I’m furious over paid media bias against my son, Elon Musk’s mum says at Dubai summit

Dubai: Maye Musk has expressed frustration over what she described as media bias against her son, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, alleging that news outlets are being paid to tarnish his reputation despite his constant efforts to make a positive impact.

She was speaking during a fireside chat with Alia Al Hammadi, Vice Chairperson of UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, in a session titled ‘How I Raised Three Amazing Children, Including the Richest Man in the World’ on the final day of the summit in Dubai on Monday.

“Well, he [Elon] doesn’t do things to challenge. He does things to do good. So everything he does is to do good,” said Maye, a renowned dietitian, international model and author.

The 76-year-old gave an inspiring glimpse into her journey of raising three children, including tech mogul Elon.

She highlighted Elon’s history of innovation with a desire to create meaningful change - from Zip2’s innovative door-to-door directions and PayPal’s revolutionary money transfers, to Tesla’s electric vehicles, SpaceX’s rockets and Starlink satellites providing connectivity in remote areas.

However, Maye said she was “furious” and upset about the way Elon has been “trashed” by “paid” media.

She noted how Tesla’s electric cars faced resistance from the gas industry and received initial support and then hostility from other car manufacturers. “Every headline became negative,” she lamented.

“And now we found out that the in the last few years, the government has been paying hundreds of millions of dollars to the media, if they will trash Elon every day, and they do,” Maye alleged.

She also called out international news agencies, which she said get paid, and media outlets which then quote those agencies to trash Elon.

“I don’t know how he copes with it. It makes me furious. But the point is, people are buying Teslas and loving it.”

In his latest move earlier in the day, she said Elon supplied Starlink terminals to provide Internet and Tesla Cybertrucks as mobile base stations to help fire-hit Los Angeles.

She said his vision is to address real-world problems. “He sees the future.”

When he sees there is a need, she said he works on it even if it means going against everyone else.

Encouraging others to pursue meaningful innovation, she said: “If you see there is somewhere that you can do better, just get out there and work on it. And you’ve got social media to help you.”

The session offered an inspiring glimpse into her journey of raising three extraordinary children.

Being a single mother after her divorce, Maye worked multiple jobs to support her family while pursuing her career. She raised her three children—Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX), Kimbal Musk (restaurateur and sustainable food advocate), and Tosca Musk (filmmaker and founder of Passionflix) despite financial struggles.

“They always saw me working,” she said, reflecting on her time after her divorce. “When I moved to different cities—nine in three countries—they helped me. Elon was my encyclopedia and tech expert, Kimball cooked for us, and Tosca answered phones or typed doctors’ reports.”

Maye’s children also learned the value of hard work early on, she stated, as they had to apply for loans when approaching their university studies, which they had to pay off themselves soon after graduation

Despite financial hardships, including living in a one-bedroom apartment while she pursued a hospital internship, Maye maintained her drive. Her children learned resilience and resourcefulness through this. “Why didn’t you complain?” she once asked them. Their reply? “You wouldn’t have listened.”

Maye attributed her children’s success to the freedom she gave them to pursue their passions. “I always let them choose what they wanted to do and helped where I could…They have never wanted to make money. They wanted to do good, and their success came from that.”

Maye shared a piece of advice for mothers balancing career and parenting: “You just keep going. Show people what you do, stay relevant, and don’t let anything slow you down. You let the children do what they want to do, but make sure they are always polite and kind and want to do good.”

When she gives talks around the world, she said she noticed that women often face neglect once they turn 60, while men continue to rise to positions like CEOs. “I just give them some hope that they can develop themselves and carry on being successful.”