Every parent thinks their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 is brilliant. Maye Musk, the Sports Illustrated cover model and registered dietitian-nutritionist, is no exception — especially because her son happens to be Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX.

Maye Musk shared insights into her eldest son’s early brilliance during an interview on “CBS This Morning.” She explained that she recognized his potential when he was 3, which eventually led him to become an influential entrepreneur and the richest man in the world.

“At 3, I knew he was a genius,” Maye Musk recalled. She tried to get him admitted to nursery school early but said the staff just “rolled their eyes.”

Elaborating on knowing her son is a genius, she said, “But many geniuses don’t apply their talents. They end up in a basement somewhere. So I was thrilled when he founded Zip2, simplifying door-to-door directions and providing links to restaurants for newspapers. While it may seem common today, it was groundbreaking then, and that’s why I invested in it.”

In a profile for The Times UK, she said, “I called Elon ‘Genius Boy.’ He remembered everything.”

Her early recognition of Elon’s potential marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, which would later encompass ventures like PayPal, space exploration, solar energy and electric cars, despite her advice to choose just one.

Maye Musk was interviewed as part of a BBC documentary, in which she described her son as a “genius.” She also stated that because of his massive success, her son “gets a lot of hate.”

In 2022, Maye Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to stand up for her son amid a barrage of negative comments aimed at his recent posts. She suggested that those criticizing him for his controversial posts were not real people but rather automated bots, highlighting that much of the criticism was originating from fake accounts.

This defense came after Musk publicly announced his shift from being a Democrat voter to supporting the Republican party.

In the same BBC interview, she explained her background as a science enthusiast in high school. She shared that she didn’t get many dates because she insisted on dating someone as proficient in math and science as she was but no one but her ex-husband was.