•Elon Musk
CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, has regained his position as the world’s richest individual, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The South African-born billionaire surpassed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, reaching a historic net worth milestone of over $400 billion for the first time.
The Bloomberg index reports that Musk’s fortune surged to $447 billion on Thursday, eclipsing Bezos by more than $190 billion. Bezos had previously held the top spot since earlier this year.
Tesla shares reached a record high on December 11, closing at $424.77. This significant increase in Tesla’s stock value contributed heavily to Musk’s wealth.
In addition to Tesla, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, saw remarkable growth. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company’s valuation more than doubled in November during a new funding round, rising to $50 billion from its earlier valuation just months ago.
Musk is also the largest individual shareholder in Tesla and the owner of X, the microblogging platform formerly known as Twitter.
The billionaire, who has been an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, recently gained a government appointment.
On November 13, Trump named Musk to head the forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump, who defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election by securing more than 270 electoral college votes, praised Musk’s leadership qualities.
