A Burning Man
Maye Musk’s twin sister, Kaye Haldeman, found a husband
in South Africa and changed her surname to Rive after their
marriage. They had four children: Russel, Peter, Lyndon,
and Almeda. The siblings grew up in Pretoria in a house
close to Nelson Mandela’s home.
After Mandela passed away in 2013, Lyndon recalled
that Mandela was one of his greatest role models. “With
time, people can overcome their own prejudices,” he said.
“With dedication, progress can happen, even if it takes
decades. It is possible to fight hard for change while also
seeing the humanity in your opponents. Mandela kept
his dignity through decades of inhumane treatment, and
never let the way he was treated affect the way he treated
others.”^427
During Lyndon’s final year in high school, he began
selling cosmetics while learning everything about mar-
keting, sales, and logistics. This knowledge would in the
future be helpful. He was also a swimmer for South Africa’s
national underwater hockey team.^102 “It’s a sport that you
play underwater, mask, fins, one-handed stick, and lead
puck,” Lyndon said. “On the bottom of the pool, go down,
hold your breath. Before you run out of air, you give the
puck to your buddy and go up for air.”^237
After Elon and his brother Kimbal founded Zip2, they
recruited their cousin Russel to work with them. Peter