Elon Musk Looks Unrecognizable In Throwback Photos Before His Tesla Fame

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has firmly established himself in the zeitgeist of the 21st century. He's helped found multiple companies, making his first millions with the sale of a company called Zip2 in the late 1990s. Not long after, PayPal, which he co-founded, was purchased by eBay. From there, he went on to be an early investor in Tesla and became the CEO in 2008. He helped Tesla become one of the world's most valuable auto companies. Of course, as he's built his companies and his bank account, Musk has also made headlines with some messy feuds. With all his fame and fortune, he's become an easily recognizable public figure. But if you look back at photos of him when he was just starting out in Silicon Valley, he looks a lot different.

His changed look seems to have a lot to do with his hair. There have been times when Musk's hair has been even weirder than Trump's, and there has been persistent speculation that both men have had hair transplants. For Musk, his hairline and hair volume definitely don't look the same over time, and it's not as though hair typically grows more full as one gets older.

People on X (formerly known as Twitter), the social media platform have definitely noticed the hair change and like to point it out. "Just remembered elon musk paid for his hairline," one person wrote. Others don't see why he wouldn't: "Idk why ppl think it's a big own against musk to point out he got a hair transplant when he started going bald. That strikes me as a totally rational thing to do if you have the money," another person said.

Elon Musk can't escape rumors that he's had plastic surgery beyond a possible hair transplant. His face looks more defined than it did when he was younger, which could be down to good genes or good work. But when you have billions at your disposal, you have the option to get the best work done.

He may also have had his smile upgraded. There's a slight unevenness to his teeth that is noticeable in photos from back around the time that he sold PayPal, and it isn't there anymore. Veneers would be the most logical reason for the change; it seems very unlikely to have been orthodontic work considering how long that would have taken and the fact that there aren't any photos of him with braces.

While Musk hasn't ever admitted to getting a hair transplant, plastic surgery of any kind, or dental work, he has admitted that he uses Mounjaro to help him slim down, joining the ranks of other celebs who've spoken out about using weight loss drugs. So it seems that if he had had work done, he would be OK with telling people about it. The facial adjustments he's undergone (if any) have been relatively subtle, outside of his hair, so it will be interesting to see if his appearance changes any more drastically as he continues to age.