The cowboy-hat wearing, Colorado-dwelling, culinary-trained brother picked by Elon as his company trustee: Meet Kimbal Musk, who survived a broken neck and vowed to dedicate his life to sustainable eating and energy (with his new heiress bride)

  • Kimbal Musk, 46, grew up in Pretoria, South Africa, with older brother Elon, their sister, Tosca, and parents Errol and Maye
  • The Musk brothers founded company Zip2 together in the '90s following a cross-country trip and later sold it for $307million 
  • Kimbal graduated from culinary school and traveled across the US with his wife to identify a site for the restaurant he wanted to open, settling on Boulder, CO
  • In 2010, he broke his neck during a snow accident in Wyoming and narrowly avoided paralysis; after the experience he dedicated himself to food projects
  • Kimbal also divorced his first wife - with whom he has three children -  following the accident, and he remarried this summer to heiress Christiana Wyly
  • Kimbal has said that Elon's views 'are stratospheric, while mine are more in the ground;' he has spearheaded school projects and urban farming 

It’s certainly not unusual to see a cowboy-hat clad Coloradoan, but there’s one particular figure who often stands out against the mountain backdrop in Boulder, Colorado. He’s 6’4 and routinely smiling, a wiry and energetic Boulder resident who for years has been a common sight hobnobbing with locals, hanging out in restaurants, driving a Tesla or riding a bike.

His name is Kimbal, and he’s an amicable, ambitious father-of-three well-known in the 300,000-population city. He’s not as recognizable in other parts of the world, despite his significant philanthropic efforts; he’s certainly not as recognizable as his older brother.

Because Kimbal’s last name is Musk, and he’s the year-younger sibling of Tesla billionaire Elon.

While he may not have as high (or, indeed, controversial) a profile in the public consciousness, however, Kimbal’s life has been just as remarkable as Elon’s. Not only has the 46-year-old  become fabulously wealthy through ventures with Elon, but Kimbal also committed himself eight years ago to a mission promoting sustainable, healthy food after breaking his neck in a mountain accident and narrowly avoiding lifetime paralysis.

His injury and recovery were simply more twists in the always colorful lives of the Musk family, whose members have a mutual knack for making headlines despite their varied endeavors and passions. Elon has certainly been living up to that reputation, given the recent Twitter and pot-smoking fiascos which saw him step down as chairman of Tesla; his brother remains on the board amid the shakeup, fiercely loyal as the company is plunged into bureaucratic uncertainty.

The Musk family grew up in Pretoria, South Africa, before becoming household names in America; pictured from left to right are Elon, mother Maye, Kimbal and Tosca

The Musk family grew up in Pretoria, South Africa, before becoming household names in America; pictured from left to right are Elon, mother Maye, Kimbal and Tosca

Kimbal Musk earlier this year married environmental activist and heiress Christiana Wyly; they held two celebrations, one in her native Texas and another in Spain

Kimbal Musk earlier this year married environmental activist and heiress Christiana Wyly; they held two celebrations, one in her native Texas and another in Spain

Kimbal transferred his interests from the tech and business sector to the restaurant business and later sustainable, healthy, community-focused food; he has opened restaurants rooted in his ethos - such as Next Door in Boulder, Colorado where he is posing with his Tesla - in locations across the country

Kimbal transferred his interests from the tech and business sector to the restaurant business and later sustainable, healthy, community-focused food; he has opened restaurants rooted in his ethos - such as Next Door in Boulder, Colorado where he is posing with his Tesla - in locations across the country

Elon and Kimbal were raised together in Pretoria, South Africa with their sister Tosca, the children of engineering consultant Errol and model/dietician mother Maye.

‘We called him the perfect child,’ his mother told Wired for a 2015 profile. ‘Kind and considerate and generous – exactly as he comes across today.’

Their parents divorced, however, and their mother moved to Canada – where all of the children would eventually follow.

Kimbal moved to Toronto at the age of 18 and graduated from Queen’s University with a degree in business, initially nursing dreams of working on Wall Street – before he actually secured a job in finance and realized he hated corporate culture. Instead, he began looking into starting his own businesses – though it was ‘quite intimidating to do my first venture,’ he told Forbes two years ago.

‘I did a business in a box called College Pro Painters,’ he said. ‘They taught you how to paint houses, how to hire and fire, how to sell, how to deal with customers. You got a one-year franchise. It was the hardest year of my life in terms of hard work. I won manager of the year. It was very successful.’

His next successful venture, however, would be with Elon, older by a year – and would launch him into the annals of US tech history as they embarked on an ambitious nationwide project.

