Elon Musk restricts family and a 75-year-old mother from Tesla discounts stating that “the price you see is the family discount”
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, is renowned for his innovative contributions to technology and space exploration as well as his unique approach to family and business ethics.
Despite being one of the wealthiest people in the world, with a net worth of approximately $210 billion as of March 2024, Musk maintains a firm stance on equality and fairness, even when it comes to his family. This principle was vividly illustrated in an interaction between Musk and his cousin Lyndon Rive, former CEO of SolarCity, who once inquired about a family discount for a Tesla vehicle.
Rive’s request for a family discount was met with a response that highlighted Musk’s egalitarian approach. “I asked, ‘Elon, hey can I have a family discount,’ and his answer is, ‘Yeah absolutely. Go to TeslaMotor.com, buy the car online, and the price you see there is the family discount,’” Rive told Tech Insider. Musk’s reply showcased his sense of humor and underscored a policy of nonpreferential treatment, affirming that everyone, including family members, is subject to the same pricing.
This ethos extends beyond vehicle purchases. Musk’s mother, in a 2017 interview with The New York Times, revealed that she, too, was waiting for her Model 3, positioned around 300,000th in line. She reportedly said, “Even though I have good connections, I can’t jump the line.”
In a 2023 interview with the Associated Press, Maye Musk, who was 74 years old at the time, was questioned about whether she paid for her verification on X or received a friends and family discount. She drew a parallel to purchasing a Tesla to explain her experience. Maye Musk clarified that even when her son bought her a Tesla, there was no special discount applied — the full price was paid. She illustrated this point by sharing the same anecdote about her nephew asking for a discount on a Tesla. Elon Musk’s response was, according to his mother: “Everybody is family when you buy a Tesla.”
Not only does Musk not give discounts to family members, but some of them even may pay more for being associated with him. Musk’s younger sister Tosca Musk, an entrepreneur and founder of the streaming service Passionflix, has faced challenges because of her famous last name. In an interview with the Daily Mail, she shared an incident where the cost to rent a location for her business spiked from $5,000 to $25,000 per day upon the revelation of her identity. This experience sheds light on the unexpected consequences of being associated with a figure of Elon Musk’s stature, highlighting the assumptions and financial impositions placed on his family members.
Musk’s approach to family discounts and the equal treatment of his relatives speaks volumes about his personal values and business ethics.
“I give Elon credit beyond the fact of being the best entrepreneur in the world, he treats everyone the same. Everyone. There’s no nepotism at all,” Rive said.
