Elon Musk is the first person in history to own 500 billion USD

(Dan Tri) - For the first time, the world has recorded an individual with a net worth of 500 billion USD. Elon Musk not only broke the wealth record but also opened up a story of power, ambition and the trillion-dollar game that shapes the future.

Five years ago, in March 2020, Elon Musk was just a "normal" billionaire with a fortune of 24.6 billion USD. But with the speed of "a Falcon 9 rocket", he crossed all limits to officially set an unprecedented milestone in history as the first person to own 500 billion USD.

At 3:30 p.m. ET on October 2, Forbes' real-time billionaires list confirmed this historic figure. Musk's fortune not only puts him in a separate universe, but also creates a huge gap, nearly $150 billion, compared to the world's second richest person, Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

This number is not only a new record but also an affirmation of the scale and influence of the technology empire that Musk has been building.

The resurrection of the "king" Tesla

Elon Musk’s spectacular surge to the $500 billion mark was largely driven by the strong rise of Tesla stock. In just the trading session on Wednesday (October 2), the electric car company’s stock rose nearly 4%, adding about $9.3 billion to the CEO’s assets.

More broadly, Tesla’s value has nearly doubled since April, when Musk made a landmark decision. He announced that he would step down from his leadership position at the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to devote himself more fully to Tesla. The move was welcomed by Wall Street investors as a positive sign, a recommitment from the genius captain.

Confidence was reinforced when, just days later, Musk revealed that he had spent about $1 billion of his own money to buy more Tesla shares - a vote of confidence that could not be stronger in the company's future.

Tesla’s market capitalization is now less than 10% of its all-time high. Musk’s 12% stake in the electric carmaker is worth $191 billion. That doesn’t even include a massive stock option package from 2018, which would have been worth $133 billion had it not been revoked by a Delaware judge in January 2024.

Still, Forbes is estimating 50% of the bonus package's value pending Musk's appeal, suggesting his potential wealth could be even greater.

Elon Musk returned to the world's richest position with a record fortune after losing the title to Larry Ellison (Photo: Reuters).

SpaceX money printing machine and the "dark horse" xAI

It would be a mistake to look at Tesla alone. The stability of his $500 billion fortune comes from a multi-pronged empire, where each of Musk's companies is a giant in its field.

SpaceX, the aerospace company he founded in 2002, is a prime example. After a private offering in August, SpaceX was valued at $400 billion. With about a 42% stake, the company contributes $168 billion to Musk’s fortune. More than just a rocket company, SpaceX is a symbol of American dominance in the new space age and a steady moneymaker.

In addition, xAI Holdings has emerged as a potential "dark horse". Founded by merging AI startup xAI with social network X (formerly Twitter), the company is valued at $113 billion. Musk owns about 53%, equivalent to $60 billion. In the context of the AI ​​race being hotter than ever, sources from CNBC said that xAI could even be aiming for a $200 billion valuation, showing its extraordinary growth rate.

Diversifying assets through three pillars: Tesla (electric cars, robots, AI), SpaceX (aerospace) and xAI (artificial intelligence) has created a solid financial foundation, helping Musk overcome market fluctuations and continuously break records.

Elon Musk's wealth growth over the past five years has been unprecedented:

March 2020: 24.6 billion USD

August 2020: Reached the 100 billion USD milestone

Early 2021: First time becoming the richest person in the world with nearly 190 billion USD

September 2021: Reaching the 200 billion USD mark

November 2021: Reaching the 300 billion USD mark

December 2024: Reaching the 400 billion USD mark

October 2025: Reaching the 500 billion USD mark

Money or absolute power?

At the current growth rate, analysts predict that Elon Musk could become the world's first trillionaire by 2033. This is even more plausible as Tesla's Board of Directors has just proposed a new compensation package, potentially awarding Musk shares worth up to $1 trillion if he can lead the company to achieve "Mars-sized" goals, such as increasing its capitalization to $8.5 trillion in the next 10 years.

However, in a notable post on X, Musk revealed another perspective on his motivation:

“It’s not about compensation, it’s about having enough influence within Tesla to ensure safety if we produce millions of robots. If I could one day be eliminated by shareholder advisory firms that operate for their own purposes and don’t even hold Tesla stock, that’s a prospect I can’t accept.”

This statement shows that for Musk, the issue is not just about money. He is looking at a future where Tesla not only produces cars but also millions of humanoid robots. In that scenario, maintaining absolute control of the company becomes a strategic priority to guide the development of AI and robotics technology according to his vision, avoiding it falling into the hands of forces he does not trust.

The trillion-dollar bonus package, therefore, is not just a compensation, but also a tool to consolidate power and ensure he is the only one sitting in the "captain's seat" in the upcoming technological revolution.

The $500 billion milestone, then, is more than just a financial number. It represents a new era, where the economic power and technological influence of an individual can shape the future of all humanity.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/elon-musk-la-nguoi-dau-tien-trong-lich-su-so-huu-500-ty-usd-20251002205050408.htm