became the first person to achieve a fortune of US$400 billion (R$2.4 trillion), the latest milestone for the richest individual in the world.
The most recent catalyst was that made by his company, which increased Musk’s fortune by approximately US$50 billion in one fell swoop, totaling US$439.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
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Musk’s fortune has undergone a dramatic turnaround since late 2021, when at one point he saw his net worth drop by more than $200 billion. However, his fortune was especially boosted after last month’s election victory, with Musk being his most prominent donor and political supporter.
Tesla shares ( ) have risen about 65% since before the election, driven by expectations that Trump will speed the rollout of self-driving cars and eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles that benefit Tesla’s competitors. Musk is slated to fill a key role in the new administration as co-head of the newly created Office of Government Efficiency, which will give him a prime platform in Washington and a direct line to the Oval Office.
Meanwhile, the value of his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has more than doubled since its last fundraising in May, reaching $50 billion, with the Wall Street Journal reporting last month that Trump’s victory helped generate new interest.
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On Wednesday, SpaceX and its investors agreed to buy $1.25 billion worth of shares from employees and others insiders of the company. The deal, which values the private space exploration company at about $350 billion, makes SpaceX the world’s most valuable private startup.
The company generates most of its revenue from U.S. government contracts and could count on more support under a Trump administration. The president-elect praised Musk’s vision of sending astronauts to Mars in campaign speeches and joined Musk at a SpaceX launch in Texas shortly after the election.
Jared Isaacman, , is a billionaire technology executive who made the first commercial spacewalk on a SpaceX charter launch in September. He praised the company as “the most innovative and literally impressive organization I have ever seen” last month after investing $27.5 million in SpaceX through its payments company in 2021.
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Musk, 53, got some bad news last week when a Delaware judge struck down his 2018 Tesla deal, currently valued at more than $100 billion, for the second time. Tesla has said it will appeal the ruling, which Musk described as “absolute corruption” in X. Even if Musk’s compensation award is eventually reversed, he would still be the richest person in the world by a large margin.
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