RM Elon Musk Becomes the World’s First $700 Billion Individual After Court Decision on Pay Package
Elon Musk has made history by becoming the first person ever to reach a net worth exceeding $700 billion. According to Forbes’ billionaires index, his fortune climbed to approximately $749 billion late Friday after the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated a massive Tesla compensation package that had previously been overturned.
The ruling restored Musk’s controversial 2018 pay deal, which is now valued at about $139 billion. The package had initially been worth $56 billion but was struck down last year by a lower court, which described the compensation arrangement as “unfathomable.” On Friday, however, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that the 2024 decision to void the package was improper and unfair to Musk, effectively reversing that judgment.
This legal victory significantly boosted Musk’s wealth, which had already been rising sharply in recent weeks. Earlier this week, he became the first individual to surpass $600 billion in net worth amid reports suggesting that his private aerospace company, SpaceX, may be preparing for an initial public offering.
In a separate development last month, Tesla shareholders approved an even larger compensation framework for Musk—valued at roughly $1 trillion—marking the biggest corporate pay package ever approved. Investors backed the plan as a sign of confidence in Musk’s long-term strategy to transform Tesla from a traditional electric vehicle manufacturer into a leader in artificial intelligence and robotics.
As a result of these developments, Musk’s wealth now far surpasses that of Google co-founder Larry Page, who ranks as the world’s second-richest person. Forbes estimates that Musk’s fortune exceeds Page’s by nearly $500 billion.
The story was reported by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru and edited by Franklin Paul.
