Elon Musk has officially become the world’s first trillionaire, but his track record in addressing global hunger is less remarkable.
The 54-year-old SpaceX and Tesla founder has established himself as a deeply ingrained character in internet culture and an icon for many on the extreme right political spectrum. His commercial empire and influence are so extensive that his network has been dubbed the “Muskonomy.”
His share in SpaceX is worth around $866 billion. When trading begins on Friday, June 12, his net worth will be more over $1.1 trillion, including Tesla and his other holdings.
Musk has co-founded several other ventures, including brain implant maker Neuralink and tunneling startup The Boring Company. He purchased Twitter for $44 billion, quickly renamed it X, and promised to turn the platform into a haven for free speech.
The father of 14 was also invited to join Donald Trump’s executive team after funding the president’s election campaign, where he will lead the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk resigned, however, due to a vocal disagreement with Trump’s budget proposal. The two traded obscenities about X at a time when Tesla’s sales were declining and customers were boycotting the brand. Musk then promised investors that he would devote more attention to his firms, and his fortunes have risen ever since.
Matt Durot, deputy editor at Forbes Wealth, stated: “The second richest person has been hovering around $300 billion, which is less than one-third of what Musk may theoretically be worth tomorrow. Only one other person has ever been valued $400 billion: Larry Ellison, the creator of Oracle.
One trillion dollars could travel 3,890 times around the equator and reach the sun from Earth if they were laid end to end. Musk could contribute $2,917.32 to each person in the US as a portion of his wealth. He could donate $121.80 to everyone on the earth if he wanted to. He might potentially rewrite history by eliminating all government debt interest worldwide. In a single action, Singapore’s $1 trillion national debt might be eliminated.