This image of a sparsely furnished bedroom has made the rounds on social media as users claim it belongs to Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world. Shared often as a joke or inspirational post lauding the billionaire's apparently spartan lifestyle, the image has also been attributed to other wealthy figures around the world. But one thing is certain: it isn't Musk's bedroom.
If you only have a minute
- A photo of a room furnished with little more than a mattress on the floor has been circulating online since April 10, said to be the bedroom of billionaire Elon Musk.
- But the photo was shared as early as May 2022 by a Twitter user. We spoke to the self-proclaimed "minimalist" who told us it was a photo of his old room.
- The same photo has been used many times to make fun of tech workers and their minimalist lifestyle. It's also been attributed to other millionaires and billionaires around the world.
- Even though the image is not really Elon Musk's bedroom, it does echo the image the Twitter boss has sought to share online: that of a billionaire living in basic conditions in order to focus on his work.
The fact-check in detail
A simple mattress, white walls, and two computers on the floor... many people online said this is the bedroom of Elon Musk, currently the second richest man in the world, according to Forbes.
The image was originally shared in a satirical post on April 10, and viewed more than 26 million times. But since then, it's been shared seriously numerous times and in multiple languages, like in this post in French.
The bedroom of an American 'minimalist' in New York
Using a reverse image search (click here to find out how), we were able to find the same photo published in May 2022. Twitter user @cmspeary shared it on his account.
The FRANCE 24 Observers team contacted the user, who told us that it was his own bedroom. He sent us other images of the room to prove he had lived there.
"The room is empty because I am a minimalist," he explained, referring a lifestyle choice based on reduced consumption.
He also clarified that the room was in New York, USA, and that he no longer lived there.
A man living in spartan conditions?
So this room is not Elon Musk's, but it echoes a narrative that the Twitter boss has sought to develop around his persona: that of a simple man, living in basic conditions.
Indeed, he responded to the recent allegations by saying they were "not totally wrong". "Slept on a friend's couch last weekend," he wrote on Twitter.
Back in 2020, the billionaire claimed to be selling almost all of his physical possessions. "Will own no house," he said.
A year later, he explained on Twitter, "My primary home is literally a ~$50k [45,000 euros] house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though."
But these statements were qualified by a December 2021 article by the Wall Street Journal.
The media outlet claimed that Musk spent most of 2021 living in an ultra-luxurious mansion owned by one of his billionaire friends, Ken Howery. Musk was also said to be searching for a large property in Texas.
Both Musk and Howery denied the claims.
