Musk becomes first person worth $800 billion after SpaceX-xAI merger

Wednesday 04 February 2026 - 15:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Musk becomes first person worth $800 billion after SpaceX-xAI merger

Elon Musk has shattered wealth records, becoming the first individual ever to surpass $800 billion in net worth following the merger of his aerospace giant SpaceX with AI venture xAI.

Forbes pegs Musk's fortune at about $852 billion post-deal, adding roughly $84 billion to his already staggering tally. Announced February 2, 2026, the transaction values the combined entity at $1.25 trillion, marking the largest corporate merger on record.

SpaceX confirmed the acquisition in a Musk blog post, hailing it as creating "the most ambitious and vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth." It fuses AI, rockets, space internet, and his social media platform X. CNBC reports an all-stock swap: one xAI share converts to 0.1433 SpaceX shares, valuing SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion.

Musk now holds about 43 percent of the merged firm, worth some $542 billion far eclipsing his Tesla stake of 12 percent valued at $178 billion plus $124 billion in stock options.

The fused company eyes an IPO this year, with the Financial Times noting SpaceX aims to raise up to $50 billion at a potential $1.5 trillion valuation.

Musk widens his lead over the world's No. 2 richest, Alphabet co-founder Larry Page, by a staggering $578 billion Page's net worth sits at $281 billion.

This marks Musk's second merger of controlled companies in under a year. In March 2025, he blended xAI with social platform X, valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.

Musk has set four consecutive net worth records in four months. October 2025 saw him top $500 billion on Tesla's stock surge. By December 15, he hit $600 billion as SpaceX doubled to $800 billion. Four days later, a Delaware Supreme Court ruling restored his Tesla stock options, pushing him past $700 billion.

At this pace, Musk nears trillionaire status some analysts eyed 2027. Tesla's recently approved compensation package could add up to $1 trillion in stock if performance goals hit over the next decade.