‘My genius boy': Elon Musk's mother shares results of his computer aptitude test from 1989
Maye Musk, mother of tech billionaire Elon Musk, recently gave the world a rare look into her son's early brilliance by sharing results from a computer aptitude test he took as a teenager in South Africa.
Sharing a picture, Maye wrote, 'While sorting through photos, I came across computer aptitude test results of @elonmusk at 17. My genius boy. Proud mom.' The heartfelt message quickly gained attention online, with many users expressing admiration for the Tesla CEO.
The document, dated 1989 and signed by the director of information management at the University of Pretoria, highlights Musk's academic potential during his brief time at the university before he left for Canada at the age of 17.
Conducted by the ISM (SA), the aptitude test results showed Musk earning A+ grades in both programming and operating systems. 'The results were outstanding,' the letter stated.
See the viral post here:
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
The post garnered over 5 lakh views, prompting a reaction from Elon Musk himself. '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,' he commented on his mother's post.
Several social media users chimed in, hailing the tech mogul, with one saying, 'Probably the most important human being to ever live – men want to work for him and he wants to advance society ruthlessly. He support free speech and he is bringing the future closer to us rapidly. Well done!!' Another user commented, 'It's incredible to see such early proof of brilliance! Any mom would be proud—what a wonderful memory to find.'
'If there was a Mother of the Century award, you would win it by a landslide Maye,' a third user posted.
Elon Musk, who also heads SpaceX and is currently the world's richest individual with a net worth of $433.9 billion (approximately Rs 36.01 lakh crore), as per Forbes' World's Billionaires List for 2025. He began his higher education journey in 1990 at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. After two years, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned dual degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the prestigious Wharton School.
In 1995, Musk was accepted into a PhD programme in materials science at Stanford University. However, just two days into the programme, he decided to drop out to pursue opportunities in the internet industry.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Centre eases rules for buying scientific equipment, consumables by R&D institutes
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In the wake of demands from researchers, the government has enhanced financial limits for the procurement of scientific instruments and consumables by various scientific institutions, including those pursuing research in the defence sector, and also allowed them to look beyond the GeM portal for making such existing financial rules mandated procurement of equipment of less than Rs 200 crore only through the government e-marketplace (GeM) portal and from local producers to encourage the domestic manufacturing various scientists and researchers faced hindrances due to these rules as several high-end research equipment were not available on the GeM Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research are among the many institutions that will benefit from the changes in the general financial rules (GFR) that have removed the bottlenecks in conventional procurement, officials and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said the aim is to give as much freedom as possible for innovation to grow within the framework said that the GeM portal was introduced to ensure transparency in government purchases but the mechanism may not have evolved to meet the requirements of researchers."When we are looking forward to playing a global role, we will have to follow global parameters. Our benchmarks have to be related to the global benchmarks," Singh told a press conference to the amendments to the special provisions in the GFR, vice chancellors and directors of various research and development institutions will now be able to purchase scientific equipment and consumables for research purposes up to Rs 2 lakh without seeking any quotations, as against the earlier limit of Rs 1 financial limit for procuring goods by the Purchase Committee has been enhanced to Rs 25 lakh from the existing Rs 10 lakh. The financial limits for procuring goods using the limited tender enquiry (LTE) and advertised tender enquiry have been increased to Rs 1 crore from the existing Rs 50 changes in the rules also allow vice chancellors and directors of scientific organisations and academic institutions under various ministries, departments and organisations to make non-GeM procurement of scientific equipment and consumables."We need to make sure that within the framework given to us and exercising all the integrity at our command, we try to give as much freedom as possible for innovation to grow," Singh changes to GFRs removed the bottlenecks in conventional procurement that used to at times throttle scientific work, Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Chancellors and directors have been designated as competent authorities to approve the issuance of a global tender enquiry of up to Rs 200 crore for the procurement of scientific equipment and consumables required only for research amendments to the GFR will apply to the departments of science and technology, biotechnology, scientific and industrial research, atomic energy, space, earth sciences and health research, including the Indian Council of Medical Defence Research and Development Organisation, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and its affiliated institutions and universities, and educational and research institutes conducting post-graduate, doctoral-level courses or research under any ministry/department will also benefit from the amended the Modi government completing 11 years in office, the announcement is being seen as a reaffirmation of its focus on science, innovation, and youth-led development, core themes that are integral to India's future global role, Singh said.A recent report by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister had highlighted how rules originally intended to ensure transparency were inadvertently hampering scientific progress, he announcement follows extensive consultations led by the Principal Scientific Adviser's office, drawing insights from 13 IITs and multiple research bodies across India."We have tried to do away with red-tapism," said Singh."This is a move that places trust in the science leaders of this country. The message from the Modi Government is clear -- 'we trust you, we value you and we are committed to you'," the minister said.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Govt eases funding rules for R&D, research heads can now approve global tenders up to Rs 200 crore
