The $700 Billion Man: Elon Musk Shatters Wealth Records After Massive Court Victory

This astronomical surge in wealth is the result of a "perfect storm" of legal and corporate victories that took place in late 2025:

• The Supreme Court Ruling: On Friday, December 19, 2024, the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated Musk's 2018 Tesla pay package. This package had been voided by a lower court in early 2024. The high court ruled that the lower court had overreached, noting that Tesla shareholders had twice approved the plan.

• The Valuation Jump: While originally worth $56 billion, the stock options included in the 2018 deal are now worth approximately $139 billion due to Tesla's soaring stock price, which hit record highs in late 2025 following breakthroughs in AI and the "Optimus" robot program.

• SpaceX and xAI: Musk's wealth was further bolstered by a December 2025 private tender offer for SpaceX, valuing the aerospace giant at $800 billion. Additionally, the merger of X (Twitter) and xAI earlier in the year created a combined entity valued at roughly $125 billion.

• The $1 Trillion Goal: In November 2025, Tesla shareholders overwhelmingly approved a new incentive plan that could eventually be worth $1 trillion if the company hits a market capitalization of $20 trillion by 2035.

As of today, December 23, 2025, Forbes estimates Musk's total net worth at $749 billion, making him nearly $500 billion richer than the world's second-wealthiest person, Larry Page.