How Much Cash Does The World’s Richest Man Have? Elon Musk Responds

Even as speculation swirls that Elon Musk could become the first trillionaire in modern history, Tesla CEO Elon Musk insists his personal liquidity tells a very different story. Responding to growing chatter about his soaring wealth, Musk pushed back against the idea that he is sitting on mountains of cash. Instead, he stressed that the bulk of his fortune is locked up in company shares rather than in readily spendable money. “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 per cent that is cash,” he said, according to a Mint. Musk was reacting to a prediction from Kalshi on the social media platform X, an online forecasting platform, that estimated a 75 per cent probability he could reach trillionaire status this year. The world’s richest person has repeatedly clarified that his net worth largely reflects equity ownership. His stakes in Tesla and SpaceX make up nearly all of his valuation, with only a tiny fraction held as cash. Expanding on the structure of ownership, Musk noted that wealth creation at these companies benefits far more people than just himself. “Tesla and SpaceX employees all receive stock/options, and Tesla is >80 per cent owned by retail investors and index/pension funds, so value increases apply >80 per cent to them,” he said. The idea of Musk crossing the trillion-dollar threshold has gained traction in recent months. Forecasts from Kalshi suggest a 78 per cent likelihood he could achieve that milestone by 2027. Much of this optimism stems from corporate developments, including SpaceX’s merger with xAI, which reportedly pushed the combined company valuation to $1.25 trillion. Musk holds a 43 per cent stake in that entity, estimated at over $530 billion. In addition, he owns about 12 per cent of Tesla, worth roughly $178 billion, plus another $124 billion in stock options. A previously approved compensation package, contingent on ambitious long-term goals, could further elevate his valuation. Yet Musk has long maintained that liquidity is limited. Back in 2019, he remarked, “Some people think I have a lot of cash,” he had said in 2019. “I actually don’t.” With less than 0.1 per cent of his net worth reportedly in cash, that would amount to approximately $850 million, a fraction of his empire, though still a staggering personal reserve by any conventional measure. As Tesla’s valuation climbs and his stakes in ventures like SpaceX and xAI continue to expand, Musk’s wealth may keep rising on paper. But if his own words are any indication, much of it remains firmly invested rather than sitting in a bank account.