Elon Musk has once again redefined the boundaries of entrepreneurial success, becoming the first individual to cross the $400 billion net worth threshold. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk’s wealth reached close to $450 billion this week, driven by a significant insider share sale at SpaceX. The rocket company’s valuation soared to approximately $350 billion, with investors agreeing to purchase up to $1.25 billion in insider shares.
Another factor instrumental in propelling Musk‘s net worth to unprecedented heights is the surge in Tesla’s stock price following Donald Trump’s election victory. The EV company’s stock has climbed approximately 65%, with shares hitting an all-time high of $415. Since November 5, the Tesla CEO has added around $136 billion to his fortune, putting him firmly ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the second-richest person on the planet, with a current net worth of $248 billion.
Sprinting toward becoming the world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk is already so wealthy that he is worth more than Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates combined. In the history of mankind, no individual has been officially wealthier than Elon Musk. In fact, with his current net worth of around $450 billion, Musk’s personal wealth is sufficient to fund NASA’s operations for at least the next two decades.
Musk’s wealth trajectory has been nothing short of extraordinary, especially considering that he once lived on just a dollar a day during his early days. Almost a decade ago, the centi-billionaire told astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on the StarTalk Radio podcast that he conducted a personal experiment to see if he could survive on just $1 per day as a college student.
Musk achieved this by buying inexpensive, bulk food items and strategically stretching them over the course of a week. His goal was to determine whether he had the resilience to face financial hardships while pursuing a risky entrepreneurial path.
The SpaceX CEO claims the experience reinforced his belief that material comfort isn’t essential for pursuing ambitious goals. Even after becoming a billionaire, Musk maintained his frugal approach, driven by a belief that resources should be invested in innovation and solving global challenges rather than personal extravagance. In 2021, he sold almost all of his real estate portfolio and announced that he would no longer own a home. Musk is also the only billionaire among the top five richest people in the world to not own a yacht. All he owns is a Gulfstream G650ER private jet, which he frequently uses for work-related travel.
