Justine Musk, Elon Musk’s first wife and the mother of his five children, recently shared insights into her life with the renowned businessman during a talk at the TEDxUIUC conference titled “Visionaries are People Who Can See in the Dark.” In her address, she reflected on their journey from college to the complexities of their relationship.

Justine met Elon when she was just eighteen, while he was nineteen. She recounts how his tenacity was evident even then, recalling, “Every time he called to ask me out, I would decline. This continued until we eventually moved in together.” Their early days were spent in a modest apartment with three roommates and a not-so-house-trained dachshund, a humorous detail she emphasized even after they achieved success and moved to a luxurious Bel Air home.

She painted a vivid picture of Elon’s character, noting that he would fill out forms as “engineer” rather than “CEO,” despite his legendary status. Justine described his wardrobe as predominantly T-shirts and jeans, humorously recalling how he resisted attempts to change his look, insisting, “I can’t look cool or hip because I have to look like an engineer.”

One of the more striking anecdotes she shared was Elon’s statement in an interview about being “prepared to sacrifice everything” for his dream of launching a rocket, even if it meant living in her parents’ basement. Justine quipped, “I wanted to go back in time and tell him, ‘Have you seen my parents’ basement?’”

Justine also touched on a line from *The Simpsons* that resonated with her: “Someone like Elon must have a darkness in his soul.” She elaborated, stating, “Darkness doesn’t mean evil… it can mean anything that hasn’t yet been brought to the light.” As a dark fantasy author, she offered a unique perspective on Elon’s motivations, framing them as driven by concepts that many may not fully grasp.

Through her anecdotes, Justine Musk provided a humorous and insightful glimpse into life with a visionary whose ambitions stretch far beyond the ordinary. She concluded with the observation that “visionaries take their passion and put themselves on the line unlike anybody else,” illustrating that Elon was indeed no different in this regard.