Elon Musk Crosses $500 Billion Net Worth, Sets New Record

Elon Musk has reached another historic milestone, becoming the first individual in history to amass a net worth of $500 billion. According to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires Tracker, as of 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Musk’s fortune hit the half-trillion mark—placing him $150 billion ahead of second-place Larry Ellison and halfway to potentially becoming the world’s first trillionaire.

Tesla shares surged nearly 4 percent on Wednesday, boosting Musk’s wealth by an estimated $9.3 billion. Investor confidence has grown since Musk announced during Tesla’s April earnings call that he would scale back his role as head of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to refocus on Tesla. The automaker’s market value has nearly doubled since then, putting its capitalization within 10 percent of its all-time peak. Musk’s 12 percent stake in Tesla alone is now worth $191 billion.

That figure excludes stock options tied to Musk’s 2018 CEO compensation plan, which would be valued at $133 billion today if not voided by a Delaware court ruling earlier this year. Forbes has halved their value pending Musk’s appeal, while Tesla’s board in September proposed a new pay package potentially worth up to $1 trillion if the company hits ambitious long-term growth targets.

Beyond Tesla, Musk’s wealth is bolstered by his other ventures. SpaceX, his aerospace company founded in 2002, is now valued at $400 billion following a private share sale in August, with Musk’s 42 percent stake worth $168 billion. Meanwhile, his AI and social media venture, xAI Holdings—formed through the merger of xAI and X (formerly Twitter)—is valued at $113 billion, with Musk’s 53 percent stake estimated at $60 billion.

Musk’s climb to $500 billion caps a remarkable five-year run. From a $24.6 billion net worth in March 2020, he became a centibillionaire by August 2020, the world’s richest person in January 2021, and crossed the $200 billion, $300 billion, and $400 billion thresholds between 2021 and 2024.

If his current trajectory continues, analysts project Musk could become the first trillionaire by March 2033, when the first vesting date of his proposed $1 trillion Tesla compensation package arrives. But Musk insists his goals are about influence rather than money.

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“It’s not about compensation,” he posted on X in September. “It’s about ensuring I have enough influence over Tesla to safeguard the future as we build millions of robots. If activist advisory firms—who don’t even own Tesla shares—could one day push me out, that’s a future I can’t accept.”