Elon Musk has become the first person estimated to reach a net worth of $US500 billion ($A756 billion), according to US magazine Forbes, largely held in shares of electric carmaker Tesla and aerospace firm SpaceX.

It comes as OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, also reached a valuation of $US500 billion, following a major share deal, a source revealed.

Forbes calculated Musk’s wealth at roughly $US150 billion more than Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Musk’s wealth is harder to estimate than that of other billionaires because many of his companies are not publicly traded.

Musk surpassed the $US400 billion mark in December 2024, amid investor speculation that Tesla would benefit from his connections to then-newly elected US President Donald Trump . He frequently visited the White H

See Full Page