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tencent technology news according to foreign media reports, tesla ceo elon musk has long presented a fearless image in public, traveling around the world and chatting and laughing with celebrities from all walks of life. however, with the growing wealth and fame, and the escalating controversy caused by his public remarks, musk has to face increasingly severe security threats and increasingly hides himself behind bodyguards.

according to u.s. police and tesla internal documents, musk, the world's richest man with a net worth of more than $240 billion, has encountered fanatical fans from time to time, but now he has to deal with hostile stalkers and death threats frequently. faced with this change, musk has significantly strengthened his personal security measures, the scale and intensity of which far exceed the standards of other billionaires.

internal code name "traveler" security costs millions of dollars each year

documents show that tesla and spacex and other related companies invest millions of dollars in musk's security every year, including cooperation costs with internationally renowned security companies such as gavin de becker & associates. in addition, musk also personally founded the security company foundation security to achieve full control of his own security protection.

us security experts pointed out that musk's security team is now similar to a small secret service, and he is more like a head of state than a corporate executive. in the past, musk was accompanied by only two bodyguards, but now he is surrounded by more than 20 professional security personnel when traveling. they carefully plan escape routes and carefully check every environment to ensure that there is no room for error. these bodyguards are fully armed and equipped with medical experts. they regard musk's safety as their top priority and have given him the internal code name "voyager".

the growing security threats heightened musk’s fears and drove him toward an increasingly isolated life, according to three people close to him. even in private moments, such as using the bathroom at the social media company x, musk was rarely out of sight of his bodyguards, according to a 2023 lawsuit over severance pay.

at tesla's annual shareholder meeting in june this year, musk bluntly stated that the threats against him were becoming more and more crazy, which forced him to face the public with a colder attitude.

musk's security measures are significantly different from those of other super-rich people. for example, warren buffett, who is worth more than $145 billion, has always maintained a low-key life with only one personal bodyguard for many years; and jack dorsey, the founder of x, often walks several kilometers through san francisco without a bodyguard.

this year, tesla's official documents disclosed for the first time that part of the security costs provided to musk in 2023 reached $2.4 million (about rmb 17 million). in addition, the expenditure in the first two months of 2024 has reached $500,000 (about rmb 3.55 million), which is more than five times the expenditure in the same period of 2019. from 2015 to 2018, musk's average monthly security expenditure remained at around $145,000 (about rmb 1.03 million).

in contrast, apple and amazon are more conservative in their security spending. apple spent $820,000 on ceo tim cook's security last year, while amazon provides founder jeff bezos with a security budget of about $1.6 million per year. meta is one of the few companies that is more generous in security spending, allocating $23.4 million (about 166 million yuan) for ceo mark zuckerberg's security last year.

the bodyguard also has to run errands and help pay the bar tips.

according to people close to musk, he used to be casual and used to leave his car keys in the car without bodyguards. but as his popularity soared, tesla's board began to emphasize that he needed to take responsibility for his personal safety. by 2014, musk was officially equipped with a professional bodyguard team. now, wherever he travels, he is accompanied by selected bodyguards, most of whom have extensive military experience.

the cost of these high-level security services often reaches six figures per month. a document shows that in january 2016, during musk's visits to mexico, hong kong, london, paris, israel and texas, the total security costs reached us$163,674.59 (about rmb 1.16 million), which was shared by spacex, tesla and musk himself.

musk's bodyguard team is not only responsible for his safety, but also manages his daily life in detail to reduce his exposure time in public. they wash his car, pick up dry cleaning, and even help him leave an $80 tip for a london bartender. they are also deeply involved in musk's "threat assessment" and hire high-priced consultants (over $400 per hour) to conduct in-depth analysis of individuals considered "inappropriate stalkers."

documents and phone recordings show that many people who try to contact musk actually have good intentions. a few years ago, a woman left a voice message at musk's company, calling him "dad musk" and claiming that they had telepathic contact last year. she said: "i can't wait for you to propose to me in outer space."

as of 2022, musk's net worth has soared to more than $200 billion. tesla's leadership in the electric vehicle market and spacex's successful feat of transporting astronauts into space for nasa have greatly enhanced his global visibility, but at the same time have also significantly increased his concerns about his personal safety.

in october of the same year, musk's acquisition of social media platform x once again pushed him to the forefront of public opinion. just two months later, he ordered the closure of 25 accounts, including an account of a college student who tracked his private jet itinerary, on the grounds that these accounts constituted "potential assassination coordinates."

tesla sets up internal intelligence investigation department and creates private security company

in order to have more direct control over his own security, musk registered foundation security in california in 2016 through jared birchall, the head of his family office. it is reported that the company is led by justin riblet, a former weapons sergeant of the army special forces. this year, tesla publicly confirmed for the first time that it had reached a cooperation agreement with musk's security company to provide customized security services for it.

tesla also has a strict security system, including intelligence investigation departments and drone monitoring technology, to ensure the full security of the company's facilities and activities. however, these increasingly stringent security measures have also restricted musk's freedom of movement to a certain extent. according to people familiar with the matter, when participating in outdoor activities such as the burning man festival in nevada, he often chooses to stay near the camp, and the bodyguard team cleans the scene in advance to ensure that no unauthorized persons approach.

threats against musk appear to be on the rise. according to records, the travis county sheriff's office has been involved in eight "terrorist threats" since tesla opened its factory in austin in early 2022, at least two of which were clearly directed at musk himself. in contrast, tesla's factory in fremont, california, has only recorded five terrorist threats requiring police intervention in the past decade.

in july this year, after the assassination attempt on former us president donald trump, musk said on the x platform: "this is a dangerous moment. in the past 8 months, two people (on different occasions) have tried to carry out fatal attacks on me." (compiled by jinlu)