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Elon Musk and Grimes just welcomed their child into the world. However, their choice of baby names has left many nonplussed. The two have decided to name their child X Æ A-12 Musk, leaving many wondering why. What some may not know is that Musk already has five other children from his previous relationship. What’s more, Musk has actually gone out of his way to start his own selective private school for his children to attend.

Elon Musk and Grimes welcome their new child 

Elon Musk and Grimes recently welcomed X Æ A-12 Musk
Elon Musk | Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Elon Musk and Grimes just welcomed their child into the world on May 5th, 2020. However, folks might have a tough time figuring out how to say their child’s name. The couple revealed that they’ve named their child X Æ A-12 Musk. 

As of now, the meaning behind the name remains unclear. Musk and Grimes have yet to open up about their thought process. 

While still expecting, Grimes described her journey through pregnancy and work. She wrote on Instagram, “Fake or real? Haha. Wow I’m starting to feel bad haha… how do y’all cope with working and having a baby?? I’m sorry I haven’t been promoting my album properly or on social media more. This whole thing has been a bit of an ordeal. Had some complications early on, a decent second trimester but starting to hurt everywhere at 25 wksz [sic].”

Grimes went on to add, “What were yall’s experience w this stuff like? I feel like I was woefully ill prepared cuz I dunno if pregnancy is as visible or discussed as it should be. I just didn’t rly understand what I was getting into. It’s been good too, but it makes working a lot harder. Good at writing and having lots of wild ideas tho, but anything physical is hard. Im also way more emo and less capable of bravery in the face of haters online and stuff haha. But my albums out in a sec so I prob need to get back on here. Don’t mind my emo energy, but curious what other ppls experience was like. I didn’t even google it, I was just like sure y not hahaha smh [sic].”

Elon Musk has five children from his previous relationship

X Æ A-12 Musk is Grimes’ first experience with pregnancy, but for Elon Musk, this is in fact his sixth child. The Tesla founder has five other children from his last marriage with Justine Wilson.

Wilson is now estranged from Musk, with no direct interpersonal communication. In a piece she wrote for Marie Claire, his first wife said of their decision to have children, “One night, over dinner, he asked me how many kids I wanted to have. ‘One or two,’ I said immediately, ‘although if I could afford nannies, I’d like to have four.’” According to Wilson, Musk then told her, “That’s the difference between you and me. I just assume that there will be nannies.”

Wilson, in her piece about Musk, described a relationship centered on Musk’s need to be the alpha. She paints a picture of a man raised in a male-dominated culture, who often treated her like an underperforming employee. 

Wilson wrote of their marriage, “This, and the vast economic imbalance between us, meant that in the months following our wedding, a certain dynamic began to take hold. Elon’s judgment overruled mine, and he was constantly remarking on the ways he found me lacking. ‘I am your wife,’ I told him repeatedly, ‘not your employee.’ ‘If you were my employee,’ he said just as often, ‘I would fire you.’”

Musk’s children attend his own private school

Grimes
Grimes | JC Olivera/Getty Images

When Elon Musk’s children were born, he decided to take their education into his own hands. Musk pulled them out of their private school and started his own. 

Located in Southern California, the school is named Ad Astra, Latin for “to the stars.” However, the school’s details are somewhat shrouded in mystery. In an interview with Beijing Television in 2015, Musk said, “There aren’t any grades. It makes more sense to cater the education to match their aptitudes and abilities.”

X Prize Foundation chairman Peter Diamandis said of the school, “One element that is persistent in that small school of 31 kids is the conversation about ethics and morals, a conversation manifested by debating real-world scenarios that our kids may one day face.”

QZ reports that the current selection process for Ad Astra involves a student endeavor to show creativity and ambition, a parent statement, and a student answer to one of three questions meant to challenge analytical thinking, problem-solving, and morality.