Elon Musk, the billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX, has taken another giant step toward becoming the world’s first trillionaire.
Forbes reported on Wednesday that Musk briefly hit a net worth of $500.1 billion, before dipping slightly to $499.1 billion later in the day.
The 54-year-old tech mogul is now the first person in history to reach the $500 billion milestone, powered by a rebound in Tesla shares and steady gains across his companies.
Musk’s wealth surge comes after his controversial detour into politics, which had rattled investors last year but now appears to be firmly behind him.
On Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires list, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison ranks second with $350.7 billion, while Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg trails in third place with $245.8 billion.
Musk’s journey to this point has been anything but ordinary.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and dropping out of Stanford, he sold his first startup an online publishing software firm to Compaq for more than $300 million in 1999.
He later co-founded a company that evolved into PayPal, and after cashing out, turned his sights to space exploration and electric vehicles.
In 2002, Musk founder SpaceX, now a leader in reusable rocket technology. Two years later, he became chairman of Tesla, transforming it into the world’s most valuable automaker.
His ventures have since expanded into artificial intelligence, satellite internet, and clean energy, solidifying his reputation as one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century.
Forbes analysts say Musk’s net worth could keep rising if Tesla continues its recovery and SpaceX secures new contracts.
Some market watchers believe he could cross the trillion-dollar mark within the next decade, making him the first individual to reach that historic level of wealth.
The achievement underscores Musk’s outsized impact on global business, technology, and finance and highlights the widening gap between the world’s richest billionaires and everyone else.
