Is Elon Musk friends with Richard Branson? Public interest resurfaces after Virgin founder's wife Joan Templeman's death at 80

Elon Musk and Richard Branson are friends as well as rivals professionally. According to an interview with The Times, Branson revealed that the first time he met Musk was in Verbier, Switzerland. Elon's visit was unexpected, driving the first car he built, the Tesla Roadster, to show it off to Branson. Richard told The Times:

"Elon had just built his first car and shipped it over and drove up to show it to us... We went for a drive in it and it was extraordinarily comfortable and nice. I have a feeling he might have been hinting we could invest in his company, which was then quite little. But equally he may have just been bringing it to show it off. He was quite rightly proud of it."

Over the years, Elon Musk and Richard Branson became friends who highly respected each other's work and would often praise each other during interviews. Keep reading to know more about Musk and Branson's friendship.

Elon Musk and Richard Branson's friendship over the years

Their budding friendship grew while they attended Larry Page's wedding (the co-founder of Google). It was at Larry and Lucy's wedding when Branson saw some characteristics in Elon Musk that reminded him of himself. He had this to say about the founder of SpaceX:

"Elon is tremendously smart and even more driven... I admire his talent and his willingness to take calculated risks. He has been inches from failure on many, many occasions and kept pushing. He's the Henry Ford of his generation."

Ever since their first meeting, Musk and Branson have become close friends. In 2021, Richard recalled the time when the xAI founder was in his kitchen with his son barefoot. He explained to The Times:

"I think it was about 2.30 a.m... I woke up two hours earlier than I was meant to and jumped out of bed, and then actually realised I'd got the wrong time but by then I was wide awake... I went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee to start the day and Elon had decided to surprise us."

He continued:

"He was there with his baby. Basically, he's a night animal. He doesn't really sleep at night and gets his sleep in the daytime. We made a pot of tea and sat outside under the stars and caught up."

The interest and the respect between the two men are mutual. Elon Musk has booked a ticket on Branson's Virgin Galactic flight. He said:

"What Branson's doing is cool... It's great, and I've actually bought a ticket. I’ve been asking for a [departure] date. I'm not sure when exactly, but I intend to fly on this thing."

Richard Branson's wife passes away

Richard Branson took to social media to announce the death of his beloved wife, Joan Templeman. He wrote:

"She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for. She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world."

Branson and his wife were married for 50 years, and they shared three children.

Elon Musk and Richard Branson's friendship grew stronger over the years, built on respect and shared dreams. They supported each other's work and stayed close even through personal moments and challenges. Their bond shows how two great innovators can be both rivals and true friends at the same time.

Also read: How many kids Richard Branson have? Family details explored as billionaire’s wife Joan dies at 80

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