As the stock price of the U.S. electric vehicle company Tesla continues its relentless climb, the asset value of CEO Elon Musk has surpassed $500 billion (approx. 702 trillion Korean won) for the first time in history. With this milestone, Musk solidifies his title as the world's richest person and further fuels the possibility of the birth of the 'first human trillionaire.'
Background to Asset Surge: Tesla's Stock Explosion and Vision Presentation
According to the compilation by the U.S. business magazine Forbes, Musk set a record on October 1st (local time) by possessing $500 billion in assets for the first time. It took less than a year for his wealth to grow by $100 billion, following his crossing of the $400 billion mark in December of last year. On that particular day, as Tesla's stock rose by about 4%, Musk's assets reportedly increased by approximately $9.3 billion (approx. 13 trillion Korean won) in a single day.
The core driver of the asset surge is, indeed, the Tesla stock price. The stock has risen for four consecutive trading days, closing at $459.46, and its year-to-date growth rate has already exceeded 21%. Compared to its annual low point in early April, the stock price has more than doubled. Musk's current 12% stake in Tesla is valued at approximately $191 billion (approx. 268 trillion Korean won).
Musk continues to drive the stock increase by consistently presenting investors with future-oriented visions that go beyond mere electric vehicle sales, including Robotaxis (driverless taxis), artificial intelligence (AI), and humanoid robot development. In the short term, the anticipated strong third-quarter sales performance—as buyers rush to purchase vehicles before the U.S. federal government's EV tax credit (subsidy) phase-out—is also estimated to have had a positive impact.
Octopus-like Business Expansion and Trillionaire Forecast
Musk's immense fortune is not limited to Tesla. He possesses a diversified business portfolio, including an approximately 42% stake in the private space company SpaceX (valued at $168 billion), and an estimated 53% stake in the merged entity of the social media company X (formerly Twitter) and the AI startup xAI (valued at $60 billion). The value of these privately-held companies also accounts for a significant portion of Musk's total assets.
Given this unprecedented rate of asset growth, Forbes projects that Musk is highly likely to become the world's first trillionaire before March 2033. Other analytical institutions are predicting that he will claim the trillionaire title as early as 2027, drawing the world's attention to Musk's pace of accumulating colossal wealth faster than anyone else in human history.
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