Musk Reaches Trillionaire Status Following SpaceX's Historic IPO

Elon Musk is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history, with a net worth that has reached an astonishing trillion dollars. Born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28, 1971, to a Canadian mother and South African father, Musk showed an early interest in computing. He sold his first video game at age 12 to a computer magazine.

Musk left South Africa for Canada in 1988 due to his opposition to apartheid and desire for economic opportunities. He attended Queen's University before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in physics and economics from the Wharton School. Musk turned down a spot in Stanford's PhD program after just two days, believing the internet held more potential than academic research.

Musk has founded or co-founded numerous companies, including PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and xAI. In 2026, following SpaceX's IPO, Musk became the world's first trillionaire with a net worth of over $1 trillion.