The world's richest man is hiding in the dark. That is the startling reality facing Elon Musk, the tech visionary whose public life has always been defined by relentless transparency—or at least, the appearance of it—across his vast digital stage. Now, the billionaire is rarely seen outside of the tightly controlled confines of his private compounds, driven indoors by a fear that his next public appearance could be his last.
The Tesla founder, 54, recently laid bare the shocking reason for his reclusiveness to a group of former colleagues,revealing that his increasing political profile has made him one of the most significant targets in the United States for assassination. It is a terrifying admission that exposes the human cost of his late-career political transformation.
The billionaire's dramatic disclosure came on 22 November, during a top-secret reunion of current and former staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The meeting was held in a private building owned by Musk near his SpaceX and Boring Co. facilities in Bastrop, Texas.
Instead of hosting in person, however, Musk connected remotely. According to one participant who spoke to Politico, Musk 'dialed into the reunion from what appeared to be a pitch-black, undisclosed location,' a visual metaphor for the shadow he now operates within.
He explained to the gathering that he decided against attending the event physically because of fears that his location would be leaked to the public, potentially enabling an attack. The revelation was not merely a fear of general risk. Musk stated that he believed he was among the top three assassination targets in the country, 'behind only Trump and Vance,' a claim that places the mogul in the very highest echelon of political danger.
Elon Musk: The Cost Of Choosing Sides: Why The Threats Skyrocketed
For a man who has always courted controversy, the severity of the threats against Elon Musk appears to have reached a critical point after he formally entered the political fray.
The South African native has been open about how the threats on his life dramatically increased after he publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president in July 2024. This endorsement came shortly after the shocking assassination attempt on the then-Republican candidate's life in Butler, Pennsylvania,lending a chilling backdrop to Musk's own fears.
As media outlets around the world began to scrutinise the electric car guru over his political stance, Musk publicly warned that his life was being put in immediate danger by the coverage. He shared a post on X in October 2024, issuing a dire accusation: 'With their relentless hit pieces, legacy mainstream media are actively encouraging the assassination of @realDonaldTrump and now me,' he wrote.
Musk accompanied this post with a photograph from the German news outlet Der Spiegel, which had labelled the SpaceX founder as 'enemy number two' alongside a picture of Trump. His sense of acute personal risk was further amplified by sharing a clip from a Trump campaign rally where he explained his reluctant plunge into politics.
'Engaging in politics [is] not what I want to do. I do not have a death wish,' Musk stated in the clip, before explaining his rationale. 'But the stakes are so high that I really have – I feel I have no choice but to do it,' he told the audience,confirming his belief that his support for the then-Republican candidate came at a devastating personal price.
Elon Musk And The Price Of Safety: A Father's Terrifying Confession
Perhaps the most human and heart-wrenching insight into the immense pressure facing Elon Musk came not from a public rally, but from a private exchange that was later released during his child custody lawsuit with Ashley St. Clair, the mother of his son. The terrifying reality of his personal danger transcended politics and struck at the core of his role as a father.
In a series of texts released in February, dating back to September 2024, Musk confessed his intense fear about a potential assassination attempt whilst travelling to see St. Clair and their infant son. His words were stark, unvarnished, and devastatingly real.
'I get credible death threats. I'm #2 after Trump for assassination,' Musk wrote at the time. He then delivered the ultimate human-impact sentence, justifying his extreme security protocols: 'If I make a mistake on security, [our son] will never know his father,' he insisted, adding pointedly, 'Wake up. This is not the time for sentiment over safety.'
When St. Clair mentioned that she had not put his name on their son's birth certificate for security purposes, Musk replied that it was 'necessary for now,' adding a chilling philosophical coda that reflects his current state of mind: 'Only the paranoid survive.'
The threat level around the billionaire became so severe during his time as a 'special government employee' (head of DOGE) that his elite private security team was deputised by the Secret Service, granting his guards enhanced rights and protections, especially during his frequent visits to the White House. However, his official term ended in May 2025, and Musk has kept an incredibly low profile ever since.
The sheer scale of the danger surrounding the tech mogul was underscored by the circumstances of his rare last public sighting: he was seen attending the memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, had himself been assassinated on a college campus just weeks earlier in Utah on 10 September.
For a man who fears he is next, attending the funeral of a fellow political figure killed by a gunman serves as the most profound and public justification for his life in the dark.
