Elon Musk's Teenage Test Results Shared By His Mom: 'My Genius Boy'
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Elon Musk's mother shared one of her son's early computer aptitude tests on social media, praising the tech billionaire as a "genius".
Maye Musk said that she found the report while looking through her photos. It is from the University of Pretoria, in South Africa, where Elon Musk was born.
The Context
Musk has made his name by being at the helm of some of the largest tech companies in the world, such as SpaceX and Tesla. His reputation as a tech CEO has made him an international figure of huge influence, though his recent entry into politics has had a drastic effect on his reputation. Musk has often said that his interest in technology began at an early age, and his mother's letter is proof of that.
What To Know
On her son's social media site X, formerly Twitter, Maye Musk posted a document from the University of Pretoria from 1989, the same year that she and her son left South Africa for North America.
"While sorting through photos, I came across the computer aptitude test results of Elon Musk at 17," the model said. "My genius boy. Proud mom."
The report describes Musk's results as "outstanding", giving him an A+ grade in both programming and operating.
While sorting through photos, I came across computer aptitude test results of @elonmusk at 17. My genius boy. Proud mom. pic.twitter.com/1MeWDSQ6FZ — Maye Musk (@mayemusk) May 18, 2025
In the replies to the post, Elon Musk told his mother: "They said I scored the highest for engineering aptitude that they had ever seen. Or, in other words, not bad for a human, as a future AI might say."
Maye Musk has been a long-time advocate for her son's work, often sharing updates and progress from Tesla and Neuralink, another one Elon Musk's companies.
Elon Musk and his mother, supermodel Maye Musk, arrive for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022, in New York. Both of the billionaire's parents have been in...
Elon Musk and his mother, supermodel Maye Musk, arrive for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022, in New York. Both of the billionaire's parents have been in the spotlight over the years — with controversial statements of their own. MoreElon Musk was born in 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital. He left South Africa at 17, moving to Canada in 1989, enrolling at Queen's University in Ontario. Two years later, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, where he earned degrees in physics and economics.
What Happens Next
Musk has taken a step away from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency and is expected to focus more on his work as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, both of which have suffered from the political associations Musk has built during the second Trump Administration.
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