Musk in 2025: the man who redefines global markets with tweets and innovation

If you follow financial markets, technology, or even cryptocurrencies, you are well aware of the impact of a single Elon Musk quote. No wonder he is not just an ordinary billionaire — he is a catalyst for global transformations that influence everything from Bitcoin prices to strategies of giants like Tesla, Google, and Meta.

But who exactly is this South African-born American who runs companies valued in hundreds of billions of dollars? And why does his work matter so much to investors in 2025?

From Bullying in South Africa to Silicon Valley: The Journey That Shaped Musk

Born in Pretoria in 1971, Elon Reeve Musk grew up in a home where creativity and analytical rigor were not just valued — they were expected. With a father who was an electromechanical engineer and a mother who was a model nutritionist, he showed early fascination with programming and innovation. By age 12, he had created and sold his first video game, “Blastar.”

But childhood was not easy. Musk faced intense bullying during adolescence — an experience that biographers often point to as formative for his obsessive resilience and nearly paranoid determination for success.

At 17, he made a decision that would change everything: he left South Africa for the Americas, fleeing mandatory military service. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated simultaneously in Economics and Physics — a rare combination that explains his unique ability to merge financial logic with radical scientific vision.

The First Billions: Zip2, X.com, PayPal, and the Springboard to Empire

In the 1990s, during the internet boom, Musk started his first company: Zip2, a pioneering digital maps and directories service for newspapers. In 1999, he sold the company to Compaq for $307 million — his first major victory that made him a millionaire at age 28.

But that was just the beginning.

With capital in hand, he founded X.com, a fintech that evolved into PayPal, revolutionizing online payments. In 2002, eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion. Musk exited this operation with approximately $180 million — the exact capital he would use to fund his greatest obsessions: space exploration, sustainable mobility, and artificial intelligence.

The Five Companies Changing the World (and Their Portfolios)

Today, Musk’s wealth is not concentrated in a single company but spread across a portfolio that literally spans from transportation to space.

Tesla: Not Just an Electric Car Maker

Tesla is often reduced to “electric car manufacturer,” but this description denies its real impact. Under Musk’s leadership, the company:

• Accelerated the global transition to electric vehicles, pressuring BYD, Volkswagen, GM, and other manufacturers
• Developed revolutionary batteries and energy storage systems
• Created Autopilot, an assisted driving technology that preempted debates on autonomous vehicles
• Built Gigafactories, automated factories that are redefining modern manufacturing
• Expanded operations into solar panels and renewable energy infrastructure

Tesla alone influences lithium prices, battery manufacturer stocks, and even government policies on energy transition. For Brazilian investors, tracking Tesla’s performance is essential to understanding global mobility trends.

SpaceX: The Company That Militarized Space

Founded in 2002, SpaceX did what no one imagined: redefined the private aerospace industry. Its reusable rockets reduced launch costs by up to 90% compared to previous technologies.

Today, SpaceX:

• Signs billion-dollar contracts with NASA and the US Space Force
• Dominates the commercial launch market
• Actively works on projects to send humans to Mars
• Is valued at over $200 billion, establishing itself as the most valuable private company in the US

Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet division, already reaches over 70 countries, including Brazil. It represents an alternative connectivity solution that challenges traditional telecom monopolies.

Neuralink: Brain-Machine Fusion

Neuralink develops neural interfaces capable of connecting human brains to artificial intelligence systems. Its initial goal is to assist patients with motor disabilities, but the long-term vision is to integrate human cognition with AI — a leap as ambitious as it is controversial.

The Boring Company: Underground Mobility

Created to tackle urban congestion, The Boring Company excavates tunnels in American cities. While it may seem eccentric at first glance, it represents a three-dimensional mobility solution that could revolutionize overpopulated cities.

xAI: Musk’s Challenge to OpenAI and Google

Founded in 2023, xAI is Musk’s response to the dominance of OpenAI and Google in artificial intelligence. Its declared mission: “to understand reality.” The chatbot Grok, launched in 2024, gained significant traction in 2025 as an alternative promising fewer ideological filters.

The Fortune That Fluctuates by Billions in Hours

In 2025, Elon Musk’s fortune exceeds $350 billion, consolidating his position among the world’s wealthiest. This wealth is not static — it fluctuates dramatically with Tesla’s stock, private valuations of SpaceX, and even occasional comments on cryptocurrencies.

A 5% drop in Tesla’s shares means Musk loses billions in hours. A positive statement about Dogecoin can send its price soaring within minutes.

For investors, understanding that Musk’s wealth is intrinsically linked to Tesla is understanding one of the greatest risk-reward scenarios in the market.

Direct Impacts in Five Critical Sectors

1. Mobility and Energy

Tesla’s decisions redefine the lithium supply chain, batteries, and vehicles. Traditional manufacturers need to keep up or become obsolete.

2. Artificial Intelligence

xAI competes head-to-head with Google and OpenAI, democratizing access to language models and reshaping the narrative around “controlled AI.”

3. Defense and Geopolitics

Starlink has become critical infrastructure in military conflicts, making Musk a figure of geopolitical importance.

4. Cryptocurrencies

Tweets about Bitcoin and Dogecoin have already caused fluctuations of up to 30% — proof of Musk’s influence over speculative markets.

5. Aerospace Market

SpaceX transformed space exploration from a government monopoly into fierce private competition.

Controversies That Define His Public Image

Musk is not a controversy-free figure. On X (formerly Twitter, which he acquired in 2022), he is known for:

• Sharp criticisms of government policies and corporate decisions
• Visible political stances, including support for figures like Javier Milei
• Comments that voluntarily move cryptocurrency markets
• Public disputes with AI and tech rivals
• Questionable executive decisions on the X platform (such as algorithm changes and moderation)

These controversies reinforce Musk’s image as an “unfiltered” entrepreneur — a trait his supporters see as authenticity and critics as irresponsibility.

Facts and Curiosities That Reveal the Person

• Sleeps on Tesla factory floors to “feel the operational problems of the team”
• Father of 10 children with different partners, including collaborations with artist Grimes and executive Shivon Zilis
• Tried to buy OpenAI before founding xAI
• Declares himself a fan of science fiction and anime
• States that his ultimate goal is to die on Mars — “just not on impact”

Why Following Musk Is Investing in Understanding the Future

Elon Musk is more than a billionaire or a successful entrepreneur. He is a vector of transformation that redefines multiple sectors simultaneously: energy, transportation, space exploration, telecommunications, and AI.

For investors, analysts, journalists, or anyone interested in where the world is heading, understanding Musk is not fandom — it’s due diligence.

His companies set standards that the entire industry pursues. His tweets move billions. His ambitions — no matter how radical they seem — often become reality within a few years.

In 2025, ignoring Elon Musk is ignoring the forces shaping the global economy.