Elon Musk Buys $35 Million “Secret Compound” in Austin

We know Elon Musk has big plans to colonize Mars. But apparently, he also had ambitions to expand his real estate footprint on earth. The Tesla founder and South African billionaire officially snagged a “secret compound” for $35 million in Austin, Texas, per the New York Times. The massive purchase includes three mansions within a 10-minute walk from one another, and the newspaper reports that Musk hopes to spend time with his 11 children there, and have their mothers reside in the “adjoining properties.”

The main compound is a 14,4000-square-foot communal abode inspired by the villas in Tuscany, Italy, with a six-bedroom mansion he helped purchase directly behind it. The businessman reportedly resides in a third home—a short distance away from his companies SpaceX, X, and Tesla’s Gigafactory in Silicon Hills. So far, only one of the mothers, Shivon Zilis, is reportedly living at the joint estate with their three children, while Canadian musician Grimes has “steered clear,” leaving Austin amid an ongoing custody battle with Musk for their three children. (Musk also shares six children with his first wife, Justine Wilson, one of whom died at just 10 weeks old.)

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Musk’s cluster of manses aren’t as private and secure as one would expect the world’s richest man to have. Neighbors are able to peek if someone is home or if they “see a pet groomer pick up a small dog,” per the New York Times. He also made it a mission to secure the three properties, offering homeowners in the area “20 to 70 percent above the value of their houses,” the outlet says.

Musk has been making Texas his home over the past few years. His multi-million dollar purchase comes four years after selling seven of his mansions, six of which were in Los Angeles and one in Hillsborough, California. He soon settled on a tiny, $50,000 compact home in Boca Chica, Texas, used as his primary residence and the SpaceX headquarters. It’s a 20-by-20-feet and foldable created by Boxabl, a housing startup company, equipped with studio-like set-up. It features one living room, a bedroom area, a fully-equipped kitchen, and a bathroom.