‘Zip2 came next,’ Kimbal told Forbes. ‘Elon and I did it together. We did a road trip around the country in 1994, and we decided to do maps and door to door directions over the Internet. We were the first guys to ever do what you see on Google today.’

The startup began on a shoestring, with the pair reportedly sleeping in the office and showering in the YMCA – but it grew and grew, with clients coming to include major newspapers and chains, which utilized the information for local content.

‘He’s the techy genius,’ Kimbal told Forbes. ‘I was more on the product side. I focused on building the business, on sales, marketing, raising money. We were a good team back then.’

The brothers sold the business in 1999 for a whopping $307million – ‘the biggest cash transaction in the history of tech,’ Musk said.

‘I owned a relatively small percentage by then but it was enough for me never to have to work again. As a 26-year-old kid, I had more money than I knew what to do with. So I moved to New York and bought a really nice apartment where the elevator opened up on the floor.’

One of the main lures of New York was his future wife, Jen Lewin, who was in an NYU arts program. With his newfound leisure time and fortune, he decided to pursue another passion: cooking. He enrolled at New York’s world-renowned – and demanding – French Culinary Institute. At the time, he was on his way to making more money as an investor in Elon’s company X.com, which in 2000 was renamed PayPal and was sold two years later to eBay for $1.5billion.

Kimbal, center, opened his first restaurant in Boulder in 2004 with his then-wife, Jen Lewin, left, and English chef Hugo Matheson - a man he met by chance in the Colorado city

Kimbal, center, opened his first restaurant in Boulder in 2004 with his then-wife, Jen Lewin, left, and English chef Hugo Matheson - a man he met by chance in the Colorado city

Kimbal says he decided to forego tech completely after surviving a 2010 accident that nearly left him paralyzed; he broke his neck on a family trip on Valentine's Day that year

Kimbal says he decided to forego tech completely after surviving a 2010 accident that nearly left him paralyzed; he broke his neck on a family trip on Valentine's Day that year

‘I am not super materialistic,’ Kimbal told the Denver Business Journal. ‘I have a nice house in Boulder, but nothing fancy. I have one car, one bike.’ Pictured here is his Victorian residence downtown, which was last listed as having five bedrooms and six bathrooms

‘I am not super materialistic,’ Kimbal told the Denver Business Journal. ‘I have a nice house in Boulder, but nothing fancy. I have one car, one bike.’ Pictured here is his Victorian residence downtown, which was last listed as having five bedrooms and six bathrooms

Kimbal, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, poses with his team of farmers from The Kitchen, one of his food/restaurant projects committed to serving America's 'heartland'

Kimbal, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, poses with his team of farmers from The Kitchen, one of his food/restaurant projects committed to serving America's 'heartland'

‘It was a class of 18, and only six would graduate because the other twelve would quit because they couldn’t handle the screaming,’ Kimbal told Wired in 2015. ‘But I really wanted to do it.’

The younger Musk brother graduated in 2001, before the September 11 attacks; when the World Trade Center collapsed, he began plying his cooking skills to help responders at Ground Zero. 

‘My intent had been to go back to tech at some point,’ he told The Guardian. ‘Cooking for the firefighters, it was this just overwhelming sense of community that was created. It’s impossible to describe how intense and awesome it was to see everyone doing that. It was simultaneously the best and worst thing that had ever happened to me – to see 9/11 and be part of helping bring people together.

‘Doing that every day for 10-12 hours a day, six days a week, my brain couldn’t go back to tech. I determined right there and then to open a restaurant.’

So Kimbal and his wife set off on yet another cross-country trip with the goal of identifying the proper location for their dream restaurant, settling on Boulder, Colorado for its culture and weather, among other attributes.

There the couple met an English chef, Hugo Matheson, and the three of them opened their own restaurant in a prime location within the 300,000-person city, naming it simply The Kitchen.

‘My brother was an investor and Hugo put a little in but I was the primary financier,’ Kimbal told Forbes. ‘It cost about $600,000.’

The Kitchen, he continued, ‘was instantly profitable.’

‘The scale isn’t as big as the other businesses I’ve been a part of, but it’s more successful than any other business I’ve been involved in.’

He also became involved in a non-profit school program to teach children about food – though he did return to the tech world again while that and The Kitchen continued operating, taking on the CEO position at Internet ad business OneRiot.

The a family trip over Valentine’s Day, 2010 changed his life.

Kimball was in Wyoming with his family – he and Lewin have three children together – and he went out in the snow with his four-year-old, flying down a ski hill on an inner tube.

‘I got to the bottom of the run, the tube flipped, and I broke my neck,’ he told Forbes. ‘I was paralyzed, horizontally, for two months, and I just decided that I wasn’t going to do technology anymore. I said, I don’t care if it’s hard. I’m going to do food.’

