Inside Elon Musk’s Personal Mission to Boost Global Birth Rates

Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur behind companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink, has made no secret of his concerns about global population decline.

A recent investigative report by The Wall Street Journal reveals how Musk has closely tied his personal life to what he views as a broader mission: increasing birth rates to safeguard civilization’s future.

According to the report, Musk has fathered at least 14 children with at least four women, often using his resources and influence to manage these relationships and the arrangements surrounding them. His approach, described by some as unconventional, underscores a deeply held belief that declining birth rates pose a significant threat to humanity.

Musk has long expressed public support for natalism — the belief that promoting higher birth rates is essential to human progress. While natalist policies have gained political momentum in recent years, particularly among some conservative circles in the US, Musk’s vision is rooted less in traditional family structures and more in long-term survival strategies, including space colonization and the advancement of artificial intelligence.

The report sheds light on how Musk’s commitment to increasing the population intersects with his private life. Text messages, interviews, and documents reviewed by the Journal describe Musk suggesting the use of surrogates to accelerate childbirth and referencing the potential benefits of caesarean deliveries, including claims about facilitating larger brain development.

Musk’s inner circle, including his longtime associate Jared Birchall, reportedly helps coordinate financial and legal agreements with the women raising his children, often including confidentiality clauses. Some of these arrangements have become the subject of disputes. Ashley St. Clair, a conservative influencer who had a child with Musk, was reportedly offered substantial payments in exchange for privacy, but the agreement fell apart after public disclosures, leading to a reduction in child support and ongoing legal tension.

Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink, is said to have a unique status among Musk’s partners and resides in a private compound in Austin envisioned by Musk as a shared space for mothers and children. Others, such as musician Grimes, have chosen not to participate in this communal living arrangement. Grimes, who has three children with Musk, described legal and financial strain stemming from custody disagreements.

The Journal also reports that Musk has used his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to connect with potential partners. One influencer claimed her engagement with Musk led to a surge in visibility and income, which then declined after she rejected a personal proposition.

Musk’s view, as stated in public remarks, is that his efforts — personal and professional — are part of a unified goal to ensure the continuation and expansion of the human species.

“If you don’t make new humans, there’s no humanity, and all the policies in the world don’t matter,” he said at a 2024 investor conference in Saudi Arabia.