Elon Musk is now the richest person in the world with a net worth of $187 billion, and while his mother Maye Musk realized he was a genius when he was a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, she has admitted that she didn’t always know if the SpaceX CEO was destined for greatness.

The 72-year-old model was promoting the paperback release of her book A Woman Makes a Plan on CBS This Morning on Monday when she detailed how her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren Elon, 49,  Kimbal, 48, and Tosca, 46, discovered their passions at a young age.

‘At three, I knew [Elon] was a genius,’ Maye told hosts Gayle King and Anthony Mason, ‘but you still don’t know if he’s going to do great things because many geniuses just end up in a basement being a genius but not applying it.’

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Maye Musk, 72, opened up about her three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, Elon, 49, Kimbal, 48, and Tosca, 46, while appearing on CBS This Morning on Monday

The proud mom recalled how her eldest son made a computer program game when he was 12 years old that impressed a group of college engineering students.

‘They said, “Wow, he knows all the shortcuts,”‘ she said of showing them the game.

Maye suggested that young Elon submit the game to a magazine, and he did, earning himself $500.

‘I don’t think they knew that he was 12,’ she said. ‘So that was a good start.’

One of Elon’s first business ventures the software company Zip2, which he co-founded with his brother, Kimbal, and Greg Kouri with funds from a group of angel investors, including his mother.

Maye said she knew Elon was a genius when he was just three years old, but she wasn’t always sure he was destined for greatness

Maye recalled how Elon made a computer program game when he was 12 that he received $500 for after submitting it to a magazine

‘I was so excited when he started Zip2 because it just made life easier with door-to-door directions, and then newspapers could have a link that took you to a restaurant,’ Maye recalled.

‘I know that’s common now, but that was highly unusual and people didn’t believe that’s possible. So that’s why I invested in that at the very beginning — although I didn’t have much money.’

‘Then he thought the banking system needed some help, so he did PayPal,’ Maye continued. ‘Then after that, he said, “Well, should he do space research or solar energy or electric cars?” And I said, “Just choose one,” and, of course, he didn’t listen to me.’

When asked if she owns a Tesla, Maye said, “Of course, [Elon] gets me the best.’

Elon and his partner Grimes welcomed their son X Æ A-Xii in May. He also shares five 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren with his first wife Justine, whom he split from in 2008. They have 17-year-old twin sons, Griffin and Xavier, and 15-year-old triplets, Kai, Saxon, and Damian.