 "CEO Elon Musk (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)")
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is on track to become the world’s first trillionaire in 2026, with his current net worth estimated at $850 billion. If the momentum continues, he could cross the trillion-dollar mark soon.
Musk’s fortune now exceeds the combined wealth of Google co-founders Larry Page ($251 billion) and Sergey Brin ($231 billion), as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($219 billion).
His wealth surge has been fuelled in part by a recent deal linking SpaceX and xAI. Last week, SpaceX acquired his artificial intelligence and social media venture xAI in a transaction valuing the combined entity at $1.25 trillion, further strengthening Musk’s position at the top of the global wealth rankings.
Musk’s recent merger raised questions as the artificial intelligence company faces investigations in Europe, Asia, Australia and US’ California.
These investigations were prompted by Grok’s sexually explicit images of women and young girls.
Along with SpaceX, Tesla also remains a major contributor to Elon Musk’s wealth, despite the recent decline. Musk currently has a 12 per cent stake in Tesla, which is valued at $178 billion, with stock options at around $124 billion.
In addition to this, Musk may also receive $1 trillion in additional stock after the record-breaking pay package, as approved by the shareholders of Tesla in November .
According to a Reuters report and the prediction market Kalshi, there is a 75 per cent chance that he will hit that milestone this year.
Traders are even more bullish: 91 per cent say he will get there before 2029, 86 per cent expect it to happen next year, and 72 per cent think that it will be before 2027. A SpaceX IPO could be the final push—if the company goes public at a strong valuation, Musk’s net worth could soar to USD 1.5 trillion.