Elon Musk Net Worth Hits $700 Billion After Tesla Court Ruling
Just days after becoming the first individual ever valued at $600 billion, Elon Musk crossed another historic threshold on Friday, becoming the first person with a net worth of $700 billion. The surge followed a decision by the Delaware Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that had invalidated a Tesla stock-option award now valued at $139 billion. After Musk successfully appealed the case, Forbes estimates his total fortune has climbed to an unprecedented $749 billion.
Since January 2024, Forbes had applied a 50% discount to the value of those Tesla options after the Delaware Court of Chancery determined the 2018 compensation process was unfair, citing Musk’s influence over Tesla’s board. That changed Friday when the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that “rescission [of the options] was an improper remedy.” As a result, Forbes eliminated the discount, increasing Musk’s estimated net worth by $69.5 billion.
With the ruling, Tesla has once again become Musk’s largest asset. Beyond the stock options, he owns 12% of Tesla’s common shares, valued at $199 billion, bringing the combined worth of his Tesla holdings to $338 billion. That figure does not include a separate compensation package approved in November that could eventually award Musk up to $1 trillion in additional stock—before taxes and vesting costs—if Tesla meets ambitious “Mars shot” goals, such as expanding its market capitalization more than eightfold over the next decade.
Musk’s second-largest holding, his roughly 42% stake in SpaceX, is now valued at about $336 billion—just $2 billion less than his Tesla holdings. That estimate is based on a private tender offer launched this month that priced SpaceX at $800 billion, double its valuation in August. Looking ahead, SpaceX could be the company that pushes Musk into trillionaire territory, with reports indicating the rocket maker is targeting a 2026 IPO that could value it at around $1.5 trillion.
For now, Musk remains well ahead of the rest of the world’s wealthy elite. He is roughly one Larry Page away from the next milestone: the Google cofounder and second-richest person globally is worth an estimated $253 billion—about half a trillion dollars less than Musk.
