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Elon Musk’s net worth surpasses half a trillion dollars

An Aussie first from Elon Musk has propelled the world’s richest man to another eye-watering wealth milestone – double that of both Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.

The richest person on the planet is now halfway to becoming the first ever trillionaire.

According to the latest Forbes billionaires index, the Tesla CEO’s net worth has surged to US$500.1 billion ($756 billion).

Musk’s wealth is $US150bn more than the world’s second richest person Oracle’s Larry Ellison.

The Space X boss’s net wealth is more than double that of other tech gurus Mark Zuckerberg (US245bn) and Jeff Bezos (US$233bn).

The milestone comes after Tesla switched on its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology in Australia and New Zealand, making both countries the first right-hand drive market in the world to access the highly anticipated technology.

(FILES) Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. Billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is nearly halfway to becoming the planet's first trillionaire, Forbes magazine reported on October 1, 2025. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
(FILES) Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. Billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is nearly halfway to becoming the planet's first trillionaire, Forbes magazine reported on October 1, 2025. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)

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As of late September, more than 50,000 Tesla owners in Australia have access to the feature. It’s currently limited to new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles fitted with Tesla’s latest Hardware 4 (HW4) system.

The rollout of Tesla’s Fully Self-Driving (Supervised) software in other global markets has been well-received, boosting the company’s market share value.

Musk’s fortune remains closely tied to Tesla, where he holds 12.4 per cent stake.

On Thursday, the company’s shares jumped almost 4 per cent, adding US$14 billion (A$21.1 billion) to his wealth as investors backed a more focused Musk.

James Macsmith with Tesla's Full Self Driving (Supervised).
James Macsmith with Tesla's Full Self Driving (Supervised).
2025 Tesla Model Y. Picture: Sam Rawlings
2025 Tesla Model Y. Picture: Sam Rawlings

Tesla’s stock is currently sitting at US$459.46 as of October 1.

Tesla’s stock price has nearly doubled since April, when Musk announced he would step back from his controversial role as head of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to spend more time focusing on Tesla’s future.

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FILE – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Dwindling car sales and persistent margin pressures have meant the EV giant has struggled in more recent times to replicate its enormous success when its cars first hit the market.

Tesla’s board outlined an eye-watering $1 trillion compensation plan for their CEO, which pays out if Musk can grow the company’s market value from around $1.1 trillion (A$1.7 trillion) to US$8.5 trillion (A$12.9 trillion) over the next decade.

If Musk manages to hit the milestones laid out in this compensation plan, he could become the world’s first trillionaire by March 2033.

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One of these blokes has half as much money as the other. Picture: X
One of these blokes has half as much money as the other. Picture: X

Hitting the $500 billion milestone is just the latest in a series of milestones Musk has achieved over the past half-decade.

In March 2020, Musk was worth $24.6 billion; however, soaring Tesla shares propelled him to become the fifth person to reach the $100 billion mark in August 2020.

And from there, it didn’t take long for Musk to become the world’s richest person. In January, he reached that milestone with a net worth of nearly US$190 billion.

Musk went on to hit US$300 billion in November 2021 and US$400 billion in December 2024.

Read related topics:Elon Musk

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/on-the-road/elon-musks-net-worth-surpasses-half-a-trillion-dollars/news-story/42333645f5c2eba849809dfb43b76eb4