Elon Musk’s net worth hit an all-time high of US$347.8 billion on Friday, driven by Tesla Inc’s ongoing stock rally and a new funding round valuing his artificial intelligence startup xAI at US$50 billion.
Musk’s numerous businesses have been surging in value since Donald Trump’s election victory propelled Musk, the so-called “first buddy,” into the political spotlight.
Tesla shares rose 3.8% Friday, reflecting ongoing optimism that the Trump team’s plans for self-driving cars and electric-vehicle subsidies will give Musk’s company an advantage over its peers. The stock is up 45% since Nov 4, the day before the election, adding about US$350 billion in market value.
Meanwhile, the value of xAI has more than doubled since it last raised money in May, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Trump’s victory helped drive new investor interest. And Trump joined Musk at a SpaceX launch on Wednesday; the company is discussing a private share sale which would raise its value to over US$250 billion.
Musk, the world’s richest person, is now wealthier than his previous high of US$340.4 billion set in November 2021, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His fortune — more than two-thirds of which is derived from Tesla stock and options — has increased 35% since the day before the election.
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Musk's Wealth Hits a Record | Fortune has surged since Trump's election
Policy plans
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Musk, 53, aligned himself with Trump in the closing stages of the race, campaigning alongside him in battleground states and personally contributing more than US$170 million to a PAC supporting the Republican candidate.
Members of Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities, which would likely enable wider deployment of cars without human controls, Bloomberg News reported Monday. That would be a boon for Tesla, which has made rolling out such cars and trucks the centrepiece of its future strategy.
Current federal policy allows Tesla and other automakers to deploy just 2,500 fully autonomous vehicles per year. During Tesla’s most recent earnings call, Musk complained about being stymied by patchwork state-level regulations, such as in California, that have limited its ability to scale up its self-driving technology.
Musk said the robotaxi, which has no steering wheel or pedals, could cost less than US$30,000 and “probably” will go into production in 2026.
Musk will co-head a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, which he’s said he’ll use to slash bureaucracy and regulations.
Trump also reportedly favours eliminating electric-vehicle tax credits of up to US$7,500 and cutting emissions regulations that were rolled out by President Joe Biden’s administration. That would hurt legacy automakers more than Tesla, whose sales are less dependent on federal support than many of its competitors, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence report.
