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Did Elon's first wife demand 5% of Tesla at one time after divorce?
Grok ^ | 03/30/2026 | Grok

Posted on 03/31/2026 10:48:41 PM PDT by SmokingJoe

Yes, Elon Musk's first wife, Justine Musk (née Wilson), demanded equity stakes in his companies during their contentious 2008–2010 divorce proceedings, including 10% of his Tesla shares and 5% of his SpaceX shares.⁠Reuters

Contemporary reporting from 2010 confirms this. A Reuters article from May 2010 stated that Justine wanted "10 percent of her husband's stake in the carmaker [Tesla]" along with "5 percent of his stake in space exploration company, SpaceX," plus alimony/child support, $6 million, and a Tesla Roadster. Similar details appeared in other outlets at the time, noting her push to rescind a post-nuptial agreement that limited her claims on community property (beyond their house).⁠Reuters +1

Later accounts, including a 2025 Forbes article, align with this: Justine sought the family home, child support, $6 million in cash, a glacier-blue Tesla Roadster, 10% of Elon's Tesla shares, and 5% of his SpaceX shares. Elon reportedly countered with a cash settlement offer equivalent to about $80 million pre-tax (which she declined, preferring equity in the then-young companies Tesla and SpaceX). The court ultimately upheld the post-nup, and she received significantly less—no equity stakes in either company. Had she gotten the full requested package, Forbes estimated she could be worth around $17 billion today.⁠Forbes

Justine herself detailed the broader divorce in her 2010 Marie Claire essay "I Was a Starter Wife," focusing on the marriage dynamics, the post-nup she signed early on, and the legal fight, but she didn't frame the equity demands as the central story there. Elon, in a 2010 Business Insider post, described offering more than double the post-nup amount and noted her insistence on ownership in Tesla and SpaceX.⁠Businessinsider

In short, while the query mentions "5% of Tesla," the documented demand was actually 10% of Tesla (plus the 5% SpaceX). The 5% figure for Tesla doesn't appear in primary sources from the time or reliable retellings—it's likely a mix-up with the SpaceX portion. The divorce was messy, involved attempts to void the post-nup on fiduciary grounds, and ended with Justine receiving cash/assets (roughly $20 million post-tax equivalent, including the house and support) but no company equity. Tesla went public in 2010 amid the proceedings, adding to the stakes.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: divorce; elon; justine; musk; tesla

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1 posted on 03/31/2026 10:48:41 PM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: SmokingJoe
Often wondered how Musk went through 3 divorces and kept most of his money while Gates went through one divorce and had to give up over $20 billion.
2 posted on 03/31/2026 10:56:33 PM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: SmokingJoe

Musk and Tiger Woods should have studied the Derek Jeter model. Raise hell while you’re single. Then if you just have too. Get married and settle down. I’d just like to have 5 shares of SpaceX when it goes public.


3 posted on 03/31/2026 11:00:09 PM PDT by Equine1952 (MM1SS SASOB)
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To: SmokingJoe

Musk never went to Epstein Island.


4 posted on 03/31/2026 11:02:44 PM PDT by Jonty30 (I would have been an awesome merchant marine. I can sell convenient store items very well.)
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To: SmokingJoe

What in the hell did she do to deserve 5% of Tesla?


5 posted on 03/31/2026 11:30:36 PM PDT by DesertRhino (When men on the chessboard, get up and tell you where to go…)
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To: DesertRhino

Married Musk.
Had 5 kids with him.


6 posted on 03/31/2026 11:42:09 PM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: Jonty30

And that saved him 20 billion.


7 posted on 04/01/2026 12:55:56 AM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: SmokingJoe

Elon should think long and hard before ever getting married.


8 posted on 04/01/2026 1:02:53 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: FLT-bird

“Elon should think long and hard before ever getting married.”

Yes , and then decide to not get married !


9 posted on 04/01/2026 1:05:59 AM PDT by sushiman
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: sushiman

There is also legal precedent (in some States) for romantic partners and dissolution of the partnerships - palimony.


11 posted on 04/01/2026 2:55:17 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14/12- 930am -rampage begins... 12/15/12 - 1030am - Obama team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: SmokingJoe

And you wonder why “Men Going Their Own Way” is happening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XPjr3qjJ-w


12 posted on 04/01/2026 3:51:19 AM PDT by Flavious_Maximus (Tony Fauci will be put on death row and die of COVID!)
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To: SmokingJoe

One more reason for men to stay single. Get a dog if you want true love.


13 posted on 04/01/2026 4:48:12 AM PDT by Wilderness Conservative (Death to the DEATH TO AMERICA, Democrats.)
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To: DesertRhino
What in the hell did she do to deserve 5% of Tesla?

One word. Female.

14 posted on 04/01/2026 5:52:40 AM PDT by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal the 16th Amendment)
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To: SmokingJoe

I worked with Microsoft orders while I was at Intel.
Gates is NOT the sharpest knife it the set.
I used to think Intel was inflexible regarding customers but MS is 10k worse.
Which explains the products they deliver.


15 posted on 04/01/2026 7:38:31 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: SmokingJoe

The divorce was messy, involved attempts to void the post-nup.

Going for it all trip meter blinks.


16 posted on 04/01/2026 7:40:27 AM PDT by Vaduz (NEVER TRUST A DEMOCRAT)
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To: SmokingJoe
Often wondered how Musk went through 3 divorces and kept most of his money while Gates went through one divorce and had to give up over $20 billion.

His lawyer must have been smart, because AOC says he is dumb. Believe all women!

/sarc



17 posted on 04/01/2026 10:26:18 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. --DJT)
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