In a major boost to India's research and innovation sector, the government on Sunday announced key reforms to ease financial restrictions and improve the day-to-day functioning of academic and research institutions. One of the biggest changes is that heads of research institutions will now be allowed to approve global tenders up to Rs 200 crore without requiring multiple layers of approval. This move is expected to speed up the procurement of scientific equipment and resources significantly. Addressing the press conference in the national capital, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology (Independent Charge), Dr. Jitendra Singh, said these long-awaited decisions aim to enhance the 'Ease of Innovation' and 'Ease of Doing Research' across the country. The Minister added that this historic shift was made possible due to the personal support and encouragement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has consistently backed science and youth-led innovation as key pillars of India's growth. Earlier, scientists and research scholars often faced frustrating delays because of financial ceilings and complex procurement procedures. For example, if an institution wanted to purchase high-end equipment from abroad, it had to seek approvals through long bureaucratic processes, sometimes delaying critical research work by months. The new rules will now allow institutions to fast-track such purchases, especially those that require global tenders. Dr Singh said that while more autonomy is being given, it comes with the responsibility to maintain transparency and integrity. "We are trusting our scientific community to use this freedom wisely. These reforms are built on a foundation of trust and accountability," he said. The changes follow strong recommendations from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA), which highlighted how well-intentioned rules were creating bottlenecks instead of supporting scientific progress. This policy shift also ties in with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes flexibility in education and encourages research-led learning. Dr Singh emphasised that if students are being empowered to shape their academic paths, research institutions should also be allowed the freedom to support those ambitions. He pointed out how earlier liberalisation in sectors like space and nuclear had shown great results. "India's space sector is now an $8 billion economy and is expected to grow fivefold. We want to replicate this success in the research and development sector as well," he said. The reforms are expected to particularly help young scientists, researchers, and startups, many of whom had expressed their concerns on social media about delays and hurdles in funding and procurement.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Elon Musk's Starlink to face competition from Amazon's Kuiper satellites? Here's everything we know
Elon Musk's Starlink is set to face some tough competition after years of dominating the market of internet services via satellites. Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper entered the broadband network market with its first satellite launch in April. Now, the Amazon chief's new project is set to deploy another batch of satellites, as reported by USA Today. As per the outlet, Colorado-based United Launch Alliance is the contractor for the launch. The new batch of Amazon Kuiper satellites could get off the ground as early as Monday, June 16. One of Starlink's biggest advantages has been the SpaceX two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, which is used to launch the satellites into space. Musk's company has sent over 7,000 Starlink satellites into space since 2019, as per its website. The Federal Aviation Administration, the body responsible for licensing commercial rocket launches, recently allowed SpaceX to increase its annual Falcon 9 rocket launches from Southern California's Vandenberg Space Force Base to 50. As for Kuiper, the venture provides an opportunity for Jeff Bezos to compete with the richest man in the world. Kuiper promises to provide high-speed internet across the globe, for which it is establishing a network of satellites connected to antennas, fiber, and other equipment on the ground. Also read: Venice locals protest against Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez's lavish wedding: 'No space for Bezos' The Project Kuiper satellite launch may take place on Monday, June 16. The ULA Atlas V rocket could take off as early as 1:25 pm ET from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as per USA Today. A successful mission could double the number of satellites the company has deployed, but it still has a long way to go to catch up with Starlink. Amazon aims to invest $10 billion in Project Kuiper, including a $140 million processing plant at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to prep satellites for launch. It plans to launch around 3,232 advanced low-Earth orbit satellites in total. If things go as planned, the company said it expects to "begin delivering service to customers later this year." The plan starts at $80 per month with a hardware cost of $349, as per CNET. The high cost of Starlink can be a detriment for some users. This can depend on the 5G service provider opted for. Many 5G providers can give similar speeds to Starlink. Starlink offered a free kit to new customers in select areas if they opted for a 12-month Residential service plan.
