How a single deal pushed Elon Musk’s wealth past $800bn

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Shivon Zilis, a venture capitalist, arrive to attend the wedding of Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, and Erin Elmore, the Department of State Director of Art in Embassies, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, February 1, 2026. Forbes estimates that the merger, which values the combined company at $1.25 trillion, added $84 billion to Musk’s fortune, making it worth a record $852 billion. Before the deal, Musk held a significant stake in SpaceX and a controlling share in xAI.

In the wake of the merger, which valued the combined company at over $1 trillion, he now controls a large portion of the business, making it the most valuable part of his fortune. Musk’s fortune has surpassed that of any individual ever recorded under modern wealth calculations, overtaking figures such as John D. Rockefeller, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates.

The deal makes SpaceX Musk’s most valuable asset. He also holds a stake in Tesla, along with stock options and a record-breaking pay package approved in November that could deliver up to $1 trillion if the company hits its ambitious “Mars shot” targets over the next decade. Last year, Musk reached four major net worth milestones in just four months.

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He became the first person ever worth $500 billion in October as Tesla’s stock surged after he left US President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to focus on the electric vehicle maker. In December 15, private investors valued SpaceX at $800 billion – up from $400 billion in August – pushing Musk’s net worth past $600 billion. Four days later, the Delaware Supreme Court restored his Tesla stock options, lifting his fortune above $700 billion.

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