This achievement became possible after the acquisition of his company xAI, which specializes in artificial intelligence and developed the chatbot Grok, by SpaceX. Forbes estimated that the deal added $84 billion to Musk's net worth, increasing it to a record $852 billion.
The second spot in Forbes' ranking of the richest people is held by Larry Page, co-founder of Google, whose net worth is $281 billion.
Before the deal, Musk controlled 42% of SpaceX shares, valued at $336 billion, as well as 49% of xAI shares worth $122 billion. After the deal was completed, his stake in the combined company amounted to 43% of a total value of $542 billion. Forbes emphasizes that now SpaceX is Musk's most valuable asset.
On December 20, 2025, Forbes reported that Musk's net worth exceeded $700 billion. Five days earlier, his net worth was estimated at $677 billion, and he had already become the first person in the world whose net worth crossed the $600 billion mark.
Musk first topped the Forbes list of the richest businessmen in January 2021, when his net worth was $190 billion.
