Elon Musk reveals more about his ‘life-changing decision’

Elon Musk may be the world’s richest person, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s living large all the time. While he does have some modern amenities with high price tags, like his private jet, for example, Musk made a life-changing decision to live more simply last year that has come as a surprise to many ever since. 

Musk downsized his life last summer to move into a $50,000 house located near SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas, a move that Inc.com’s Bill Murphy Jr. called life-changing at the time. It’s a story Murphy Jr. has covered since the beginning, and it begins with the modular tiny house startup Boxabl.

In November 2020, Boxabl co-founder Galiano Tiramani announced the company had constructed and delivered a tiny house for a “top-secret customer.” The location of the customer? Boca Chica, Texas — or the town in which SpaceX’s Starbase is located.

It was quite the reveal on its own, but if that wasn’t enough, Tiramani was seated beside a poster with a SpaceX rocket. Still, the news didn’t exactly confirm suspicions that Musk lived at the location. However, a tweet from Musk six months later would further pique that interest.

“My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though,” said Musk in a tweet in June 2021. 

My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though.

Only house I own is the events house in the Bay Area. If I sold it, the house would see less use, unless bought by a big family, which might happen some day.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2021

As onlookers attempted to connect the dots, it only took a few months for one Texas resident to note Musk’s life-changing move to downsize once again, noting the Boxabl rumor almost as if it were fact. And this time, Musk responded.

“I’ve actually been living in a ~$50k house in south Texas for past 2 years, not Boxabl (cool product tho). Feels more homey to live in a small house,” wrote Musk.

I’ve actually been living in a ~$50k house in south Texas for past 2 years, not Boxabl (cool product tho).

Feels more homey to live in a small house.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2021

So if he didn’t live in the Boca Chica Boxabl, who did? The case would go cold for over a year and a half, before Musk shared more details about his living situation on the Full Send Podcast in recent weeks.

"I don't actually stay in the Boxabl. The house that I bought actually costs less a Boxabl. It was like $45k or something,” Musk said on the podcast. “But, I've done a lot with the place. ... It's right next to the rocket factory. I can just literally walk to the rocket factory. ... Friends of mine can't believe I'm staying in this house."

Musk simply uses the Boxabl unit as a guest house (likely making him the "secret customer" after all), and stays in an even cheaper modular tiny home when he's not busy traveling.

And while he wouldn't reveal any more detail about his own space — likely for his own security and safety — his notes about how much downgrading changed his life are, perhaps, even more telling.

===