Elon Musk Has Glib Retort About Estrangement From His Daughter

Elon Musk had a surprisingly glib response when asked about his relationship with his daughter recently: “Can’t win them all.” The embattled tech billionaire spoke to The Financial Times about his business plans, with some time set aside for his personal life. When it comes to his 18-year-old daughter Vivian, he believes that her education has come between their relationship.

Musk said that he believes his daughter has been brainwashed to dislike him and all wealthy people by her elite educational institutions, which he says are staffed with “neo-Marxists” for teachers. He did not reveal where his daughter is enrolled in college, nor what she is studying. He said: “It’s full-on communism and a general sentiment that if you’re rich, you’re evil.” It’s worth noting that many writers, including those on and off university staffs, have written extensively to debunk the conspiracy theory that colleges have been “infiltrated” by some form of “Marxism.”

For those unaware, Musk’s daughter Vivian filed legal documents back in June to change her name at the same time she legally changed her gender. In the “reason for name change” section, she wrote: “gender identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.” However, Musk told his interview that he has not given up on salvaging that relationship someday.

Musk said that he believes his relationship with Vivian “may change” someday, but in the same breath indicated that he is not in a rush – nor is he concerned with repairing the relationship quickly. The father of nine children said: “I have very good relationships with all the others. Can’t win them all.”

Vivian and her twin, Griffin, are the eldest children from Musk’s marriage to Justine Musk. They also share 16-year-old triplets Kai, Saxon and Damian. Musk also has two children from his relationship with singer Grimes – 2-year-old X and an infant daughter named Y. Finally, Musk and his employee Shivon Zillis had twins in November of 2011.

Vivian herself has not spoken publicly about why she is estranged from her biological father, nor what it would take for them to reconcile. However, many commenters have speculated that it has to do with some of Musk’s unfriendly statements about the LGBTQ+ community. In particular, he has made several tweets mocking transgender people and the use of self-identifying pronouns.