Elon Musk has extended his lead as the world’s richest individual after a landmark merger between two of his companies pushed his net worth to an estimated $852 billion, according to Forbes.
Musk’s wealth surged following the acquisition of artificial intelligence and social media company xAI by his rocket firm SpaceX, a deal announced on Monday that values the combined entity at about $1.25 trillion.
Forbes estimates the transaction added roughly $84 billion to Musk’s personal fortune, giving him an unprecedented margin over every other billionaire globally.
Before the acquisition, SpaceX was valued at around $800 billion after a December tender offer, with Musk holding an estimated 42 per cent stake worth about $336 billion.
Separately, xAI was valued at $250 billion in a private fundraising round earlier this month, with Musk owning roughly 49 per cent, translating to about $122 billion.
Following the merger, which effectively values SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion, Musk now owns about 43 per cent of the combined company, a stake valued at approximately $542 billion. This makes SpaceX his single most valuable asset.
Beyond SpaceX, Musk retains significant stakes across his broader business portfolio. He owns about 12 per cent of Tesla, currently valued at roughly $178 billion, alongside Tesla stock options worth an estimated $124 billion.
Musk’s rise has been swift and dramatic. In October 2025, he became the first individual to surpass $500 billion in net worth as Tesla shares rallied.
By mid-December, his fortune crossed $600 billion after SpaceX’s valuation doubled, before climbing past $700 billion following a court ruling that reinstated his Tesla stock options.
At $852 billion, Musk now dwarfs the world’s second-richest person, Google co-founder Larry Page, whose net worth is estimated at $281 billion, putting Musk within striking distance of becoming the world’s first trillionaire.
The current valuation does not yet factor in Tesla’s controversial performance-based compensation package approved by shareholders in November 2025. If fully unlocked over the next decade, the package could potentially deliver Musk up to $1 trillion in additional Tesla shares, subject to taxes and aggressive market-cap targets.
The SpaceX–xAI deal is also the second major merger involving Musk-controlled companies in less than a year. In March 2025, Musk combined xAI with X (formerly Twitter), valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.
While Musk’s role on both sides of these transactions has raised questions around valuation transparency, analysts expect intensified scrutiny as SpaceX prepares for a potential IPO later in 2026.