‘I sort of got a new lease on life,’ he explained further to The Guardian. ‘I said now I have every excuse in the world to do what I want. And you know what? I’m going to work on food culture and help food become fun and part of people’s lives again. The traditional restaurant is more commercial-oriented. But I want community through food.’ 

Kimbal, posing between his now-wife Christiana and brother Elon, posted this Thanksgiving photo to his Facebook page; he has an active social media presence

Kimbal, posing between his now-wife Christiana and brother Elon, posted this Thanksgiving photo to his Facebook page; he has an active social media presence

Kimbal started non-profit Big Green which, according to its website, ‘builds permanent, outdoor Learning Garden classrooms in hundreds of underserved schools across America reaching over 250,000 students everyday (sic)'

Kimbal started non-profit Big Green which, according to its website, ‘builds permanent, outdoor Learning Garden classrooms in hundreds of underserved schools across America reaching over 250,000 students everyday (sic)'

Kimbal poses with his mother, Maye, who has worked as a dietician and model; she and her then-husband, Errol, raised the family in South Africa before the couple divorced - after which she moved to Canada, where Kimbal followed at the age of 18

Kimbal poses with his mother, Maye, who has worked as a dietician and model; she and her then-husband, Errol, raised the family in South Africa before the couple divorced - after which she moved to Canada, where Kimbal followed at the age of 18

Kimbal also began urban farming company Square Roots, which ' brings real, local food to people in major cities by empowering next-gen farmers to grow food in indoor, modular, hydroponic farms’

Kimbal also began urban farming company Square Roots, which ' brings real, local food to people in major cities by empowering next-gen farmers to grow food in indoor, modular, hydroponic farms’

Breaking his neck, he told Denver Business Journal, gave him ‘an incredible opportunity to restart everything.’

He began looking at sustainable, sociable, healthy food production, investigating how to apply that to the American ‘heartland,’ schools and underprivileged or traditionally unhealthy communities. Through a nonprofit, he began helping to establish outdoor gardens combining play space and hands-on classroom experiences.

The first Learning Garden opened in 2011; there are now hundreds across the US, from Colorado to Chicago and Los Angeles and Memphis.

‘We opened the first Learning Garden in 2011. And we opened the first Kitchen Next Door, which was more affordable, more fun, a faster experience,’ he told the journal.

Today, his non-profit Big Green, according to its website, ‘builds permanent, outdoor Learning Garden classrooms in hundreds of underserved schools across America reaching over 250,000 students everyday (sic).

‘His urban farming company, Square Roots, brings real, local food to people in major cities by empowering next-gen farmers to grow food in indoor, modular, hydroponic farms.’

His brush with paralysis, however, also led him to another life decision – and he divorced Lewin, though the pair remain amicable and frequent collaborators. She is based in New York, where she’s a successful artist, while Musk resides in downtown Boulder.

‘I am not super materialistic,’ he told the Denver Business Journal. ‘I have a nice house in Boulder, but nothing fancy. I have one car, one bike.’

The car he mentioned, unsurprisingly, was a Tesla - which Kimbal redesigned ‘from the inside out.’ Further demonstrating his commitment to his food mission, however, Kimbal auctioned off a personal Tesla earlier this year at $10 a ticket – with the winner a 31-year-old Coloradoan. The profits went to Big Green and raised $2.1million.

And Kimbal’s loyalty to Tesla is only fitting; he serves on the board of not only the car company but Elon’s SpaceX, and Kimbal chose him as trustee of both enterprises – meaning that, should something happen to his older brother, Kimbal would make the business decisions.

Although a recent SEC settlement required Elon to step down as Chairman of Tesla - and will prevent him from holding the position for three years - the older Musk remains CEO and Kimbal continues to serve on the board, which has been thrown into tumult.  

On top of his involvement with his brother’s companies, Kimbal also serves on the board of Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Despite his considerable influence and national presence – and his gregarious personality - however, Kimbal has avoided the same level of fame as his billionaire brother.

