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10 days with Elon Musk: How the 50-year-old billionaire spent his birthday week

10 days with Elon Musk: How the 50-year-old billionaire spent his birthday week

Elon Musk turned 50 on June 28. (Maurizio Pesce/CC)

Enigmatic entrepreneur, tiny home resident and newly minted 50-year-old Elon Musk leads a busy life. How has he spent his first 10 days over the hill?

Musk has kept busy with frequent flights, his many ventures and the passive accrual of hundreds of millions of dollars in wealth. But he has also made time for market-shifting memes and keyboard advocacy, according to various social media accounts, business announcements and local reports.

We want to hear about your Elon Musk sightings! Send us a tip at editor@austonia.com.

Read on for a glimpse into his unique lifestyle.

Monday, June 28

Musk's private jet flew from Brownsville to Austin on his birthday, according to the Twitter tracking bot account @ElonJet, and received warm wishes from his mother, model Maye Musk, and many acolytes.

Musk keeps a low profile while in Austin, where his partner, the musician Grimes, lives. He's been spotted at The Pershing, an exclusive social club in East Austin, and most recently was seen eating at Neighborhood Sushi. He has also been spotted around town with fellow California transplant Joe Rogan and at 1618 Asian Fusion on East Riverside Drive.

Musk was also the focus of media attention on his birthday, when the Houston Chronicle took a look inside his $50,000 rented tiny home in Boca Chica, Texas, where his aerospace company SpaceX has a launch facility. Musk is the second richest person on the planet, with an estimated net worth of $151 billion, according to Forbes.

That same day, District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes visited the Gigafactory construction site in Southeast Travis County, touting its progress.

Thursday, July 1

Musk's private jet flew from Austin to Brownsville. From the SpaceX Boca Chica test site, the CEO teased the company's Super Heavy booster, which will be used to launch Starship—designed to fly humans to Mars—as soon as later this month.

Grimes also shared a selfie on Instagram, tagged to the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site.

Friday, July 2

Musk's private jet flew from Brownsville to Los Angeles, where he typically spends Friday afternoons in the Tesla Design Studio, and then to Hawthorne, California, where SpaceX is headquartered. Musk's tunneling startup, The Boring Company, has also built a 1.14-mile research-and-development tunnel in the Southern California city, originating from the SpaceX site.

Tesla also announced its second quarter vehicle production numbers. The electric carmaker delivered 201,250 cars, more than twice as many as it did during the same period last year, despite a global chip shortage. Musk celebrated on Twitter.

Saturday, July 3

Musk concedes on Twitter that self-driving cars are a trickier proposition than he initially thought.

The Tesla CEO has a long history of overpromising and under-delivering when it comes to the company's self-driving vehicles, according to The Verge. A growing number of fatal crashes involving Tesla's Autopilot system have also spurred concerns—and even prompted a federal investigation.

Sunday, July 4

Musk celebrated the Fourth of July, tweeting "Bless America." He was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and moved to Canada at 17 to attend university. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and then headed to California, where he founded his first company.

Musk has said he aspired to move to the U.S. as a child and attributes at least some of his success to his chosen home. "There is definitely no other country where I could have done this—immigrant or not," he told Bloomberg last year.

Monday, July 5

One week into being 50, Musk took to Twitter to express support for Britney Spears, who has recently spoken out against her "abusive" conservatorship. Grimes, who has cited Spears as a musical influence, responded: "Thank u."

Tuesday, July 6

Musk's private jet flew to San Jose, and the crypto supporter tweeted a cryptic meme that commenters suspected was about Dogecoin.

Despite the documented "Elon Musk Effect," in which his tweets and SNL monologue could drive the volatility of Dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies, Musk's influence may be waning. "(T)he crypto community may have grown tired with Musk's tweets, possibly making their influence fade away as just another passing fad," according to a recent Business Insider market report.

Meanwhile, The Boring Company won a contract to build an underground transit system connecting downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach. Mayor Dean Trantalist announced the decision on Tuesday, tweeting that it "could be a truly innovative way to reduce traffic congestion."

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Tito's releases (not so?) ugly sweater line for the holidays, profits to charity

Tito's releases (not so?) ugly sweater line for the holidays, profits to charity

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things to do

Mac and Cheese Fest and Free Art Exhibit

Mac and Cheese Fest and Free Art Exhibit
Waterloo Greenway, Good Vibrations Installation


🗓 All weekend

🎨 Creek Show Art Exhibit

Check out this highly anticipated art exhibition with illuminated art along Waller Creek. Tickets are free and the event includes food vendors, dazzling lights, live music, and hands-on activities

All weekend 6 p.m - 10 p.m | 📍Waterloo Park

✨ Mozart's Light Show

This iconic holiday tradition lights up for the first time this holiday season starting this weekend! Reserve your spot for an enchanting light and sound performance, delicious hot cocoa, sweet treats, and some overall fun with your friends or family. The show runs till January 6th.

6 p.m and 9 p.m | 📍Mozart's Coffee Roasters - 3825 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, TX 78703

🗓 Saturday

🥊 Kickboxing in the Park

This fitness event is free and open to the public. Get your morning started right with a "Fitness in the park" class for kickboxing! The class will be led by certified instructors and is a great way to get a cardio workout in while also honing your self-defense skills.

10 a.m - 11 a.m | 📍 Metz Park

🛍 The Front Market

Support local LBGTQ+ and female artists at this outdoor market with over 150 vendors. Get your holiday shopping out of the way at this event, with vendors for food trucks, handmade goods, raffles, hands on workshops and activities, and more.

11 a.m - 5 p.m | 📍Ani's Day and Night - 7107 E Riverside Drive, Austin, TX 78741

🗓 Sunday

🧀 Mac and Cheese Fest

Did someone say cheese?! If you're like me and always willing to get your hands on a bowl of mac and cheese, then this event is for you. Check out the Mac and Cheese festival happening this weekend to decide which vendor has. the best mac and cheese for yourself, and enjoy the bar with creative cocktails while you're at it. Tickets start at $45.

11 a.m - 3 p.m | 📍Lantana Place - 7415 Southwest Parkway

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