Gerrard Kaonga
Elon Musk told his first wife he was 'the alpha in this relationship' during first dance, according to a new biography.
Walter Isaacson’s biography entitled Elon Musk, looks at the relationship the businessman had with his first wife, Justine Musk, as well as his other partners and accomplishments.
Isaacson spoke to both the tech mogul and Justine extensively in writing the biography, with Justine having previously detailed how their eight-year marriage proved to be difficult.
In a 2010 essay for the Marie Claire magazine, she explained the highs and lows of their relationship.
“There were warning signs. As we danced at our wedding reception, Elon told me, "I am the alpha in this relationship." I shrugged it off, just as I would later shrug off signing the postnuptial agreement, but as time went on, I learned that he was serious,” Justine wrote in the essay.
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She added that his dominant nature and attitude that had made him so successful in business did not automatically shut off when he came home.
She also claimed that he had told her ‘If you were my employee, I would fire you’ as an example of the tension that the pair held.
Explaining the early days of their marriage, Justine opened up on the power imbalance she began to notice.
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“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."
During her talks with Isaacson, she noted that Musk is ‘not a man who takes no for an answer’ and the pair would regularly argue.
She did state that she did not believe you can be in a relationship with the businessman and not argue, however.
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"I met him when he didn't have much at all," she told Isaacson.
“The accumulation of wealth and fame changed the dynamic. The strong will and emotional distance that makes him difficult as a husband may be reasons for his success in running a business.”
The pair met when Elon was a sophomore and she a freshman at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
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The pair dated sporadically but stayed in touch when he went to a different university. The pair eventually rekindled their relationship and moved in together in New York City.
UNILAD has contacted Elon Musk for comment.