Young people shouldn't be too arrogant; if you aren't showy, can you still call yourself young? — Musk. Huaqiang
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index on the 11th showed that the world's richest person, Elon Musk, has a personal net worth of $447 billion, becoming the first person in history to surpass the $400 billion mark. Since the U.S. presidential election on November 5, Musk's wealth has been soaring as the largest 'financial backer' of the winning candidate, far exceeding the combined wealth of second-ranked Jeff Bezos and third-ranked Bill Gates by $140 billion.
Since 2024, Musk's net worth has increased by about $218 billion, far surpassing other billionaires globally. From the composition of his wealth, Musk simultaneously manages six companies with a market value of over $50 billion: Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink.
Among them, only Tesla is a publicly listed company; the other five are private enterprises.
Musk's wealth surge this time is mainly due to the internal stock sale transactions at SpaceX and Tesla's takeoff.
According to the latest news, SpaceX and its investors have agreed to purchase up to $1.25 billion of the company's common stock at a price of $185 per share.
This deal also boosted SpaceX's valuation from $250 billion a few months ago to $350 billion, making it the most valuable private startup in the world.
According to Forbes, Musk holds about 42% of SpaceX's shares, which means the SpaceX stock in his hands is worth about $147 billion.
Regarding SpaceX's outrageous valuation, Musk also responded on the X platform:
“What’s truly crazy is that even with a valuation of $350 billion, almost no investors are willing to sell their shares! SpaceX has reduced the number of shares bought back from employees to allow some new investors to come in.”
Aside from SpaceX, Tesla is the powerful engine driving Musk's wealth explosion.
Data shows that Musk holds 411 million shares of Tesla's common stock and 304 million stock options that have yet to be exercised (that hefty compensation).
If Musk can ultimately 'successfully collect his salary,' then based on today’s closing market value, his Tesla stocks are worth approximately $277.4 billion.
Additionally, as the largest financial backer behind Trump's election, Musk is expected to continue to soar alongside Tesla during Trump's 2.0 era.
Currently, Musk plays a significant role in the new government as a co-leader of the newly established government efficiency department.
As a culture that has a 5,000-year heritage, we experience a sense of historical sedimentation from a god-like perspective through Trump and Musk. These two democratic heroes and the MAGA faction seem to find points of connection in the historical shifts of China, both at the end of chaotic times. But for Americans, with a national history of less than 300 years, will their economic and governance concepts create a 'new family tree' due to differences in democratic systems? The concept of a harmonious world does not refer to a high degree of institutional or policy convergence but rather to the historical evolution of public sentiment. In this comparison, how much can the emerging tech circle represented by Musk challenge the traditional financial sector? After all, the deeply entrenched and complicated aristocracy and bureaucrats will not willingly step back.
Not long ago, Biden, who has been stirring up trouble and digging pits, signed a five-year 'remote work' agreement with tens of thousands of U.S. government employees, requiring them to work in the office at least two days a week, with the rest of the time being remote.
According to statistics from the U.S. federal government, there are currently 2.3 million civilian employees in the U.S., of which 1.1 million have the conditions for remote work. Among these 1.1 million, about 228,000 work almost entirely remotely, coming into the office only two days a week to slack off. The remaining remote workers spend about 60% of their time in the office and the rest at home. The time freedom and relaxed work, along with the expectation of salary increases, make government bureaucrats see Musk's efficiency department as a formidable enemy; after all, to cut off someone’s financial path is akin to killing their parents, and they cannot coexist.
Don’t be fooled by Musk becoming a minister and the world's richest person; what is most unpredictable in a democratic country? It’s the public sentiment agitation (civil unrest) following sudden events, which also includes the millions of government officials mentioned above. If Musk is not careful in how he promotes government budget cuts, this could ultimately turn into a self-destructive poison. Even the world's richest person faces significant risks to personal safety; the assassination attempt on Trump during the campaign is a cautionary tale, along with the earlier assassination of Kennedy. This efficiency department is now a high-risk profession, and the budget cuts will be a long, slow process, continually altered amidst various negotiations. This is not Musk's style as an engineering man, and it’s also what he hopes to break free from: the old agreements that are inefficient and costly.
For the crypto circle, especially DOGE users, good news often turns into bad news. With a bunch of troubles to handle and new regulations to establish, Musk will likely have little interest in crypto, or rather, the priority for crypto should fall behind. Until everything becomes clear, accompanied by what could be storms and flames, it’s advisable to cherish and learn self-protection.
