The day Elon Musk revealed to the world that he had Asperger's syndrome

On January 19, Elon Musk shocked people by making a Nazi salute during Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony, a gesture that some try to explain as being a symptom of his Asperger's syndrome. The billionaire had in fact revealed that he had it on the set of the comedy show “Saturday Night Live” on May 8, 2021. This form of autism, which affects social interactions, is a neurological development disorder of genetic origin: “I'm making history tonight by being the first person with Asperger's syndrome to guest on SNL…or at least admit it.”

Known for his controversial tweets, which have sometimes been the subject of legal proceedings, the Tesla boss had referred to them during his memorable appearance on the show: “Listen, I know that I say or I post strange things, but that's just the way my brain works. To everyone I may have offended, I tell them: “I reinvented the electric car and I am sending people to the planet Mars on a rocket.” Did you really think I was a relaxed, normal guy?”

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“A kind of know-it-all”: the complicated childhood of Elon Musk told by his biographer

An extraordinary child

With an IQ of 155, Elon Musk had a childhood marked by problems communicating with peers his age. In 2015, Ashlee Vance, who wrote the biography of the South African businessman, already spoke of the latter's “high intellectual potential”, which “designates a group of people who are obviously very, very intelligent, totally at home. above IQ standards.”

Asperger's syndrome is part of the autism spectrum, and is characterized by difficulty interpreting verbal and non-verbal language and needing more time to process information. People with the condition also have difficulty expressing their feelings in conventional ways, although they may be more empathetic than non-autistic people. Many people with Asperger's syndrome have intense, highly focused interests, a subject that they are passionate about and to which they devote most of their time and energy. In the case of Elon Musk, his energy now seems to be focused on his new role as Donald Trump's “Minister of Government Effectiveness”.