Elon Musk’s mother shared one of her son’s early computer aptitude tests on social media, praising the tech billionaire as a “genius”.

Maye Musk said that she found the report while looking through her photos. It is from the University of Pretoria, in South Africa, where Elon Musk was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧.

The Context

Musk has made his name by being at the helm of some of the largest tech companies in the world, such as SpaceX and Tesla. His reputation as a tech CEO has made him an international figure of huge influence, though his recent entry into politics has had a drastic effect on his reputation. Musk has often said that his interest in technology began at an early age, and his mother’s letter is proof of that.

What To Know

On her son’s social media site X, formerly Twitter, Maye Musk posted a document from the University of Pretoria from 1989, the same year that she and her son left South Africa for North America.

“While sorting through photos, I came across the computer aptitude test results of Elon Musk at 17,” the model said. “My genius boy. Proud mom.”

The report describes Musk’s results as “outstanding”, giving him an A+ grade in both programming and operating.

While sorting through photos, I came across computer aptitude test results of @elonmusk at 17. My genius boy. Proud mom. pic.twitter.com/1MeWDSQ6FZ

— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) May 18, 2025

In the replies to the post, Elon Musk told his mother: “They said I scored the highest for engineering aptitude that they had ever seen. Or, in other words, not bad for a human, as a future AI might say.”

Maye Musk has been a long-time advocate for her son’s work, often sharing updates and progress from Tesla and Neuralink, another one Elon Musk’s companies