Tesla CEO Elon Musk has cemented his place in the record books as the world’s first half-trillionaire, with his net worth surpassing the $500 billion mark following surging valuations for Tesla and his privately held aerospace company, SpaceX.
The milestone underscores Musk’s dominance in the global tech and innovation landscape, driven by Tesla’s market rebound and growing investor appetite for SpaceX, now valued at around $400 billion following a private tender offer in August 2025. Musk holds a 42 percent stake in the rocket manufacturer, further bolstering his financial position.
Despite his astronomical wealth, Musk has long claimed to lead a modest lifestyle. In 2021, he revealed that he was living in a $50,000 home in Texas, a sharp contrast to his billionaire peers.
This came not long after he sold off a large portion of his real estate holdings, once a sprawling portfolio worth about $100 million across seven properties in Bel-Air, California, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Musk’s vast fortune also stems from his bold business moves, including his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022, which he later rebranded as X.
With Tesla’s stock surging and SpaceX dominating the private spaceflight industry, analysts say Musk’s half-trillion-dollar net worth reflects both his companies’ market influence and his unique position at the intersection of electric mobility, artificial intelligence, and space exploration.