Not so long ago, we reported that Elon Musk had become the world's first $600 billion man. Now, the Tesla and SpaceX chief has pushed even further ahead, becoming the first person ever worth more than $700 billion.
Musk's net worth jumped to about $749 billion after the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated Tesla stock options worth $139 billion, reversing a lower court ruling that had voided his landmark 2018 pay package. The court said the earlier decision to strike down the compensation deal was improper.
The ruling caps a remarkable surge in Musk's wealth. Last week, his fortune crossed the $600 billion mark amid reports that SpaceX could go public, while Tesla shareholders in November approved a separate $1 trillion pay plan, the largest in corporate history.
According to Forbes, Musk's wealth now dwarfs that of the world's second-richest person, Google co-founder Larry Page, by nearly $500 billion, underscoring Musk's unmatched position at the top of the global rich list.
To put that figure into perspective
To put that figure into perspective, Musk's $600 billion fortune is on the scale of national economies. For reference, the GDP of Denmark is about $430 billion, Sweden $610 billion, Norway around $580 billion and Finland roughly $300 billion. In other words, Musk's personal wealth is now comparable to (or larger than) the annual economic output of many countries.