5 Things I Will Never Own – Elon Musk

You’d think the richest man on the planet would be living in a massive mansion, eating caviar for breakfast, and parking a fleet of supercars in his garage. But not Elon Musk.

Despite his net worth sitting around $409 billion, the Tesla and SpaceX boss has made it clear he’s not interested in living like a typical billionaire.

In fact, Musk seems to be on a mission to prove that happiness and success don’t come from owning more stuff. From real estate to fancy food, here are five things Elon Musk says he’ll never own:

A house

Yes, you read that right. Elon Musk doesn’t own a house. In 2020, he tweeted that he was “selling almost all physical possessions” and would “own no house.” True to his word, he sold seven of his California homes between 2020 and 2021, cashing in around $100 million. 

He later moved into a compact 375-square-foot prefab home near the SpaceX site in Texas – smaller than most studio apartments. For someone with billions in the bank, that’s an unexpected move.

Expensive food

While some billionaires dine in the finest restaurants, Musk once survived on just $1 a day for food. During a chat with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Musk revealed that he did this as an experiment during his early startup days. 

His meals? Mostly hot dogs and oranges. He wanted to prove to himself that even with very little money, he could survive and keep building his dreams. According to him, “my threshold for existing was pretty low.”

Permanent home base

Even after selling his houses, Musk didn’t go house-hunting again. Instead, he often crashes at friends’ places. In a 2022 TED Talk, he admitted, “I don’t even own a place right now. I’m literally staying at friends’ places.” 

Google co-founder Larry Page even confirmed that Musk occasionally asked to sleep over. For a man who could afford to buy an island or two, that’s a bold lifestyle choice.

Fancy Furniture

Musk’s ex-partner, Grimes, once told Vanity Fair that he didn’t live like a billionaire at all. She described staying in a $40,000 home with him that had no security, and a mattress with a hole in it. 

Instead of buying a new mattress, Musk simply suggested they switch sides. For someone who could buy a whole furniture store, he keeps things unusually simple.

A replacement for his crashed McLaren

Elon once owned a rare McLaren F1 worth about $1 million – a dream car for many. But after crashing it while showing it off, he never bothered to replace it. “It wasn’t insured,” he later said. These days, he mostly sticks to driving Tesla models, cars he helped build. It’s another sign that status symbols don’t matter much to him.