A court ruling that restored Elon Musk’s Tesla pay package has pushed his net worth to historic levels, with implications that extend well beyond personal wealth.
Elon Musk has officially become the first person ever to have a net worth of more than $700 billion. The development resulted from a legal decision regarding his compensation at Tesla.
According to the Forbes Billionaires Index, the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated Tesla stock options valued at $139 billion.
The new rule overturned a 2024 decision by a lower court that voided Musk’s 2018 Tesla pay package, which was originally approved by shareholders and valued at $56 billion. The lower court had decided that the deal was excessive, but the Delaware Supreme Court said the ruling was improper and unfair, effectively restoring Musk’s compensation.
Earlier in the week, Musk had already crossed the $600 billion mark after news that SpaceX was moving closer to a public listing broke. According to Bloomberg, the aerospace company could pursue an initial public offering as early as late 2026.
The Wall Street Journal also noted that SpaceX recently carried out a secondary share sale for employees, valuing the company at roughly $800 billion or more.
For Tesla, the ruling reinforces shareholder confidence in Musk’s long-term vision. In November, investors approved a separate pay plan estimated at one trillion dollars, the largest corporate compensation package on record.
Shareholders have backed Musk’s push to evolve Tesla beyond electric vehicles into artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems. Musk’s fortune now exceeds that of Google co-founder Larry Page by nearly $500 billion.
