Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos saw a combined $7.8 billion added to their fortunes on Friday, as shares of Tesla and Amazon climbed, lifting both moguls higher on the list of the world’s richest individuals.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of several high-profile ventures including SpaceX and xAI, added $5.8 billion to his net worth, which now stands at $413.2 billion, according to real-time tracking by Forbes.
The 1.41% gain cements his status as the wealthiest person on the planet.
The surge followed a 3.21% jump in Tesla shares, which closed at $329.65. Musk owns roughly 12% of the electric car company, though more than half of that stake has been pledged as collateral for personal loans totaling up to $3.5 billion. Musk’s stake in SpaceX, now valued at $350 billion following a private share sale in December, also plays a significant role in his fortune. He owns an estimated 42% of the company.
In addition, Musk holds majority ownership of artificial intelligence startup xAI, which investors valued at $50 billion late last year.
Despite setbacks, most notably, a Delaware judge’s 2024 ruling that voided his 2018 Tesla pay package, Musk continues to dominate headlines for his influence across industries. The disputed compensation package, worth billions in stock options, is currently under appeal.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon, saw his wealth grow by $2 billion to $239.2 billion, after Amazon stock rose 1.01% to $226.13. Bezos holds about 9% of the e-commerce giant, which he started in a Seattle garage in 1994.
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Since stepping down as CEO in 2021, Bezos has focused on other ventures, including his space exploration firm Blue Origin and ownership of The Washington Post. He has also made philanthropic moves through the Bezos Earth Fund, pledging $10 billion to climate initiatives by 2030 $2 billion of which has been granted to date.
Bezos, who said in a 2022 interview that he plans to donate the bulk of his fortune during his lifetime, remains the fourth richest person in the world.
The day’s sharp gains reflect renewed investor confidence in big tech, particularly as AI-related developments drive optimism across the sector. With Tesla’s AI ventures and Amazon’s cloud-powered innovations attracting attention, the wealth surge of its founders is a reminder of just how closely their fortunes track with the market’s faith in technology.
