Elon Musk’s fortune briefly touched $500.1 billion on Wednesday as shares of Tesla surged in New York trading, before easing to leave his wealth at about $499 billion later in the session. Musk holds just over 12% of the electric-vehicle and clean-energy group.
Tesla’s stock is up more than 20% year-to-date, rebounding from a rocky start to 2025 amid controversy over Musk’s ties to U.S. President Donald Trump. The rebound has broadened across Musk’s empire: private-market valuations for SpaceX and AI startup xAI have also climbed in recent weeks, further lifting his estimated net worth.
Musk remains a fixture atop global wealth rankings, though volatility among tech giants has narrowed the gap at times. Oracle founder Larry Ellison briefly leapfrogged Musk last month after Oracle shares jumped 43% on surging demand for its cloud services.
In a separate development, Tesla’s board last month floated a compensation plan that could award Musk up to $1 trillion over the next decade if the company achieves a market capitalization above $8.5 trillion—more than eight times its current value. The ambitious target underscores the board’s push to keep Musk focused on the automaker as it expands its product lineup, drives down manufacturing costs, and advances autonomy and energy businesses.
Investors will watch whether Tesla can sustain its rally amid a competitive EV landscape, higher-for-longer rates, and ongoing scrutiny of Musk’s leadership style. For now, the market’s renewed risk appetite—and rising valuations across Musk’s ventures—has put the world’s most closely watched fortune within a whisker of the half-trillion mark.
