The half-trillion mark makes Musk the wealthiest individual in recorded history.

In October 2025, Forbes calculated that Elon Musk was the first person in history to reach a net worth of over 500 billion on the Real-Time Billionaire Index, marking him as the richest person in history. At 4:15 p.m ET on the same day his wealth was pegged at 500.1 billion.

Musk was boosted to half a trillion dollars in net worth, in large part because of a robust rebound in Tesla share, which is up more than 14% this year to date. His equity ownership was given a huge impetus as he owned approximately 12.4% of Tesla shares as of mid-September. SpaceX is also a significant source of Musk valuation since its value is pushed up by private tender offers and growth potential. Also, the investments made by Musk in AI and venture capital such as xAI are included in his total reported wealth. This is a new milestone. By December 2024, Musk had already surpassed 400 billion in net worth. His rivals are now clearly behind him. In comparison, Larry Ellison of Oracle was worth almost $350.7 billion, which is far in advance of Musk.

The news comes at a time when the technology industry and electric cars are optimistic. Musk also enhanced the feeling of optimism by buying one billion dollars of Tesla stock just before the milestone was announced. Notwithstanding the volatility of the past, the growth of wealth of Musk is ongoing. His assets are still highly leveraged in Tesla, SpaceX, and other businesses, so his net worth is vulnerable to market volatility.