Elon Musk has become the first person in history to surpass a net worth of $1 trillion following the successful public listing of his aerospace company, SpaceX.
According to CNN, Musk crossed the unprecedented wealth milestone on Friday after SpaceX recorded a strong debut on the stock market, sending the value of his holdings soaring.
Market watchers say the stock listing would make more than 4,000 current and former employees of the South African-born tech billionaire instant millionaires.
SpaceX launched its initial public offering (IPO) at $135 per share, a move that significantly boosted Musk’s fortune beyond the $1 trillion mark. Trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX” on the Nasdaq, the company’s shares climbed to $165 shortly after trading commenced, representing a gain of approximately 22 per cent from the IPO price.
The rally lifted SpaceX’s market capitalisation to more than $2 trillion, cementing its position among America’s most valuable publicly traded companies.
Before the listing, Musk’s wealth was estimated at $813 billion. The surge in SpaceX’s share price added hundreds of billions of dollars to the value of his holdings, making him the world’s first trillionaire.
The achievement further widens Musk’s lead over other global billionaires. Forbes had previously ranked him as the world’s richest person, with a fortune far ahead of Google co-founder Larry Page, whose net worth was estimated at $288 billion.
With the latest jump in wealth, Musk’s fortune now exceeds the combined net worth of the next three individuals on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index — Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
SpaceX’s blockbuster market debut has also elevated the company into the ranks of America’s corporate giants. It is now the sixth-largest publicly traded company in the United States, trailing only Nvidia, Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon in market value.
Founded by Musk in 2002, SpaceX has grown into one of the world’s most influential technology and aerospace companies. Its portfolio includes Starlink, the rapidly expanding satellite internet business, and xAI, the artificial intelligence firm behind the Grok chatbot.
The historic milestone underscores Musk’s growing influence across the aerospace, technology, artificial intelligence and telecommunications sectors, while marking a new chapter in the evolution of global wealth creation.
