As threats to his personal security become more and more serious, one of the richest men in the world Elon Musk has acquired an army of bodyguards that acts as a mini secret service. The New York Times reports that.
“Musk, 53, has long portrayed a carefree persona, traveling the world, socializing with tycoons, world leaders and celebrities… But in private life, he is increasingly barricaded behind a growing phalanx of armed bodyguards as he becomes richer, more famous and more outspoken, and the threats against him multiply,” the article says.
It is noted that Musk has upgraded his own defenses in recent years, expanding his already robust personal security far more than other billionaires. The businessman and his companies Tesla and SpaceX have allocated millions of dollars a year for these needs, including to security company Gavin de Becker & Associates and others, according to internal Tesla documents. To further secure himself, Musk founded Foundation Security, according to documents and experts.
“His security team now operates like a mini secret service, and he is guarded more like a head of state than a business executive, security experts say. Musk, who was once surrounded by two bodyguards, travels with 20 security specialists who show up to map out escape routes or clear a room before he enters. They often carry guns and keep a medic with them for Musk, who has been codenamed Voyager by his security team,” the newspaper said.
Security threats have caused Musk to become more cautious and his lifestyle more isolated, three sources close to the billionaire said. At Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in June, Musk said he thought the threats against him were getting crazier.
Tesla says it paid $2.4 million for part of Musk’s defense in 2023 and $500,000 in the first two months of this year, more than five times what it spent on average every two months in 2019. From 2015 to 2018, Musk spent an average of $145,000 a month on security, according to bills and receipts seen by The Times.
“By comparison, Apple spent $820,000 last year to protect its chief executive, Tim Cook, while Amazon spends $1.6 million a year to protect its founder, Jeff Bezos. One of the few companies spending more is Meta*, which last year allocated $23.4 million for the security of its CEO Mark Zuckerberg,” the publication notes.
*Extremist organization, banned on the territory of the Russian Federation