Since Election Night on November 5, 2024, Elon Musk played a pivotal role in Donald Trump‘s bid for a second term, significantly influencing the administration through his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). On May 28, 2025, Musk revealed that his time with the Trump administration has come to an end. On X, he wrote, “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.” He continued, “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
In the weeks that followed, however, the once-strong alliance between Musk and Trump quickly soured. The rift between Musk and Trump became evident following Musk’s sharp criticism of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a significant legislative initiative by the Trump administration. Musk labeled the bill a “disgusting abomination,” citing concerns over its potential to increase the federal deficit by $2.5 trillion over the next decade. He also highlighted the bill’s rollback of electric vehicle subsidies, which directly impacted Tesla’s interests.
Learn more about Musk’s net worth and other details below.
What Is Elon Musk’s Net Worth?
Musk currently has an estimated net worth of $438 billion, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List at the time of publication. Although Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly overtook him in September 2025, Musk has since reclaimed the No. 1 spot as the world’s richest person.
Musk’s wealth peaked at $464 billion on December 17, 2024, making him the first individual in history to surpass the $400 billion milestone. Ellison later became the second person to cross that threshold.
How Did Elon Musk Make His Money?
A significant portion of Musk’s net worth comes from his 12% stake in Tesla, which represents approximately 412 million shares. He has pledged 58% of his Tesla shares as collateral for personal loans totaling $3.5 billion. In 2022, Musk sold $40 billion worth of Tesla stock to help fund his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, which he later rebranded as X. Although Musk still owns roughly 79% of the company at that original valuation, Twitter’s worth has dropped by nearly 70% as of August 2024.
Musk is also the co-founder of SpaceX and The Boring Company and serves as chairman of SolarCity. He owns 43% of SpaceX, which was valued at $180 billion in its most recent funding round and is now estimated at $350 billion. The Boring Company, in contrast, was valued at around $5 billion in its latest round.
Additionally, Musk owns about 54% of xAI, the artificial intelligence company he founded in 2023. The startup was valued at $50 billion as of last month, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Who Are the Richest People in the World?
As of today, the richest people in the world according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List are:
- Elon Musk – $438 billion
- Larry Ellison – $385 billion
- Mark Zuckerberg – $259 billion
- Jeff Bezos – $242 billion
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