Relatives of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, have shared the response they received after reaching out to their wealthier relative.
A woman researching her family history was astonished to learn she was related to Musk. Marshall Robinson and his sister Shane live in a fishing port in Lancashire and have recently discovered that they are second cousins of the billionaire.
Marshall, 86, revealed that although he had never contacted Musk, a family member did send him a message on social media. Musk’s reply was blunt: “What do you want?” and that was all.
Musk has previously spoken affectionately about his grandmother, Cora Amelia Robinson, who was born in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, in 1923. She married Walter Musk in 1944 and moved to South Africa, where they had a son, Errol Musk, Elon’s father. Errol went on to have Elon, his brother Kimbal, and sister Tosca.
Marshall, who now lives in Fleetwood, shares great-grandparents with Elon, as his grandfather was Cora’s brother, Kenneth Robinson. Marshall also recalled meeting Elon’s father, Errol, in South Africa when he was in the merchant navy many years ago.
While he is surprised by the family connection to such a high-profile figure, Marshall did not have kind words for his famous relative. “I think he’s stupid with all the things he comes out with,” he said.
His sister Shane, on the other hand, doesn’t believe Musk has intentionally shunned them but noted, “He hasn’t shown any interest in us from what I know.” She chose not to contact him herself, thinking he would be uninterested in hearing from his “poor relations.”
Although Shane has never met Elon, she did meet her great-aunt Cora during a visit to the UK 20 years ago, when Cora was with Elon’s brother.
