Worth ₹5,43,000 crore: How Elon Musk became the world’s first '$600 billion' billionaire

The world’s attention has once again turned to the top of the global rich list, and this time for a reason never seen before. Elon Musk has crossed a wealth mark that was once considered impossible for any single individual.

Over the past few years, Musk has steadily moved ahead of every other billionaire, but this latest development places him in a category entirely of his own. It is not just about being the richest person alive. It is about entering a financial zone that has never existed before in recorded history.According to Forbes’ estimates, Elon Musk is now worth more than $600 billion. This makes him the first person ever to reach this level of wealth.

Until now, no one had crossed even the $500 billion mark. The scale of this rise has widened the gap between Musk and every other name on the billionaire list, drawing global attention to how fast and how far his fortune has grown.

SpaceX becomes the biggest factor

The major reason behind this sharp jump is SpaceX. Earlier this month, the private space company launched a tender offer that valued the firm at $800 billion. Just a few months earlier, in August, SpaceX was valued at $400 billion.

Musk owns an estimated 42 percent stake in SpaceX. The jump in valuation added about $168 billion to his net worth. Forbes now estimates that Musk’s stake in SpaceX alone is worth around $336 billion, making it his most valuable asset.This development played a key role in pushing his overall wealth past the $600 billion (₹5,43,000 crore) mark.

SpaceX IPO plans draw attention

SpaceX is also targeting an initial public offering in 2026. The company could be valued at around $1.5 trillion at the time of the IPO, according to an investor who confirmed the plans to Forbes.

The tender offer and IPO plans were reported earlier by several outlets.Even without an IPO at that valuation, Musk’s current holdings have already taken his net worth to a historic high.

Tesla remains a strong pillar

Tesla continues to be a major contributor to Musk’s wealth. He owns around 12 percent of the electric vehicle company, a stake that Forbes estimates to be worth $197 billion.This figure does not include stock options from Musk’s 2018 CEO performance award.

Those options were voided by a Delaware judge in January 2024. Forbes has discounted the value of those options by 50 percent and estimates them at $69 billion, as Musk’s appeal is still pending before the Delaware Supreme Court.Even if Musk loses the appeal, Tesla could still offer another route to higher wealth. In November, Tesla shareholders approved a new pay package that could give Musk up to $1 trillion in additional stock if the company meets long-term performance milestones over the next ten years.

xAI Holdings adds to the portfolio

Another part of Musk’s growing business empire is xAI Holdings. The company is reportedly in talks to raise new funding at a valuation of $230 billion. This would be more than double the $113 billion valuation Musk cited when the company was formed in March by merging his artificial intelligence startup xAI with his social media company X.Forbes estimates that Musk owns a 53 percent stake in xAI Holdings, currently valued at about $60 billion.

A rapid rise in just five years

Musk’s wealth journey over the last five years has been unusually fast. In March 2020, his net worth stood at $24.6 billion. By August that year, rising Tesla shares made him the fifth person ever to cross $100 billion.In January 2021, Musk became the world’s richest person for the first time with a net worth close to $190 billion. In September 2021, he crossed $200 billion, joining Jeff Bezos and Bernard Arnault. He later reached $300 billion in November 2021, $400 billion in December 2024, and $500 billion in October.Larry Ellison of Oracle is the only other person to have crossed both the $300 billion and $400 billion levels.

Social media reacts

The news of Musk crossing $600 billion has taken social media by storm. Users reacted with a mix of awe, humor, and disbelief. One joked, “That’s not a net worth, that’s a GDP,” while another wrote, “Americans would still figure out how to be poor.” Some focused on the sheer scale of the fortune: “Bro math is different fr,” and “$1M for every American would cost about $330 TRILLION… Still insanely rich though.”

Others highlighted innovation over redistribution, saying, “Better he builds Mars colonies and EV empires that uplift humanity long-term.

” As predictions poured in, one user quipped, “That’s insane, he will be the first trillionaire.”

A gap that continues to grow

Musk’s lead over the rest of the billionaire list is now striking. Forbes estimates that he is about $425 billion ahead of the second richest person, Google cofounder Larry Page, who is worth around $252 billion.With Musk now just $23 billion short of the $700 billion mark, another milestone may not be far away. For now, he stands alone at the very top, having crossed a wealth line that no one else in history has reached.Thumb image: X/@ElonMuskAOC