SpaceX founder Elon Musk might be the richest man in the world, but if someone opens the fridge at his place in Boca Chica, Texas, they should not expect much more than cold air and good intentions.
On Tuesday, 77-year-old model, dietitian, and proud mother Maye Musk shared a glimpse of that reality after responding to a photo of Elon’s modest home near SpaceX’s Starbase launch site. The house is small, functional, and about as far from the billionaire mansion stereotype as it gets.
For Maye, the setup was not shocking. It was familiar.
“There is no food in the fridge. The garage where I slept is on the right,” Maye wrote on X. “The shower only has one towel so I left it for Elon. That was okay with me. When I was a child, I’d spend three weeks in the Kalahari Desert without showering. Many times. There was no water. I think my parents prepared me for this luxury.”
There is no food in the fridge. The garage where I slept is on the right. The shower only has one towel so I left it for Elon. That was okay with me. When I was a child, I’d spend three weeks in the Kalahari Desert without showering. Many times. There was no water. I think my… https://t.co/8XT04q5DQg
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) March 10, 2026
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The comment captured the tone that has defined Maye’s public support for her son for decades. No complaints. No fuss. Just a mother who sees humor in the situation and pride in the bigger mission.
The Billionaire Who Promised To Own Nothing
The tiny Texas home is not a temporary stunt. It traces back to a promise Elon made years ago.
Back in 2020, Elon posted a simple declaration on X.
“I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.”
The vow raised eyebrows at the time. Billionaires are usually known for sprawling estates and luxury compounds, not minimal living arrangements.
Yet Elon followed through. He sold his California properties and shifted his base to Texas, where his work with SpaceX centers around the launch facility at Starbase in Boca Chica. Instead of settling into a massive estate, he chose a small, practical home close to the rockets.
The result is exactly what Maye described. A house with bare cabinets, basic amenities, and none of the usual trappings that come with extreme wealth.
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A Mom Who Backed The Dream From The Start
Maye’s reaction to the setup says a lot about the family dynamic behind one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs.
Long before Tesla became a household name or SpaceX launched astronauts, Elon was a quiet kid in South Africa who spent more time reading books than fitting in at school. Maye supported those interests rather than steering him toward something safer.
That encouragement continued when he dropped out of Stanford to start an internet company that later became Zip2. It continued again during the rocky early years at Tesla, when bankruptcy was a real possibility and critics dismissed the company as unrealistic.
Through each phase, Maye stayed publicly supportive.
She built her own career as a dietitian, model, and author of the bestselling book “A Woman Makes a Plan.” She also raised three successful children, including Elon, restaurateur Kimbal, and filmmaker Tosca.
But moments like the garage story reveal something even more personal. For Maye, sleeping in a garage during a visit is not a hardship. Compared with childhood trips through the Kalahari Desert with limited water, it barely registers.
That perspective explains why the empty fridge and single towel did not bother her.
The Small House Behind The Giant Ambitions
In a culture fascinated by billionaire excess, the scene Maye described offers a sharp contrast. The richest man in the world works near a launch pad and lives in a modest house that functions more like a base camp than a palace.
Maye doesn’t frame it as sacrifice. She sees it as focus.
Her message, whether intentional or not, is simple. Elon may run companies worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but the environment around him is designed to keep attention on the work itself.
And if that environment includes an empty refrigerator, a garage guest bed, and a single towel hanging in the bathroom, Maye appears perfectly fine with it.
After all, compared with weeks in the Kalahari Desert without running water, she considers the arrangement something close to luxury.
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This article Elon Musk’s Mom Says Billionaire Son Has One Towel, ‘No Food In The Fridge’ And She Sleeps In The Garage — ‘Okay With Me’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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