Elon Musk has cemented his status as the world’s richest person, with his net worth surging to a record-breaking $787.2 billion on Thursday. The financial milestone follows a rally in Tesla’s stock price, driven by optimistic comments Musk made regarding the company’s autonomous driving future while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Okay News reports that Musk’s fortune climbed by approximately $12 billion in a single day as Tesla shares rose by about 4%, pushing the price above $448. The rally was sparked by Musk’s assurance that Tesla’s robotaxi service, which initially launched in Austin, Texas, in June 2025, would become “very, very widespread” across the United States by the end of this year.
This latest surge surpasses Musk’s previous wealth record of $780 billion, set just last Friday. The gap between Musk and his closest financial rivals has widened significantly; he is now over $500 billion ahead of Google co-founder Larry Page, who sits in second place with an estimated fortune of $271.2 billion, followed by Sergey Brin at $250.2 billion.
Musk’s breathless accumulation of wealth over the past year has been fueled by multiple factors beyond Tesla’s stock performance. These include a massive valuation jump for SpaceX, now worth $800 billion, a $20 billion capital raise for his AI venture, xAI, and the Delaware Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate a Tesla stock option package worth roughly $126 billion.
Investors are now looking toward January 28, when Tesla is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter earnings. Despite the stock market optimism, the company faces operational headwinds; recent reports indicate Tesla has slipped behind Chinese automaker BYD as the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, following a 16% decline in deliveries for the quarter.
