Elon Musk & Ex-Girlfriend Grimes Had A Bigger Age Gap Than We Realized

The surprising age gap between Elon Musk and his ex-girlfriend Grimes is one of several strange things everyone ignores about the couple. It might be easy to miss that Musk was born in 1971 since the Tesla owner always reaches new levels of immaturity, which makes him appear to be much younger. But this means he's a whopping 16 years older than Grimes, who was born in 1988. However, what some might see as Musk's inability to act his age might've worked in his favor when courting Grimes in the first place. Legend has it that Musk initially made his first move on Grimes through X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Now, people of all ages use X to share opinions, keep up to date on news, and maintain connections with friends and family. However, what might not be as common for someone in their late 40s and 50s is to DM a potential crush on the platform who's a full generation younger than them. Musk first messaged Grimes after coming up with a joke he discovered the singer had already put in a song years prior. From there, the two bonded and proved during their four-year relationship that age truly is just a number. But Grimes wasn't the only woman Musk dated that he was much older than. His relationship history has shown that he has the occasional propensity for dating considerably younger women like Amber Heard, Talulah Riley, and Ashley St. Claire.

When taking a deeper look inside Elon Musk's relationship with Grimes, their age gap was at its most apparent after the musician detailed what it was really like being with the SpaceX founder. Although the pair had a lot in common, Grimes and Musk sometimes had a dynamic similar to what a student shared with their mentor. This was a testament to the vast experience Musk had over Grimes. "I learned from him, like, the best internship ever," Grimes said in a 2023 interview with Wired. 

For instance, when critics scoffed at Musk's tyrannical behavior when running companies like X, Grimes was inspired by her ex's leadership. "I learned a lot about running my own team and my own life. I'm now way tougher and smarter than I used to be," she added. Meanwhile, Grimes confided that her youth rubbed off on Musk more than anything, once again showing how their ages affected what they both brought to the table in their relationship. "Maybe have more fun," Grimes said when asked what she taught Musk. "I try to soften him up, to build family culture. And he steals a lot of my memes." Although Grimes seemed happy with this arrangement, the pair are now broken up and trying to make co-parenting work despite their many differences.