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Elon Musk’s reach extended significantly beyond the technology sector following Donald Trump’s successful bid for the presidency in 2024. Having become one of Trump’s most vocal advocates during the election cycle, Musk was appointed to help lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in conjunction with Vivek Ramaswamy, with the administration vowing substantial reductions in federal expenditures and regulations. Musk later announced in May 2025 that his tenure with the administration had concluded, although his political engagement and public pronouncements continued to garner considerable attention.
Concurrently, Musk’s business empire experienced continuous expansion. Tesla maintained its status as one of the world’s most valuable automotive manufacturers, while SpaceX achieved new milestones with the ongoing growth of Starlink and its landmark IPO in June 2026. This highly successful public offering momentarily propelled SpaceX’s valuation past $2 trillion, contributing to Musk’s status as the planet’s first trillionaire. In the interim, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has emerged as an increasingly vital component of his wealth amidst escalating competition in the AI landscape.
Notwithstanding fluctuations in the rankings of billionaires, Musk decisively retains his position as the wealthiest individual globally. Discover who else is counted among the most affluent people on the planet today.
What Is Elon Musk’s Net Worth?
Musk presently holds an estimated net worth of $1.1 trillion, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX remains the richest person worldwide in 2026, with a substantial portion of his assets tied to his holdings in Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, X, and other enterprises.
Musk initially surpassed the $400 billion threshold in December 2024, marking the first time in history that any individual achieved this financial milestone.
What Is Larry Ellison’s Net Worth?
Ellison possesses a net worth approximating $229.3 billion, as reported by Forbes. The majority of his wealth is derived from his long-standing investment in Oracle, where he continues to serve as chairman and chief technology officer.
Ellison’s financial standing saw a significant surge in 2025 during the artificial intelligence boom, as Oracle’s stock price soared following substantial AI-related business agreements and robust cloud computing growth. In September 2025, he briefly became only the second person ever to exceed a $400 billion net worth and temporarily supplanted Musk as the world’s foremost wealthiest individual before Musk regained the leading position.
Who Are the Richest People in the World?
As of the current date, the wealthiest individuals across the globe, according to Bloomberg, Forbes, and various other publications, are:
How Did Musk Make His Money?
A considerable amount of Musk’s net worth originates from his 12 percent ownership in Tesla, which equates to approximately 412 million shares. He has leveraged 58 percent of his Tesla shares as security for personal loans amounting to $3.5 billion. In 2022, Musk divested $40 billion worth of Tesla stock to facilitate his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, which he subsequently rebranded as X. While Musk still retains roughly 79 percent ownership of the company based on its initial valuation, Twitter’s market value has declined by nearly 70 percent as of August 2024.
Musk is also a co-founder of SpaceX and The Boring Company, and he holds the position of chairman at SolarCity. He possesses 43 percent ownership of SpaceX, which was valued at $180 billion in its latest funding round and estimated at $350 billion in December 2024. The Boring Company, conversely, was valued at approximately $5 billion in its most recent funding cycle.
Furthermore, Musk holds approximately 54 percent ownership of xAI, the artificial intelligence firm he established in 2023. This startup was appraised at $50 billion as of November 2024, according to The Wall Street Journal.