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'Money can't buy happiness': Billionaire Elon Musk not happy being super rich
Musk's stable of companies includes electric car maker Tesla, artificial intelligence startup xAI, and aerospace enterprise SpaceX
- PUBLISHED: Thu 5 Feb 2026, 11:05 PM
- By:
- AFP
Being the richest person on the planet is apparently not worth it for Elon Musk.
While his wealth enables him to chase a dream of colonizing Mars, pour massive contributions into the coffers of politicians like US President Donald Trump, and feel no financial strain from fathering more than a dozen children, it is not bringing him joy.
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"Whoever said 'money can't buy happiness' really knew what they were talking about," Musk said late Wednesday in a post on X, the platform known as Twitter until he bought it for about $44 billion in 2022. The post, which included a sad-face emoji, had logged more than 66 million views by late Thursday morning. Take a look:
Whoever said âmoney canât buy happinessâ really knew what they were talking about ð
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 5, 2026
Responses fired back at Musk varied from sympathy to derision, with some recommending he seek solace in religion or philanthropy.
"But it certainly gives you a head start," a reply from the account of Charmane Harbert said of the correlation between wealth and happiness. "Are you worried about how you'll keep a roof over your kids' heads?...Nope?...Then stop pouting and count your blessings."
Musk's net worth is listed at $668 billion, and late last year, Tesla shareholders approved a performance-based compensation package for him as chief executive that could be worth as much as $1 trillion.
Musk's stable of companies includes electric car maker Tesla, artificial intelligence startup xAI, and aerospace enterprise SpaceX.