Elon, left, and Kimbal, right, went on a cross-country road trip in 1994 to map content for a company called Zip2, which they later sold for $307million

Elon, left, and Kimbal, right, went on a cross-country road trip in 1994 to map content for a company called Zip2, which they later sold for $307million

Then brothers' father, Errol, pictured, has been a controversial figure in the family for years and is estranged from Elon; Errol last year fathered a child with his own step-daughter - who is 42 years his junior and was just four years old when he married her mother (now his ex-wife)

Then brothers' father, Errol, pictured, has been a controversial figure in the family for years and is estranged from Elon; Errol last year fathered a child with his own step-daughter - who is 42 years his junior and was just four years old when he married her mother (now his ex-wife)

Kimbal poses with Christiana, who was previously married to Skunk Anansie singer Skin, real name Deborah Anna Dyer – though the wives split in 2015

Kimbal poses with Christiana, who was previously married to Skunk Anansie singer Skin, real name Deborah Anna Dyer – though the wives split in 2015

Kimbal, right, poses with Elon and his ex-wife, Talulah: their mother Maye; and Stephen Colbert; the younger Musk says of Elon: 'I have watched my brother become quite famous and it's definitely a two-edged sword. It's by no means a blessing. I mean going out to dinner with my brother is really tough. The better known he gets, the harder it gets.'

Kimbal, right, poses with Elon and his ex-wife, Talulah: their mother Maye; and Stephen Colbert; the younger Musk says of Elon: 'I have watched my brother become quite famous and it's definitely a two-edged sword. It's by no means a blessing. I mean going out to dinner with my brother is really tough. The better known he gets, the harder it gets.'

A family thrown into chaos - by its patriarch

Controversy exploded earlier this year when it was revealed that Errol Musk, the father of Elon and Kimbal, had conceived a son with his own stepdaughter - whom he'd known since she was a young girl.

Errol, 72, admitted that he fathered the child with Jana Bezuidenhout, 42 years his junior. He'd married her mother, Heide, when Jana was four years old, helping to raise the child and her two other siblings. Errol and Heide went on to have two biological children, as well.

Elon reportedly went 'berserk' when he found out about the baby boy, Elliot Rush Musk, and Heide told a South African newspaper that her ex-husband had 'brought shame on the family' and 'ruined everything.'

Errol was far more flippant in an interview with Rapport newspaper that the baby had been conceived 'in the heat of the moment.'

'I do not want to call it a mistake because no child wants to hear that they were a mistake,' said Errol, who is estranged from Elon.

'It happened one evening when Jana's boyfriend threw her out of the house and she had slept over at my house. You have to understand – I've been single for 20 years and I'm just a man who makes mistakes.'

Elon, in an interview with Rolling Stone, called his father 'a terrible human being,' adding:  'Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done. It's so terrible, you can't believe it.'     

Advertisement

‘I have watched my brother become quite famous and it’s definitely a two-edged sword,’ he told the Denver Business Journal in 2015. ‘It’s by no means a blessing. I mean going out to dinner with my brother is really tough. The better known he gets, the harder it gets.’

That being said, Kimbal has his fair share of celebrity friends – whose names stretch across nearly every international area of influence, from the tech sector, politics, the arts and business.

That was glaringly evident over the summer, when Kimbal celebrated his second marriage, wedding environmental activist and heiress Christiana Wyly. Among the guests at the lavish reception – which took place in July in the picture-perfect Spanish town of Sant Marti d’Empuries – were Salma Hayek and her fabulously wealthy French husband Francoi-Henri Pinault. Barack and Michelle Obama were also rumored to have attended, along with Will Smith – and of course Elon himself.

Kimbal, of course, wore his trademark cowboy hat, and the bride wore a cream bridal gown with an embroidered bodice and tulle skirt paired with flat sandals and a crown of flowers for her hair.

The celebration followed a formal ceremony in April in the bride’s native Dallas; she is the daughter of Texas billionaire Sam Wyly and was previously married to Skunk Anansie singer Skin, real name Deborah Anna Dyer – though the couple split in 2015.

Guests at the reception – held in trendy Dallas restaurant Cedars Social – were rumored to include actor Val Kilmer and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

It’s unclear whether attendees included his father, Errol, from whom Elon has been estranged for years. The Musk patriarch recently sparked a rift in the family after fathering a baby with his step-daughter, who is 42 years his junior and was only four years old when he married her mother.

Elon has branded Errol ‘evil’ and a ‘terrible human being,’ saying: ‘He’s good at making life miserable – that’s for sure.

‘He’s not a happy man. I don’t know how someone becomes like he is.’

Kimbal, conversely, looked radiantly happy on his Spanish wedding day, and he’s invariably grinning in pictures as he promotes his food mission around the US. His bride clearly shares his passion for the environment and sustainability, and his commitment appears unwavering (though he did admit in one interview that he’ll sometimes ‘eat a Big Mac if I l feel like it.’

He told The Guardian: ‘For me, I like to think in terms of three months out and 50 years out. Three months out is what to do now, 50 years out is what I’d like to do before I’m dead.

‘If I look back and see specific communities where I made a difference using food, I will pass very peacefully.’

He and Elon, he said, 'have similar views ... [though] his are stratospheric, while mine are more in the ground.'  

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.