Elon Musk’s personal fortune rose by $18.2 billion on Thursday, April 25, as shares of Tesla Inc. posted their strongest daily gain in months, closing nearly 10% higher.
Musk’s net worth now stands at an estimated $335 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Shares of Tesla, the electric carmaker Musk leads as chief executive, finished the trading session at $284.95, up 9.8 percent.
The surge came amid renewed investor optimism following the company’s stronger-than-expected quarterly results and a wave of analyst upgrades. Despite the one-day rally, Musk’s year-to-date wealth remains down by approximately $97.7 billion, a 22.6 percent decline from January highs.
In a parallel development, Musk’s recently merged artificial intelligence venture, xAI Holdings, is reportedly in discussions with investors to secure around $20 billion in fresh funding, according to Bloomberg. The investment would fuel the combined growth of xAI and Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, which Musk took private in 2022.
A portion of the new funds is expected to be used to reduce the significant debt Musk incurred during the Twitter acquisition. Should the deal close, it would rank as the second-largest startup funding round on record, following OpenAI’s $40 billion raise earlier this year, according to data provider PitchBook.
Tesla remains the cornerstone of Musk’s wealth, with the billionaire controlling about 13 percent of the publicly traded company. Musk also holds roughly 304 million stock options stemming from a controversial 2018 compensation package. Although a Delaware court ruled to void the package earlier this year, a decision reaffirmed after a shareholder vote, the options remain factored into wealth calculations pending a final outcome on appeal.
What to know
Beyond Tesla and xAI Holdings, Musk’s financial empire is sprawling. He owns about 42 percent of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, which was valued at nearly $350 billion in a late-2024 tender offer. His interests also include Neuralink and The Boring Company, ventures that further diversify his technological portfolio.
The latest spike in Musk’s net worth follows a turbulent year in which he has both cemented and expanded his influence across technology, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and politics. In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Musk was the largest private donor to Donald Trump’s campaign, contributing more than $277 million. Following Trump’s election victory, Musk was appointed to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk’s finances, however, carry risks. A significant portion of his Tesla shares, about 58%, are pledged as collateral against personal loans, capped at $3.5 billion according to regulatory filings. While the strategy provides Musk with liquidity, it also exposes him to potential margin calls in the event of a sharp decline in Tesla’s stock price.
Now 53, Musk shows little sign of slowing down. Recent milestones include Neuralink’s first human brain implant, SpaceX’s successful capture of its Super Heavy rocket booster, and new AI initiatives announced under xAI Holdings.
