Musk reaches unprecedented wealth milestone

The tech mogul’s net worth has reached an estimated $852 billion following the SpaceX-xAI merger

Elon Musk has become the first person ever to be worth $800 billion or more, after SpaceX acquired his AI and social media company xAI this week.

Forbes estimates that the merger, which values the combined company at $1.25 trillion, added $84 billion to Musk’s fortune, making it worth a record $852 billion.

Before the deal, Musk held a significant stake in SpaceX and a controlling share in xAI. In the wake of the merger, which valued the combined company at over $1 trillion, he now controls a large portion of the business, making it the most valuable part of his fortune.

Musk’s fortune has surpassed that of any individual ever recorded under modern wealth calculations, overtaking figures such as John D. Rockefeller, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates.

The deal makes SpaceX Musk’s most valuable asset. He also holds a stake in Tesla, along with stock options and a record-breaking pay package approved in November that could deliver up to $1 trillion if the company hits its ambitious “Mars shot” targets over the next decade.

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This is Musk’s second company merger in less than a year. In March, he combined his AI firm xAI with social media platform X (formerly Twitter), valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion – roughly what he paid for Twitter in 2022, excluding debt.

Last year, Musk reached four major net worth milestones in just four months. He became the first person ever worth $500 billion in October as Tesla’s stock surged after he left US President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to focus on the electric vehicle maker. In December 15, private investors valued SpaceX at $800 billion – up from $400 billion in August – pushing Musk’s net worth past $600 billion. Four days later, the Delaware Supreme Court restored his Tesla stock options, lifting his fortune above $700 billion.