Surging Tesla share price propels Elon Musk to world's richest person again

Here's how Elon Musk got his fortune back.

| More on:
Happy woman on her phone while her electric vehicle charges.

Image source: Getty Images

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More

The share market moves around a lot. We, investors, know this, since enduring the volatility of the share market is one of the hardest parts of investing. But shares going up and down have more consequences than just the balances of our investment portfolios and super funds.

It more or less determines the richest people in the world. Billionaires typically don't keep their money in the bank. They invest in income-producing assets that compound wealth over time – no one saves their way to a billion.

Those income-producing assets could be property or private companies. But, more often than not, they are publically-listed shares. That is certainly true of the current five richest people in the world.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, Neuralink and The Boring Company, had an exceptionally rough year last year. Musk had the dubious honour of being the first human in history to lose US$200 billion in personal wealth last year.

This was largely driven by the collapse we saw in the Tesla share price, of which Mussk has a huge chunk of his wealth housed.

Tesla tanked by more than 65% in 2022, which led to LVMH's Bernard Arnault overtaking Musk as the world's richest person in the later months of last year.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3Tesla PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALLwww.fool.com.au

But Arnault's spot at the top of the greasy pole wasn't to last.

Elon Musk is back as the world's richest person

Today, Elon has his crown back. After a brief stint of being only the world's second-richest person, Musk has just reclaimed his gold medal. And he can thank Tesla stock, that same company that put such a big dent in his net worth last year.

While Tesla stock cratered in 2022, it has seen a shocking renaissance in 2023 thus far. Since 6 January, the Tesla stock price has risen by a whopping 85%, going from US$113 to the US$207.63 it is commanding today.

This has catapulted Musk back up to the top of the rich list. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, today, Musk's fortune stands at US$187 billion. That's just ahead of Arnault's US$185 billion.

Here's a list of the top five richest people, their fortunes as they currently stand, and the companies they are associated with:

BillionaireFortune (US$)Source of Wealth
Elon Musk$187 billionTesla, SpaceX, Twitter
Bernard Arnault$185 billionLVMH
Jeff Bezos$117 billionAmazon
Bill Gates$114 billionMicrosoft
Warren Buffett$106 billionBerkshire Hathaway
Source: Bloomberg

So we'll have to wait and see how long Musk's stint as the world's richest person lasts this time.

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, and Tesla. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Amazon.com and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

More on Share Market News

Oil industry worker climbing up metal construction and smiling.
Energy Shares

ASX 200 energy shares lead the market as US trade deals fuel optimism

ASX energy shares lifted 3.94% as more US trade deals led to improved market sentiment.

Read more »

A female ASX investor looks through a magnifying glass that enlarges her eye and holds her hand to her face with her mouth open as if looking at something of great interest or surprise.
Broker Notes

Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week

Brokers gave buy ratings to these ASX shares last week. Why are they bullish?

Read more »

A smiling businessman in the city looks at his phone and punches the air in celebration of good news.
Broker Notes

These ASX 200 shares could rise 50% to 60%

Brokers believe these shares could deliver big returns for investors.

Read more »

A girl is handed an oversized ice cream cone with lots of different flavours.
Best Shares

8 ASX All Ords shares that tripled in value in FY25

Just 8 out of the 500 companies making up the ASX All Ords achieved share price growth of 200% or…

Read more »

Broker written in white with a man drawing a yellow underline.
Broker Notes

Brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy today

Here's why brokers are feeling bullish about these three shares this week.

Read more »

Woman with a scared look has hands on her face.
Broker Notes

Bapcor shares fell more than 30% yesterday. Should investors buy in the dip?

Is this a value opportunity?

Read more »

A man sits thoughtfully on the couch with a laptop on his lap.
Broker Notes

Broker raises price targets on 2 ASX 200 shares to buy

Ord Minnett has just upped its 12-month share price targets on 2 buy-rated ASX 200 stocks.

Read more »

Man with rocket wings which have flames coming out of them.
Share Gainers

Guess which ASX All Ords stock just rocketed 34% on strong earnings growth

Investors just sent this ASX All Ords stock surging 34%. Here’s what’s happening.

Read more »