Elon Musk Becomes First Person Worth $500 Billion

October 2, 2025

Elon Musk has made history yet again. According to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires index, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive has reached a staggering $500 billion net worth, making him the first individual in history to cross the half-trillion-dollar mark.

The milestone cements Musk’s dominance at the top of the global rich list and underscores the extraordinary scale of wealth generated by the technology sector.

The latest leap in Musk’s fortune was fueled by a surge in Tesla stock, which added more than $6 billion in value in a single trading session. Tesla’s continued leadership in the electric vehicle market and its ambitious forays into energy storage have maintained high investor confidence. Meanwhile, Musk’s privately held ventures, notably SpaceX, valued at over $200 billion, and xAI, his artificial intelligence company, continue to attract sky-high valuations.

Together, these ventures make Musk’s empire span cars, rockets, satellites, AI, and energy industries that define the future of technology and infrastructure.

Musk’s ascent to $500 billion represents more than just personal success. It symbolizes a new era where individual fortunes rival national economies. To put it in perspective, Musk’s net worth is now larger than the GDP of countries such as Austria, Nigeria, or South Africa.

“This milestone shows how wealth is consolidating around a handful of tech founders whose companies are reshaping multiple industries at once,” noted Emeka Igwe, an economist. “It raises questions about balance: Can one individual hold this much economic power without broader consequences for society?”

Not everyone is celebrating. Critics argue that Musk’s half-trillion-dollar fortune underscores the growing wealth gap worldwide. At the same time that one man’s wealth crosses an unimaginable threshold, billions of people still live on less than $6 a day.

Activist groups have called Musk’s milestone “a wake-up call,” urging governments to consider more aggressive taxation of extreme wealth. “When one person has more wealth than entire nations, something is broken,” said a spokesperson for Oxfam International.

Musk himself has often said he does not measure success in dollars but in projects and impact. He has pledged most of his wealth toward ambitious ventures:

Colonizing Mars through SpaceX, Accelerating renewable energy adoption with Tesla and SolarCity, Expanding satellite internet access via Starlink, Developing artificial intelligence responsibly with xAI,

Still, critics question whether these ventures, while transformative, address immediate issues of poverty, healthcare, and inequality.

Musk’s $500 billion fortune sets a precedent. He is now far ahead of his closest rivals, Bernard Arnault of LVMH and Jeff Bezos of Amazon, both of whom trail by more than $150 billion. Forbes notes that Musk’s fortune could climb even higher if Tesla stock continues its upward trajectory or if SpaceX undergoes a new valuation round.

But with great wealth comes great scrutiny. Governments, regulators, and social movements are already debating how to ensure such concentrations of wealth do not destabilize political and economic systems.

Elon Musk’s half-trillion-dollar milestone is both a triumph and a flashpoint. It celebrates human ingenuity, innovation, and risk-taking, but also lays bare the profound inequalities of the modern era. Whether Musk uses his wealth to reshape the future for all humanity or whether the world sees it as a dangerous imbalance will define how this moment is remembered.

For now, one fact is clear: Elon Musk is the richest person the world has ever seen.