Society Editor
By Tolu Adesuwa Igiehon
Elon Musk has once again made history — this time, not for launching rockets or building self-driving cars, but for becoming the first individual in human history to amass a personal fortune of $500 billion. The milestone cements his position as the wealthiest person ever, with an empire that spans technology, transportation, energy, and artificial intelligence.
The Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) CEO’s net worth surged past the half-trillion mark following a powerful rebound in Tesla’s stock and rising valuations of his private companies, including xAI and Neuralink. According to financial trackers, Musk’s wealth briefly hit $500 billion before stabilizing at about $499 billion — still nearly $180 billion ahead of the world’s second-richest person.
Tesla’s 14% stock rally this year played a major role in Musk’s wealth explosion. After weathering a turbulent period marked by controversy surrounding his short-lived appointment to Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk’s decision to return full-time to Tesla in May reinvigorated investor confidence. Analysts say his renewed focus on product innovation, AI integration, and next-generation battery technology has driven the company’s recovery and boosted market enthusiasm.
Beyond Tesla, Musk’s influence extends to multiple billion-dollar enterprises. His space exploration company, SpaceX, is now valued at over $200 billion, while Neuralink and xAI have seen massive funding rounds as global interest in artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces surges. Each of these ventures contributes significantly to Musk’s ballooning net worth and his relentless pursuit of technological advancement.
To grasp the scale of Musk’s fortune, consider this: if his $500 billion wealth were a national GDP, it would rank around 31st in the world — larger than the economies of Norway, Malaysia, or his native South Africa. His wealth equals roughly 125 times the estimated value of the British Crown Jewels and is 35 times greater than the combined market value of all English Premier League football clubs.
Experts predict that if his companies continue their current growth trajectory, Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire within the next decade. Yet, his ascent hasn’t gone unchallenged. Rival innovators like Science Corporation are making waves in neurotechnology, recently unveiling a brain-implant chip that restores partial sight to the visually impaired — a field Musk’s Neuralink is also racing to master.
Despite the intensifying competition, Musk remains at the center of global innovation — from colonizing Mars and building humanoid robots to reinventing AI communication systems. His staggering half-trillion-dollar valuation not only underscores his business acumen but also highlights the unprecedented power of technology in shaping individual fortunes.
For now, Elon Musk stands alone — a modern-day industrial titan whose ambition and wealth have lifted him to a realm no human has ever reached before.
