Elon Musk's Net Worth Tops 400-billion

The most recent catalyst was an insider share sale of his privately held SpaceX , which boosted South African-born Musk's net worth by roughly 50-billion in one fell swoop to 439.2-billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Musk's fortune has staged a dramatic turnaround since late 2022, when at one point he saw his net worth drop by more than 200-billion. But it's been especially turbocharged of late after Donald Trump's election win last month, with Musk being his most prominent political donor and advocate.

Tesla's stock is up about 65 since just before the election, buoyed by expectations that Trump will streamline the roll-out of self-driving cars and eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles that help Tesla's competitors. Musk is slated to occupy a key role in the new administration as co-head of the newly created department of government efficiency, giving him a bully pulpit in Washington and a direct line to the Oval Office.

Meanwhile, the value of his artificial intelligence start-up, xAI, has more than doubled since it last raised money in May to 50-billion, with The Wall Street Journal reporting last month that Trump's victory helped drive new interest.