Forbes magazine pointed out on the 10th that Elon Musk's net worth is currently estimated at $839 billion (3.29 trillion ringgit), making him the richest person ever recorded. At the same time, the total wealth of global billionaires surged over the past year, reaching a historic high of $20.1 trillion (79 trillion ringgit).
According to AFP, Musk has topped the Forbes global billionaire list for the second consecutive year. Thanks to rising valuations of Tesla and SpaceX, his wealth increased by about $500 billion (1.96 trillion ringgit) in the past 12 months, and SpaceX is planning to launch its initial public offering (IPO) this year.
He is also the first person in history whose assets have broken through $800 billion (3.14 trillion ringgit), and is now moving towards becoming the world's first 'trillionaire' (with assets reaching $1 trillion [3.93 trillion ringgit]). The Forbes list is based on asset valuations as of March 1, 2026.
The sharp increase in Musk's wealth reflects the dramatic volatility Tesla experienced in 2025. Because Musk supported Trump and other far-right political figures, this triggered a partial consumer boycott, causing the electric car maker’s stock price to plummet in the spring. However, Musk later resigned from his position in the Trump administration in the second half of the year, and Tesla’s stock price rebounded and remained at a high level.
Supporters of Tesla believe that since Musk leads in cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (AI), the company could experience explosive growth in the future.
Despite Musk remaining a highly controversial public figure, Tesla shareholders have always supported the billionaire.
Musk said that less than 0.1% of his wealth is in cash.
This year’s list added about 400 more billionaires than in 2025, mainly driven by a surge in the stock market, partly due to the optimistic outlook for AI.