Elon Musk closes in on astonishing landmark as world's richest man keeps getting richer

The world's richest man Elon Musk now has his sights on becoming the first-ever trillionaire after his Tesla stock was reinstated by a court in Delaware

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Andrew Jameson News Editor

16:40, 21 Dec 2025Updated 16:41, 21 Dec 2025

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The Tesla founder's net worth just grew even more(Image: Getty Images)

Elon Musk has become even closer to becoming the first-ever trillionaire after a court reinstated his Tesla stock.

The Tesla founders net worth climbed to $749bn (559bn) on Friday, making him the first person to surpass the $700bn milestone, according to Forbess billionaires index.

He is already the worlds richest man, and around $500bn (373bn) richer than the second-richest, Google co-founder Larry Page.

His wealth ballooned after a Delaware Supreme Court ruling reinstated his 2018 Tesla stock options worth $139bn (103bn), which were rescinded last year.

Musk had been awarded a pay package including stocks worth $56bn (41bn) at the time.

[FILE - Elon Musk speaks during an event with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)]

Elon Musk is tipped to become the first trillionaire(Image: AP)

But this was struck down in a lower court in 2024 as the huge bonus was deemed unfathomable.

Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick at the time concluded that Teslas directors were conflicted and key facts were hidden from shareholders when they voted to approve the plan.

But her verdict was ruled improper and inequitable as it left the Tesla head uncompensated for his time and efforts over a period of six years.

[Elon Musk]

A court ruling reinstated his Tesla stock options(Image: Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

Musk celebrated on his social media platform X, posting that he had been vindicated.

Last month, Tesla shareholders awarded Musk a pay plan worth up to $1trn (747bn) if he achieves five milestones in the next decade.

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They include delivering 20 million Tesla vehicles and one million robots, drive 10 million subscriptions to Teslas self-driving feature and lift Teslas market value to $8.5trn (6.3tn).

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