Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has reached an unprecedented milestone in global wealth, with his fortune now estimated at about US$839 billion, making him the richest individual ever recorded and placing him on a potential path to becoming the world’s first trillionaire. According to the latest global billionaire rankings released by Forbes, Musk’s wealth surged by roughly US$500 billion over the past year, largely driven by soaring valuations of Tesla and SpaceX. SpaceX is also preparing for a possible public offering in 2026, a move that analysts say could further boost Musk’s net worth. Musk has now become the first person in history to cross the US$800 billion mark, placing him far ahead of other billionaires on the global list.
Much of Musk’s financial surge reflects a turbulent year for Tesla, whose stock experienced a sharp decline earlier in 2025 amid consumer backlash over the billionaire’s political affiliations and support for figures including Donald Trump. However, Tesla’s share price rebounded strongly in the latter half of the year after Musk stepped away from his role within the Trump administration. The company’s long-term prospects, particularly in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technologies, continue to attract strong investor optimism.
Tesla shareholders have also shown confidence in Musk’s leadership. In a November vote, investors approved a massive compensation package that could be worth as much as US$1 trillion if the company meets ambitious production and valuation targets. The package would also increase Musk’s stake in Tesla to roughly 25 per cent, strengthening his influence over the company’s direction. Musk has indicated he sought a larger ownership share to maintain strong control as Tesla expands its robotics and automation initiatives. Despite his enormous fortune, Musk has previously said that less than 0.1 per cent of his wealth is held in cash, with the vast majority tied to company equity.
The new billionaire rankings highlight the growing dominance of technology entrepreneurs among the world’s wealthiest individuals. Larry Page and Sergey Brin rank second and third on the list with fortunes of about US$257 billion and US$237 billion respectively, followed by Jeff Bezos with roughly US$224 billion and Mark Zuckerberg with about US$222 billion. The latest rankings include a record 3,428 billionaires worldwide, roughly 400 more than the previous year, reflecting strong gains in global stock markets fueled in part by growing enthusiasm for artificial intelligence technologies.
Meanwhile, President Trump also saw his wealth increase, moving up to 645th place on the list with an estimated net worth of about US$6.5 billion. Analysts say a combination of cryptocurrency ventures, international business deals and a favourable court ruling helped boost his financial standing. Even so, Musk’s towering fortune now exceeds that of his closest competitors by a wide margin, underscoring the extraordinary scale of wealth generated by the world’s most influential technology companies.