Now Elon Musk becomes first person ever to achieve net worth of $500 billion
The South Africa-born billionaire’s wealth is linked closely to Tesla, where he held more than a 12.4% stake as of 15 September
Elon Musk, the force behind Tesla Inc, SpaceX, and X Corp, has been the first person to have a net worth of nearly $500 billion, according to Forbes.
Musk, who has been the world's richest person for quite some time now, is now worth $500.1 billion, according to Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires tracker. In December, his wealth crossed $400 billion -- the first person in history to do so.
Musk is $150 billion ahead of runner-up Larry Ellison and close to becoming the world's first trillionaire, according to Forbes.
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The South Africa-born billionaire's wealth is linked closely to Tesla, where he held more than a 12.4% stake as of 15 September. The company's stock has increased more than 14% so far this year and closed 3.3% higher yesterday (1 October), adding over $6 billion to Musk's net worth.
But Tesla is not the only company contributing to Musk's fortune. His AI startup xAI and SpaceX have also added to his wealth.
Elon Musk net worth
After a shaky start this year, Tesla shares have trended higher as investor sentiment improved with Musk bringing his focus back to his companies.
Last month, Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm said that Musk was back "front and centre" at the company after his brief tenure at the White House, where he worked as an adviser to US President Donald Trump and led the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Days later, Musk disclosed his purchase of about $1 billion worth of shares in what was seen as a huge vote of confidence in the future of Tesla as it shifts from an automaker to an AI and robotics powerhouse. Meanwhile, the Tesla board last month proposed a $1 trillion salary for Musk, provided he meets certain goals for the company.
To be sure, Musk's xAI and SpaceX have also scaled their valuations this year. xAI last had a valuation of $75 billion as of July 2025, according to data from Pitchbook. In July, SpaceX was discussing plans to raise money and sell shares in a deal that pegged its valuation at $400 billion, Bloomberg reported.
