into world-changing innovations. While nobody’s throwing soda cans at him now, his journey proves that even the most brilliant visionaries often start as misunderstood outsiders.
