Elon Musk just blasted past every billionaire benchmark, hitting a staggering $749 billion net worth and becoming the first person in history to cross the $700 billion mark. This wild jump happened late Friday, December 20, 2025, right after the Delaware Supreme Court handed him a massive win by reinstating his controversial 2018 Tesla compensation package. Tesla shares rocketed up about 20% on the news, turning Musk’s fortune into something straight out of sci-fi.
Back in 2018, Tesla’s board crafted a bold pay plan for Musk no salary, just stock options tied to insane performance goals like boosting the company’s market cap from around $60 billion to $650 billion in stages. Shareholders loved it, approving with 73% support. Musk nailed every target, but a lone investor with just nine shares sued, claiming the board was too cozy with Musk and shortchanged shareholders on details.
A tweet from X.
In January 2024, a lower Delaware court agreed, voiding the package as “unfathomable” and unfair. Fast-forward to December 19, 2025: The state’s Supreme Court flipped that script unanimously in a 49-page per curiam opinion. They called the full cancellation “an improper remedy” that left Musk
“uncompensated for his time and efforts over a period of six years.”
Instead, they awarded the plaintiff a symbolic $1 in damages. Boom the options, originally pegged at $56 billion, now clock in at roughly $139 billion thanks to Tesla’s epic stock run.
Musk’s wealth isn’t stacks of cash; it’s mostly tied up in company stakes. He owns about 13% of Tesla, worth around $199 billion pre-surge, plus those restored options pushing his Tesla haul to $338 billion. Then there’s his 42% chunk of SpaceX, valued at $336 billion with the rocket firm’s worth hitting $800 billion amid IPO buzz. Add in bits from xAI, Neuralink, and X (the old Twitter), and you’ve got the breakdown.
This ruling isn’t just about Musk’s bankroll it’s firing up fresh fights over CEO mega-pay in America. Critics slam it as proof boards can rubber-stamp sweetheart deals, especially with Musk’s tight grip (his brother Kimbal was on the board). But supporters say it empowers shareholders, who re-ratified the plan in 2024 and greenlit a potential $1 trillion follow-up in November 2025. Tesla even ditched Delaware for Texas incorporation to sidestep more court drama, signaling shifts in how U.S. businesses handle governance.
Musk, ever the fighter, summed it up best:
“I try not to start any fights, but I do finish them.”
This moment screams modern America’s tech-fueled wealth machine where innovators like him could rocket to trillionaire status soon, reshaping power and inequality debates along the way. Watch this space; Musk’s orbit just got bigger.
