Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, attended one of the most talked-about sessions at the 1 Billion Followers Summit — a candid conversation with Maye Musk, dietitian, model, and mother of Elon Musk. The session closed out the summit's third edition and drew a captivated audience eager to hear from one of the world's most recognized mothers.
Maye Musk on Raising the World's Richest Man
The session, moderated by Alia AlHammadi — Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit — was titled "How I Raised Three Amazing Children, Including the Richest Man in the World." Musk spoke candidly about her journey as a single mother raising three children: Kimbal, Elon, and Toska.
She spoke openly about the struggles and values she instilled in them. "They never wanted to make money," she said. "They just wanted to be good at what they were doing." It was that intrinsic drive, she explained, rather than wealth or status, that shaped each of her children's extraordinary paths.
Lessons on Resilience, Relevance, and Hard Work
Musk addressed creators and performers in the room directly, urging them to put themselves forward without hesitation. "Get out there and show people what you do," she said. "You've got to stay relevant." She emphasized the importance of loving your work and staying versatile — advice she has lived out herself across decades as a model and wellness professional.
On Elon Musk's motivations, she pushed back against the idea that he is driven by ego or rivalry. "He doesn't do things to taunt anyone; he does them to do good," she said, pointing to his work across companies like Zip2 and SpaceX's satellite connectivity projects as evidence of a lifelong desire to solve problems for other people.
She also stressed that her children built their success independently. Each of them lived on their own and earned their place — a point she returned to repeatedly as a core principle of how she raised them.
1 Billion Followers Summit 2025: Content for Good
The session was part of the 1 Billion Followers Summit's third edition, held January 11-13, 2025, under the theme "Content for Good." The summit brought together more than 15,000 content creators and influencers, 420+ speakers, and 125 CEOs from around the world.
Events were spread across some of Dubai's most iconic venues — Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Museum of the Future — cementing Dubai's position as a global hub for the creator economy.
The summit is organized by the UAE Government Media Office, with Alia AlHammadi serving as CEO.
