The world's first trillionaire

At a time when concerns about social inequality and hostility toward the ultra-wealthy are becoming increasingly pronounced, Elon Musk has managed to maintain a loyal following despite his astronomical wealth, and without cultivating the approachable, everyman image that helped billionaires such as Warren Buffett win broad public affection, Reuters reports.While his supporters view his unfiltered communication style as part of his appeal, critics accuse him of wielding oligarch-like power, point to corporate governance concerns within his companies, and object to his increasingly direct political interventions.Nevertheless, SpaceX &mdash; the vast rocket, satellite, and artificial intelligence company that, together with Tesla, forms the core of Musk&rsquo;s business empire &mdash; raised a record $75 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) on Thursday, underscoring strong investor interest in his ventures, according to Reuters.Before the share sale, Forbes estimated Musk&rsquo;s fortune at about $780 billion, far ahead of the world&rsquo;s second-richest person, Larry Page, co-founder of Alphabet.&ldquo;The second-richest person in the world has so far been worth around $300 billion, less than a third of what Musk could potentially be worth as soon as tomorrow,&rdquo; said Matt Durot, deputy editor of Forbes Wealth. &ldquo;And only one other person, Larry Ellison, has ever exceeded a net worth of $400 billion.&rdquo;The largest portion of Musk&rsquo;s wealth is now tied to SpaceX, where he holds a stake valued at approximately $866 billion. Combined with Tesla and his other assets, his net worth is expected to exceed $1.1 trillion when trading begins on Friday, according to estimates by Forbes and Reuters based on corporate filings.Musk first became a globally recognized figure through Tesla and SpaceX before expanding his influence further by acquiring X (formerly Twitter) for $44 billion in 2022. The move gave him direct access to hundreds of millions of users and turned him into one of the most influential voices in debates on politics, immigration, government spending, and free speech.His entry into politics, particularly his role last year in the Department of Government Efficiency under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, has proven to be one of his most controversial endeavors. Those political controversies coincided with weakening Tesla sales in several international markets during 2025, when protests and consumer boycotts targeted the electric vehicle manufacturer.

The world's first trillionaire

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