For the First Time, Elon Musk’s Net Worth Surpasses $700 Billion – How the Tech Titan Became the Richest Person in History

Elon Musk has become the first person ever to surpass a $700 billion net worth after a court ruling reinstated a massive Tesla compensation package, Reuters reported.

Last week, the Delaware Supreme Court revived stock options from Musk’s 2018 pay deal, previously struck down by a lower court. The restored options, now valued at roughly $139 billion—up from the original $56 billion—pushed his estimated fortune to around $749 billion. The high court ruled that the earlier decision to cancel the package was flawed, overturning a 2024 judgment that had described it as “unfathomable.”

Musk’s net worth had already crossed $600 billion earlier this week amid reports that his space venture, SpaceX, could go public—a move expected to further increase his fortune. In November, Tesla shareholders approved a new $1 trillion compensation plan for Musk, marking the largest executive pay package in corporate history.

The decisions reflect strong investor confidence in Musk’s vision for Tesla, encompassing electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Beyond Tesla, Musk leads SpaceX, known for reusable rockets and the Starlink satellite internet network, and heads several other ventures including Neuralink, The Boring Company, X Corp. (formerly Twitter), and xAI.

Musk’s wealth now far exceeds that of his closest competitor, Google co-founder Larry Page, by nearly $500 billion on the Forbes rich list. He also briefly served as a senior adviser for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during Donald Trump’s presidency, offering unpaid guidance on federal cost-cutting and reforms.