Who is Elon Musk and what is his net worth?

1 day ago Share Save Liv McMahon, Natalie Sherman, Dearbail Jordan & Osmond Chia Business & technology reporters Share Save

Getty Images The Tesla boss became the first person ever to achieve a net worth of more than $500bn

It seems like not a day goes by without billionaire Elon Musk making headlines. In early October 2025, the boss of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) cemented his position as the world's richest person after a jump in the value of the electric car maker. The previous month he was briefly knocked off the top spot by Larry Ellison, the Oracle co-founder and ally of President Donald Trump. Musk has charged ahead with human brain chip trials at his firm Neuralink and tried to take a major role in the fast-growing world of artificial intelligence, despite warning that the tech could lead to humanity's extinction. But he is also known for using his social media platform to air his views on a vast array of topics, particularly politics. In early 2024, his reach expanded further after Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election - in which the Tesla executive played a key but controversial role - before their relationship imploded in a bitter feud. It's not just in the US where Musk has waded into political controversy. In the UK, he accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being "deeply complicit" in grooming gang "mass rapes in exchange for votes" - while Sir Keir accused critics of "spreading lies and misinformation". UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also said language used by Musk when addressing a rally in September 2025 was "abhorrent".