Elon Musk's son caused a stir when he appeared with his father at a high-level conference in Beijing in mid-May. A video showing X Æ A-Xii holding hands with the billionaire father, toddling in a Chinese outfit inside the Great Hall of the People, went viral across social media, attracting millions of views.

The boy, X, wore a silk tunic and carried a tiger-embroidered bag, symbolizing luck and prosperity, during his visit to Trung Quoc on 14/5. The bag quickly sold out after his images were shared online. Video: Weibo

X Æ A-Xii, born in 2020 in California, is affectionately known as X. He is the son of billionaire Elon Musk, 55, and Canadian singer Grimes, 38. Over the years, X has become Musk's familiar companion, joining his father at important events and meeting influential figures.

In late 2021, Elon Musk drew attention when he brought X to the Time "Person of the Year" ceremony, taking his son on stage with him. In 2022, Musk again dominated headlines by taking his son to the Twitter headquarters (the former name of social network X) in San Francisco, where he discussed the platform's future after its acquisition. According to the Washington Post, X played throughout the tense meeting. Musk reportedly prepared many toys and even used a meeting room for his son. He also made an employee badge with his son's photo.

While some news outlets commented that Musk bringing his son to work was inappropriate, Grimes expressed her support. She wrote in a post at the time, "We should normalize children playing in adult work environments. Children's joy will spread to adults." Earlier, she revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that Musk views his son as a "protege".

However, Grimes was displeased when her ex-boyfriend took their son to meet President Trump in the Oval Office in February 2025. On X, the singer expressed concern about her son's privacy after seeing photos of the boy during the meeting. "He shouldn't be appearing in public like that. But I'm glad my son behaved well," she wrote. Grimes also thanked fans for informing her about the pictures.

The boy, X, ran after President Trump at the White House in March 2025. Video: C-Span

As the son of a "tech mogul", X Æ A-Xii is said to share his father's passion for science, especially aerospace. On her personal page in 2022, Grimes stated that her son could identify many little-known rocket types and related engines. She believes he might understand the subject better than she does, once calling him a "little engineer" in a 2023 interview with Wired.

Sometimes X's "space obsession" worried the singer, especially after the Starship rocket explosion in April 2023. Grimes told the magazine that X was traumatized for three days after witnessing the event. "Every hour, he would wake up and call 'Starship'. At those times, I had to comfort him by rubbing his back."

Elon Musk photographed with his son during Thanksgiving in 2021. Photo: X/ Elon Musk

Grimes, born in 1988 with the real name Claire Elise Boucher, is an experimental musician. She and Elon Musk dated in 2018 and separated in 2022. X is Musk's sixth child and the singer's first, also her only child born naturally. The couple also has a boy and a girl, Exa Dark Sideræl, five, and Techno Mechanicus, four, who were born via surrogacy.

Initially, they named their son X Æ A-12 but soon changed it because California law does not permit numbers in names. Xii is 12 in Roman numerals. On her personal page, Grimes explained that X is an "unknown variable", Æ is an "elven" spelling of AI (artificial intelligence), and A-Xii alludes to the Lockheed A-12, a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a type of aircraft the couple admired. Additionally, the independent letter A symbolizes Archangel, her favorite song. Some fans believe Grimes was referring to a song by British singer Burial, which she had praised.

Grimes and Elon Musk agreed that X is pronounced like the letter, but they have differing opinions on Æ. In one post, she said the letter sounds like the pronunciation of A then I. On a 2020 podcast, Musk stated it is pronounced like "ash".

Elon Musk posted a photo with his ex-girlfriend and X in 2021. Photo: X/ Elon Musk

After their separation, Grimes and Musk had a period of custody disputes. In 2024, the Texas court clerk's office informed Business Insider that a judge had issued a ruling, but declined to provide details. In a November 2024 post, Grimes said she temporarily paused making music for one year to pursue the lawsuit and had not seen her son for five months. However, she believes she should not disclose further past events. According to People, Grimes currently co-parents with Musk harmoniously, maintaining a good relationship with their children.

In addition to his three children with Grimes, Elon Musk has 11 other children with three other women, including his first wife, novelist Justine Wilson, and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. In February 2025, American author Ashley St. Clair caused a sensation when she publicly revealed "secretly giving birth to the billionaire's child."

Phuong Thao (according to People, Independent)