On a bright Friday morning, July 4, 2025, at 11:45 AM +07, the spotlight shines not only on Elon Musk, the world’s richest man with a net worth exceeding $367 billion, but also on his younger sister, Tosca Musk, whose own journey to millionaire status has quietly captivated attention. While Elon commands headlines with Tesla, SpaceX, and his polarizing social media presence, Tosca has carved a distinct path as an entrepreneur and filmmaker, amassing her own fortune through creativity and determination. At 50, Tosca’s rise from a South African childhood to a Hollywood success story highlights a family legacy of innovation, with her latest ventures gaining traction amid her brother’s global influence. This narrative, unfolding as the Musk siblings continue to shape industries, offers a fresh perspective on talent and wealth beyond Elon’s shadow.
Tosca Musk was born on July 20, 1974, in Pretoria, South Africa, the youngest of three children to Maye Musk, a model and dietitian, and Errol Musk, an electromechanical engineer. Growing up alongside Elon, born in 1971, and Kimbal, born in 1972, Tosca experienced a childhood marked by both privilege and hardship. Maye, who raised the children largely alone after divorcing Errol in 1979, often brought them to her modeling gigs due to financial constraints, fostering a sense of independence. Tosca has credited this upbringing for her work ethic, recalling in a 2023 interview with Variety, “We had to learn to fend for ourselves, which built resilience.” This resilience propelled her to the United States in the late 1990s, where she pursued higher education, earning a degree in economics from the University of British Columbia and later studying film at the University of Cape Town.
Tosca’s entrepreneurial spirit emerged early. While Elon and Kimbal ventured into tech with Zip2, sold to Compaq for $307 million in 1999, Tosca turned to storytelling. In 2010, she founded Passionflix, a streaming platform dedicated to adapting romance novels into films, targeting a niche underserved by mainstream Hollywood. Her vision was to create “Hallmark-style movies with a steamy twist,” as she described in a 2021 Forbes profile. The platform, launched with her own funds and modest investor backing, initially struggled but gained momentum with titles like Afterburn, based on Sylvia Day’s novel, released in 2017. By 2025, Passionflix boasts a catalog of over 50 films, generating an estimated $15 million annually, cementing Tosca’s millionaire status with a personal net worth around $20 million, according to industry estimates.
The Musk family’s tight-knit dynamic has played a role in Tosca’s success. Elon, with his $250 million investment in Trump’s 2024 campaign and leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until May 2025, has been a supportive sibling, though not a financial backer. “He doesn’t pay for everything—people assume that, but it’s not true,” Tosca clarified in a 2024 People interview. Kimbal, a restaurateur with a $900 million fortune from Tesla and food ventures, has also collaborated with her on sustainable food initiatives tied to Passionflix events. Their mother, Maye, now 77 and a model-icon, has been a vocal cheerleader, attending Tosca’s film premieres. This familial support, combined with Tosca’s drive, has fueled her ascent, though she navigates the “Musk curse”—public assumptions of nepotism—head-on.
Tosca’s wealth stems from Passionflix’s subscription model, charging $5.99 monthly, and lucrative licensing deals with romance authors. Her hands-on role as director and producer, seen in projects like the 2023 The Mating Game, has earned critical praise and a loyal audience, with 1.2 million subscribers by mid-2025. The platform’s recent surge, partly attributed to a 2025 feud between Elon and Trump driving traffic to Musk-related sites, crashed its servers during the June premiere of Black Dagger Brotherhood, a paranormal romance series, boosting her profile. “It’s a blessing and a curse to be a Musk,” she told Entertainment Weekly in March 2025, noting how her brother’s controversies—like the 2025 DOGE exit—unintentionally spotlight her work.
Her personal life adds depth to her story. Tosca was married to Jeff Zweig, a film executive, from 2000 to 2012, with whom she has two daughters, Grayson and Leila. Post-divorce, she has kept her romantic life private, focusing on motherhood and career. Her South African roots influence her films, often featuring diverse casts and settings, a nod to her heritage. This authenticity resonates with fans, distinguishing her from Hollywood’s mainstream, though some critics argue her success rides Elon’s coattails—a claim she refutes with her pre-Passionflix scriptwriting credits from the 2000s.
Tosca’s millionaire status places her among a rare breed of sibling-success stories. Compared to Kimbal’s culinary empire, her wealth is modest but self-made, contrasting with Elon’s tech-driven billions. Her 2024 net worth, estimated at $20 million by Forbes, reflects profits, real estate in Los Angeles, and investments in indie film projects. This financial independence, achieved without Elon’s direct aid, underscores her talent, though his 200 million X followers amplify her visibility—seen in a 2025 traffic spike during Elon’s Trump spat, as reported by The Daily Beast.
The Musk siblings’ influence extends beyond wealth. Elon’s 2025 Neuralink and SpaceX milestones, alongside Tosca’s Passionflix growth, highlight a family reshaping industries. Tosca’s films, with budgets averaging $1 million versus Hollywood’s $100 million blockbusters, prove profitability through niche targeting. Her 2025 project, a Jane Austen adaptation with a modern twist, aims to expand her audience, potentially doubling revenue. This ambition mirrors Elon’s risk-taking, though her focus remains artistic, not technological.
Public perception varies. Fans on X praise her “Musk grit,” with posts lauding Passionflix’s 2025 crash as “success overload.” Critics, however, question her autonomy, citing Elon’s 2024 Tesla stock boost post-Trump reconciliation as a family halo effect. Tosca counters this in a June 2025 Vogue feature, emphasizing her decade-long grind before Passionflix’s breakout. Her mother, Maye, reinforces this, telling Good Housekeeping in 2024, “Tosca’s success is her own—she’s as driven as her brothers.”
As July 2025 unfolds, Tosca’s story gains momentum. Her next film, slated for December, and Passionflix’s global expansion plans signal a millionaire’s ascent built on talent, not just lineage. While Elon conquers space, Tosca conquers hearts, proving the Musk name carries more than one kind of genius. This sibling synergy, rooted in a South African upbringing, continues to captivate, offering a narrative of individual triumph within a billionaire dynasty.
