There's a universe where Elon Musk listened to his mother and stuck to one impossibly difficult industry instead of two. In that universe, he's probably still wealthy. But he wouldn't be worth over $700 billion. And we might not be having this conversation.

Maye Musk, now 77, revealed in a 2022 interview with The Times of London that she once tried to talk her son out of the very ventures that defined his career. "I told him not to do an electric car as well as rockets and he didn't listen to me," she said. Then she added the most important part: "He should do whatever he wants."

That last sentence basically sums up her entire parenting philosophy, and it's worth paying attention to.

Everyone Had an Opinion (He Ignored Them All)

Maye wasn't the only one telling Musk to pump the brakes. In a 2022 Twitter post, Musk recalled a 2009 breakfast meeting with Charlie Munger, the late Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chair, who methodically explained "all the ways Tesla would fail." Musk's response? He agreed with Munger's points. Then he built Tesla anyway.

This is either profound conviction or absolute madness, depending on whether you're looking at it in 2009 or today.

How to Raise a Billionaire (Without Trying)

Maye Musk didn't set out to raise the richest person on the planet. She set out to raise adults who could think for themselves. In a 2019 essay for CNBC, she outlined her approach: teach your kids to work hard, let them chase their own interests, and stay out of their way unless they specifically ask for help.

"I didn't treat them like babies or scold them," she wrote. "I never told them what to study. I didn't check their homework."

When her kids did ask for advice, she gave it. "I am very short with my own answers," she told The Times. And if they ignored her? That was fine too. The whole point was independence, not obedience.

The results are hard to argue with. Elon built Tesla and SpaceX. His brother Kimbal created a food and agriculture business. His sister Tosca runs her own film studio and streaming platform. And Maye became a modeling icon in her 70s, complete with her signature #proudmom hashtag.

Even Mars Has Its Limits

Maye draws the line somewhere, though. When asked about joining a future Mars mission, she was blunt: "You have to have six months of preparation and isolation and that just doesn't appeal to me." But then she softened: "If my kids want me to do it, I will do it."

It turns out it's hard to say no to Elon Musk, even when you're the person who raised him.

The Takeaway

Elon Musk didn't follow the safe path. He didn't choose between rockets and electric vehicles when everyone including his own mother suggested he should. He didn't back down when one of history's greatest investors told him his plan was doomed. He made his own calls and built something extraordinary in the process.

Would he still be successful if he'd played it safe? Probably. Would he be worth $700 billion? Probably not. Sometimes the people who change the world are the ones who politely nod at good advice and then completely ignore it.