Elon Musk Becomes the First Person in History to Own Nearly 750 Billion USD

Elon Musk has officially made history as the first person in the world to surpass a net worth of 700 billion USD, with an estimated value of around 749 billion USD as of December 20, 2025, according to data from Wikipedia. This milestone not only solidifies his position as the richest person on the planet but also demonstrates an unprecedented rate of wealth increase in modern times. In just the final days of 2025, Musk's fortune has repeatedly set new records, establishing entirely new standards for the global ultra-wealthy. Court Ruling Activates Asset Jump The biggest driving force behind this sudden surge in assets comes from the ruling of the Delaware Supreme Court on December 19, 2025. Accordingly, the court has restored Elon Musk's 2018 Tesla stock option package, with an estimated value of around 139 billion USD. This decision completely reverses a previous unfavorable ruling and immediately alters Musk's personal balance sheet. Notably, just a few days before surpassing the 700 billion USD mark, he had just become the first person to reach the 600 billion USD threshold, indicating that the growth rate of assets is increasing exponentially. Where Did Musk's Wealth Empire Come From? Unlike many billionaires who have a diverse investment portfolio, Elon Musk's assets are highly concentrated in a few core companies, but each company has a “huge” valuation: Tesla remains the largest pillar, with shares and options tightly linked to long-term growth targets. SpaceX is contributing increasingly due to the continuously rising private market valuation, along with future IPO expectations. xAI gives Musk a strategic position in the artificial intelligence race, a field attracting massive capital flows. Previously, Musk had successively surpassed historical milestones: 400 billion USD in December 2024 and 500 billion USD in October 2025, before making a strong breakout at the end of this year. The Road to a Trillion USD Asset Elon Musk becoming the first trillionaire in history is no longer a question of “if”, but “when”. Many factors continue to drive this expectation: The potential SpaceX IPO has driven the company's implicit valuation higher, amplifying the value of the shares Musk holds. Tesla shareholders approved a new compensation framework in November 2025, allowing Musk to receive potential compensation of up to 1 trillion USD over 10 years, if extremely ambitious growth targets are met. The combination of stocks, options, and business valuation has significantly accelerated Musk's asset accumulation rate, surpassing all precedents in the modern economic era. Set Milestone of 749 Billion USD in Historical Context In terms of modern financial value, no individual has ever reached the asset scale of Elon Musk. Although historical figures like Mansa Musa or Augustus Caesar are often mentioned for their timeless wealth, their assets were primarily based on power and economic control, making it difficult to convert into today's currency. In contrast, Musk's assets are formed from market value, technology, space, and AI, accurately reflecting the nature of the modern global economy and the power of the equity compensation model. Conclusion With Tesla's salary package restored, SpaceX's valuation continuously climbing, and the strong growth momentum of companies within the Musk ecosystem, Elon Musk's personal wealth has entered a “never-before-seen” zone in financial history. The gap between Musk and the rest of the world's richest list is widening rapidly. The biggest question for the market right now is no longer whether he will continue to be the richest person, but how quickly he will approach the 1 trillion USD mark.