From the Editor
  • Elon Musk cofounded seven companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI.
  • He owns about 12% of Tesla excluding options, but has pledged more than half his shares as collateral for personal loans of up to $3.5 billion.
  • In early 2024, a Delaware judge voided Musk's 2018 deal to receive options equaling an additional 9% of Tesla. Forbes has discounted the options by 50% pending Musk's appeal.
  • SpaceX, founded in 2002, is worth $350 billion based on a private share sale during December 2024. Musk owns an estimated 42% stake.
  • Musk bought Twitter in a $44 billion (enterprise value) deal during 2022. Forbes estimates that the social media company, which he renamed X, is worth nearly 70% less as of August 2024.
  • Musk owns an estimated 54% of xAI, which he founded in 2023. Private investors valued the company at a reported $50 billion in November 2024.
Wealth History
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Forbes Lists

#1
Billionaires (2025)
#1
Forbes 400 (2024)
The Richest Person In Every State (2024)
#1
Innovative Leaders (2019)
#25
Powerful People (2018)
#12
Richest In Tech (2017)
Global Game Changers (2016)
Personal Stats
Age
53
Source of Wealth
Tesla, SpaceX, Self Made
Self-Made Score
8
Philanthropy Score
1
Residence
Austin, Texas
Citizenship
United States
Marital Status
Divorced
Children
11
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Pennsylvania
Did you know
Musk, who says he's worried about population collapse, has 11 children with three women, including triplets and two sets of twins.
As a kid in South Africa, Musk taught himself to code; he sold his first game, Blastar, for about $500.
In Their Own Words

I operate on the physics approach to analysis. You boil things down to the first principles or fundamental truths in a particular area and then you reason up from there.

Elon Musk
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