Background Information
Elon Musk has become one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and innovators. The billionaire is the founder, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., and co-founder of Neuralink, among many other ventures.
Musk has long had an interest in living and working from multiple locations around the world, and is known to regularly move between different cities and countries. The innovative mogul has lived in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and currently resides primarily in the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Relevant Data and Perspectives
The U.S. has become Musk’s main operating base and home, with the entrepreneur sharing homes in California, Texas, and Nevada. Bloomberg Businessweek writer Ashlee Vance notes that while Musk did maintain a living arrangement in the U.K. as recently as 2015, he has since established a more permanent home in the U.S.
Famed venture capitalist Peter Thiel – a close friend of Musk’s – notes that the innovative businessman “is a major U.S. citizen” who deeply loves the United States for its culture and ideals despite his nomadic lifestyle. Thiel believes Musk views the country as a place of progress and innovation, an attitude that greatly influences his own ventures.
Analysis
Though Musk does maintain a broad worldwide presence, the U.S. serves as his primary and most frequent place of residence. Recent years have seen Musk embedding himself further in the U.S. by expanding his operations to major cities around the country, including a primary focus on the West Coast.
The entrepreneur has established significant operations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, California, is building a factory in Los Angeles and actively testing satellites in nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base. Musk is also the founder and Chairman of The Boring Company, an infrastructure firm, which is making substantial incursions into the U.S. infrastructure market with projects like The Chicago Express Loop.
Musk’s presence in the U.S. has further been extended through Tesla, which is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, while Gigafactories are located in both Nevada and New York.
The Environmental Perspective
Elon Musk is a vocal advocate for climate change and conservation, and is known for taking strong, decisive steps to reduce his own carbon footprint. As such, the location of Musk’s primary residence is of particular interest for those invested in the environment.
The Los Angeles region serves as a unique hub for sustainability, with Musk actively participating in the extremely active venture capital and innovation scene. Silicon Valley and Los Angeles are home to many of the world’s most influential green energy players, and Musk has found success in leveraging introductions made with traditional venture capitalists and angel investors in the region.
The Influence of Friends and Family
Friends and family are a large factor in Musk’s decision to reside primarily in the United States. Musk’s five children, who he had with former wife and Canadian author Talulah Riley, live in California, and he is close to both his family and her family, who reside in the U.S and U.K.
The entrepreneur is also lucky enough to have access to celebrity friends such as George Banks and Jared Leto, both of whom are important members of the social scene in Los Angeles and have no doubt had an influence on Musk to reside in the region.
Government Policy
U.S. government incentives and policies put in place to foster innovation may also be a factor in Musk’s decision to base himself in the United States. The likes of SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company has been lavished with incentives and subsidies, while the government has made it easier for Musk to do business with reform allowing parts of SpaceX’s satellites to be tested in military airspace.
American freedoms, such as free speech and the right to petition, have proven invaluable to Musk and his companies, particularly as he faces public criticism for his unconventional moves.
Business Strategy
The business world has also had an effect on Musk’s location. His car manufacturing firm Tesla, Inc. is subject to the Americas Free Trade Agreement, which makes trading easier within North America, and across the border from the U.S. to Canada.
It’s clear that the United States will continue to remain the primary base of operations for Musk and his companies given the rich business opportunities available and the ease of trading and working within the warm climate for innovation provided by the U.S.
The Media and Hollywood Influence
The United States also has a beneficial media presence with media organizations such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Bloomberg, to name a few. U.S. journalists maintain a keen interest in Elon Musk and his endeavors, while the success he has been enjoying more recently has been the subject of a great deal of media coverage.
The presence of Hollywood in the U.S. may also be having an influence on Musk, given his recent appearance in a 2018 short-film by director Matthew McConaughey and the company of high profile celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Leonardo Dicaprio, Oprah Winfrey and Will i Am at the Met Gala in New York City earlier this year.
Power and Political Influence
Being based in the United States has allowed Elon Musk to access government officials at the highest levels of power. The entrepreneur has met with President Donald Trump to discuss his companies’ successes, and his relationship with the government allows him to have a key say in public policy. This political capital allows Musk to have a direct influence on policy in a way that simply would not be possible if he lived outside of the United States.
The U.S. has a unique international position, which allows Musk to access important global conversations and make his presence felt on the international stage.
The Bottom Line
Living in the United States gives Elon Musk an unprecedented level of access, influence and power. From access to venture capital in Silicon Valley, to media interests and political connections, the United States has provided Musk with a unique sense of opportunity, while his own ambitious, forward-thinking approach to innovation has been warmly accepted in the vibrant, progressive atmosphere of the nation.
