Elon Musk has become the first person ever to reach a net worth of $800 billion after SpaceX acquired his artificial intelligence and social media company, xAI. Forbes estimates that the deal, which values the combined company at $1.25 trillion, increased Musk’s fortune by $84 billion, bringing it to a record $852 billion.
Before the merger, Musk held an estimated 42% stake in SpaceX, valued at $336 billion based on a December tender offer that priced the privately held rocket company at $800 billion. He also owned roughly 49% of xAI, worth $122 billion, following a recent fundraising round that valued the company at $250 billion. Following the acquisition, Musk now owns an estimated 43% of the merged company, worth $542 billion.
SpaceX is now Musk’s most valuable asset by far. He also holds a 12% stake in Tesla, worth $178 billion, along with Tesla stock options valued at $124 billion. This excludes his record-breaking Tesla pay package approved last November, which could deliver up to $1 trillion in additional stock if Tesla achieves “Mars shot” performance goals, including expanding its market capitalization more than eightfold over the next decade.
This marks the second merger of Musk’s companies in less than a year. In March, he combined xAI with his social media company X (formerly Twitter), valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion—nearly the price Musk paid for Twitter in 2022, excluding debt. Musk’s dual role as buyer and seller has raised questions about the valuations, but the companies, now part of SpaceX, will face public market scrutiny once the rocket company launches its planned IPO later this year.
Musk has hit four major net worth milestones in just four months. In October, he became the first person worth $500 billion as Tesla’s stock surged. By December 15, private investors valued SpaceX at $800 billion, pushing Musk past $600 billion. Four days later, he reached $700 billion after the Delaware Supreme Court restored his Tesla stock options previously voided by a lower court.
He is now $578 billion richer than the world’s second-wealthiest person, Google co-founder Larry Page, who is estimated to be worth $281 billion. Musk is therefore roughly halfway to becoming the world’s first trillionaire.
