Elon Musk has officially become the first person in history to reach a net worth of $500 billion, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires index. The highway to this half-trillion dollar milestone was paved mainly by a surge in Tesla’s stock and strong valuations of his other ventures like SpaceX and xAI.
Musk owns about 12.4 % of Tesla, and Wednesday’s uptick in the company’s shares added over $6 billion to his fortune. Tesla’s rebound is widely viewed as a vote of renewed confidence from investors after months of volatility.
But Musk’s empire does not rest on Tesla alone. SpaceX continues to command enormous private valuations, and xAI is emerging as a rising star in the AI space. Some analysts predict this $500 billion mark may be only a waypoint on his path toward becoming the world’s first trillionaire — especially if proposed compensation packages, growth in AI, and space ventures continue to pay off.
Still, critics caution that net worth on paper is volatile — heavily tied to stock performance and market sentiment. Tesla faces headwinds including declining auto margins and global competition. Meanwhile, the $500 billion figure is not universally accepted — some indexes, like Bloomberg’s, value him somewhat lower due to different valuation methods.
Regardless of caveats, Musk’s new status makes him the richest person ever in modern history — and sets a new benchmark for wealth accumulation in the tech era.
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