Elon Musk’s estimated net worth has climbed to around $850 billion, putting him closer than ever to the $1 trillion mark. According to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires tracker, Musk was valued at $849.3 billion on February 17, 2026, largely because of his holdings in SpaceX and Tesla.
Elon Musk’s net worth rises to $850 billion amid SpaceX and Tesla developments [BusinessToday]
This growth in wealth follows a major corporate move. On February 2, 2026, SpaceX acquired xAI in an all-stock transaction, creating a combined company valued at $1.25 trillion. The deal demonstrates the impact that private-company valuations can have on the net worth of individuals like Musk, whose wealth is mostly tied up in equity rather than cash.
Musk Leads Among Billionaires.
According to the Forbes tracker, Musk continues to have a huge lead over other top billionaires. His rivals, like Larry Page (251 billion), Sergey Brin (231.7 billion), and Mark Zuckerberg (219.4 billion), are way below him. This is an example of how the valuation of companies privately may change rankings rapidly, particularly when one transaction results in major growth of the holding.
The stance of Musk also underscores the instability of wealth in both the private and the public firms. As opposed to billionaires whose wealth is primarily tied to publicly traded stocks, the holdings of Musk in unpublicly traded companies such as SpaceX imply that major alterations may be made to the balance after purchases or capital investments.
SpaceX-xAI Deal Proves to be a Wealth Gainer.
SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI made the company worth one trillion two hundred and fifty billion USD, with SpaceX worth one trillion and xAI worth two hundred fifty billion USD. The deal led to an implied value increase in the stake held by Musk even though it did not result in cash since he owns large gains in both companies.
On X, Musk wrote that his wealth is concentrated in company equity at very little less than 0.1 percent in cash. The deal shows the significant impact of private valuations on non-liquid net worth.
Already have thousands of times over. My “net worth” is almost entirely due to my ownership stakes in Tesla and SpaceX. I have <0.1% that is cash.
Tesla and SpaceX employees all receive stock/options and Tesla is >80% owned by retail investors and index/pension funds, so value…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 15, 2026
Tesla is one of the key points.
Musk still gets his wealth anchored in Tesla. He has approximately 12 percent company share, which varies with the market capitalization of Tesla. The company stock has been growing tremendously over the last few years, which also indicates the confidence of the investors in the electric vehicles and energy solutions of the company.
In November 2025, Tesla granted a new long-term compensation to Musk, which could offer him up to one trillion in stock in the next decade, based on performance requirements. According to analysts, the maximum value is large; however, only the performance of stocks and milestone achievement will determine the actual value achieved.
The reason behind the fluctuating net worth of Musk.
Due to the nature of his holdings, Musk can amass and deamass wealth very quickly. Public shares such as Tesla are recalculated daily, and private company valuations such as SpaceX or xAI regularly move in significant blocks after an acquisition or a corporate financing.
There are long-term incentive plans, options, and board-approved awards that further complicate it. Certain awards can be deemed as likely to vest depending on legal rulings, stockholder resolutions, and performance goals, and the value of options can be dramatically affected due to changes in Tesla share prices. Collectively, all these indicate that Musk is a highly sensitive figure in terms of net worth concerning corporate events and market changes.
Young people speculate on the first trillionaire
Markets that have been tracking the move by Musk to become the first person to have a net worth of 1 trillion have come into existence. A great number of these contracts are based on the values reported by Forbes in order to determine the outcome.
It is necessary to mention that these estimates are based on paper, but not cash. Although Musk may be worth a trillion in gross net worth according to his reports, a majority of it is in the form of shares in the company. Even Musk himself has affirmed that he has very little money, noting that the large wealth numbers are usually the valuation of equity and not liquidity by the market.
xAI Products Regulatory Scrutiny
Although valuation gains are the focus of attention, regulators have given more consideration to xAI-based products. On February 17, 2026, the Data Protection Commission of Ireland began investigating Grok on X on the issue of sexualized and potentially harmful output of images.
This criticism is not confined to Ireland. In January 2026, the eSafety regulator of Australia examined Grok following the complaints of sexualized deepfake photographs. Regulatory inquiries have the potential to influence the product restrictions, compliance expenses, and reputational riskfulness, which may indirectly influence the valuations of the companies of Musk.
SpaceX’s IPO has the potential to change the net worth trajectory
The initial SpaceX IPO would redefine the path of Musk to the valuation of the trillion. The company has weighed the measures that are common in getting public, i.e., governance changes and the use of dual-class shares. An effective IPO would reprice and would perhaps give a better roadmap to becoming a trillion-dollar company.
Nevertheless, the eventuality of hitting one trillion will be determined by various variables: the performance of the Tesla stock, the sales of SpaceX, and the results of regulation of AI products. The combination of these various variables is why there is the possibility of varying predictions of the net worth of Musk even though there is the same figure of the headline of 850 billion.
Greater Understandings of Ultra-High Wealth.
The case of Musk reaching about $850 billion shows that the wealth of the richest people is becoming more and more bound to private business, long-term bonus schemes, and business-level decisions. Equity in high-growth, innovative areas, unlike the traditionally liquid or public holdings by traditional billionaires, is reflected in Musk’s fortune.
It also emphasizes how business occurrences, like the SpaceX-xAI takeover or the compensation packages of Tesla, can drastically influence perceived wealth to result in discrepancies between reported net worth and cash on hand. These are factors that should be taken into consideration by the analysts when comparing the billionaire wealth or even estimating milestones such as the first trillionaire.
Also Read: Australian ETF Market Breaks Records as 2025 Inflows Hit $53 Billion – Colitco
Looking Ahead
SpaceX and Tesla, along with some strategic business choices, have propelled Elon Musk to the current approximate wealth of $850 billion. Although the guesses and speculation are ongoing as to when he may become the first trillionaire, attainment of the same will revolve around market performance, company performance, and regulatory news.
The story of Musk highlights the convergence of innovation, high-risk investments, and wealth at the extreme top. This means that his investments and business enterprises continue to draw the attention of investors, analysts, and others as they provide a clue on how contemporary billionaires develop and sustain unprecedented wealth.
