Elon Musk’s mom found sleeping in “garage” or “on the floor” more compelling than sleeping on the ground “in the Kalahari Desert with lions or hyenas”.

Despite being the richest person on the planet, Elon Musk is quite casual and rather unassuming in his habits. He reduces the hours in bed and the meals he eats and even cuts down the time spent on entertainment.

  Elon Musk and his mother Maye Musk arrive for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. (AFP)

It is common knowledge that he is keen on technology and space research, but very little is known about extent of minimalism that he has in his personal life, including how hosts his family when they visit him.

Maye Musk, Elon’s mother, a supermodel and dietitian, has recently revealed in an interview with The Times UK that her son’s wealth doesn’t translate into lavish accommodations for guests. “I have to sleep in the garage,” Maye stated, when describing her visits to Elon’s SpaceX base in Texas. She quickly added, “You can’t have a fancy house near a rocket site.”

She also recounted, “Tosca and I were joking the other day about how we all lived in a one-bedroom apartment for a year.”

In a 2023 post on X, she recounted her experiences of staying with Elon, noting that she often ends up “sleeping on mattresses or blankets on the floor, couches, or even a bed in the garage.” She mentioned that her other children, Tosca and Kimball, have also experienced similar accommodations, often sleeping on the floor.

“We adapt. It’s still better than sleeping on the ground in the Kalahari Desert with lions or hyenas nearby, which I did as a child,” she said.

Elon Musk’s mother addresses Mars mission

Maye also commented on sending humans on Mars and how it doesn’t appeal her. “You have to have six months of preparation and isolation and that just doesn’t appeal to me. But if my kids want me to do it, I will do it,” she told The Times.

In a 2022 TED talk, the Tesla boss revealed, “I don’t even own a place right now; I’m literally staying at friends’ places.”

True to his word, Elon sold his five grand homes and moved into a tiny, two-bedroom modular home near SpaceX’s Texas site, valued at around $50,000. Although this is his primary residence, rumours suggest he has recently purchased a larger family home.