How much cash does Elon Musk have? World's richest man reveals as he nears trillionaire status

Elon Musk

• Elon Musk's net worth is $849.3 billion, mostly in equity.
• Musk says less than 0.1% of his wealth is held as cash.
• Tesla and SpaceX employees get stock and options as pay.

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Elon Musk is currently the richest person in the world and could even become the first trillionaire if his wealth continues to surge this year. According to the Forbes Billionaires List, the xAI CEO’s net worth stands at about $849.3 billion, placing him far ahead of every other billionaire globally.

While much of his fortune is linked to the companies he has founded, invested in or acquired, Musk says very little of that wealth is actually held as cash. In a recent post on X, he addressed speculation around his finances and clarified that almost all of his net worth comes from equity stakes rather than money sitting in bank accounts.

“My ‘net worth’ is almost entirely due to my ownership stakes in Tesla and SpaceX. I have <0.1% that is cash,” Musk wrote.

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% that is cash.

Tesla and SpaceX employees all receive stock/options and Tesla is >80% owned by retail investors and index/pension funds, so value… — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 15, 2026

He also pushed back against the notion that the rise in his wealth benefits only him. In the same post, Musk highlighted that employees at Tesla and SpaceX receive stock and stock options, and that a large portion of Tesla’s ownership lies with retail investors and pension or index funds. According to him, this means most of the gains in company value flow to shareholders and employees rather than solely adding to his personal liquidity.