The increase in wealth occurred after the Delaware Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling that had previously invalidated a package of stock options for Tesla, valued at $139 billion. The court determined that the cancellation of the options was unlawful. As a result, Forbes revised Musk's net worth estimate, increasing it by $69.5 billion, allowing him to reach a record of $749 billion.
Since the beginning of 2024, the publication had reduced the value of the disputed options by 50% following the Delaware court's decision, citing the unfairness of granting them to Musk in 2018, considering his influence on Tesla's board of directors. The new ruling from the Supreme Court allowed for the full valuation of these assets to be restored.
Thus, Tesla once again holds the position of Musk's most valuable asset. In addition to the options, he also owns about 12% of the company's common stock, which amounts to approximately $199 billion, bringing the total value of his stake in Tesla to $338 billion. It is important to note that this calculation does not include a separate compensation package approved in November, which could yield Musk up to $1 trillion in additional shares, contingent on significant growth in the company's market capitalization over the next ten years.
In second place in terms of value is Musk's approximately 42% stake in SpaceX, which is valued at around $336 billion. This valuation is based on a private tender offer conducted this month, in which the company was valued at $800 billion, double what it was in August.
