R1 When the figure of $750 billion is mentioned alongside Elon Musk’s name, many immediately assume it’s the result of luck, speculation, or being “born with a silver spoon in their mouth.”
šØš° $750 BILLION ā AND THE METHOD BEHIND IT CHANGED HOW WE THINK ABOUT WEALTH š°šØ
When the figure $750 billion is mentioned alongside Elon Musk, most people assume the explanation must be simple: luck, inheritance, hype, or timing. The reality is far more complex ā and far more uncomfortable for anyone hoping thereās a shortcut.

This isnāt a story about salary.
It isnāt a story about savings.
And it definitely isnāt a story about āgetting rich quick.ā
Itās a story about ownership, leverage, and extreme conviction.
Ownership Over Income
The first thing many people misunderstand is how Musk actually makes money. He doesnāt rely on a paycheck. In fact, heās famous for taking little to no traditional salary. His wealth isnāt built through income ā itās built through equity.

Musk structured his life around one principle:
If you donāt own the upside, you donāt control your future.
Instead of maximizing cash flow, he maximized ownership stakes in companies positioned to reshape entire industries. As those companies grew, his net worth expanded not linearly, but exponentially.
Tesla: The Engine That Rewrote the Rules
Tesla wasnāt treated as a car company ā it was valued as a technology platform. Software, data, AI, energy infrastructure, and automation all converged into one ecosystem. As investors began pricing Tesla based on future dominance rather than present sales, the companyās valuation surged.

Because Musk retained a massive ownership stake, even small changes in Teslaās market value translated into tens of billions of dollars added to his personal net worth ā without him selling a single share.
SpaceX: Private, Powerful, and Underestimated
While Tesla captured headlines, SpaceX quietly became one of the most valuable private companies in the world. Its dominance in rocket launches and satellite internet (via Starlink) reshaped global logistics and communications.
Hereās the key detail most people miss:
Private companies donāt need to go public to create wealth. As SpaceXās internal valuations climbed, Muskās ownership became one of the most valuable private holdings on the planet.
Many analysts believe that if SpaceX ever goes public, Muskās net worth could jump dramatically ā possibly rewriting the ceiling for personal wealth altogether.

Leverage, Not Liquidity
Another misunderstood tactic: Musk doesnāt sell his shares to fund new ventures. Instead, he borrows against them.
By using equity as collateral, he can:
- Access massive capital
- Avoid selling ownership
- Delay or minimize taxable events
- Maintain control over his companies
This strategy allows wealth to compound while remaining largely untouched. Itās risky ā brutally so ā but when executed successfully, itās one of the most powerful financial tools in existence.
Risk That Most People Would Never Accept
There were moments when Musk placed nearly everything he had into Tesla and SpaceX simultaneously. Had either failed, his fortune could have collapsed entirely. This wasnāt diversification ā it was concentration at an extreme level.
Most people spread risk to feel safe.
Musk concentrated risk to create outsized outcomes.

That decision alone explains more about his wealth than any market trend.
The Real Formula Behind $750 Billion
Strip away the headlines, and the pattern becomes clear:
- Own, donāt earn
- Build companies that define the future
- Retain control for as long as possible
- Use leverage strategically
- Accept volatility most people canāt emotionally survive
Thereās nothing glamorous about the process. Itās stressful, uncertain, and unforgiving. And it demands patience measured in decades, not quarters.
The Question No One Likes to Ask
The real takeaway isnāt āHow did Elon Musk get so rich?ā
Itās this:
š Would you be willing to accept the same risk, pressure, and instability for the chance at that outcome?
Because the wealth didnāt come first.
The sacrifice did.