Elon Musk has become the first person to reach an estimated net worth of more than $US600 billion ($A902 billion), according to Forbes magazine.
The increase was driven by the recent sale of shares in Musk’s space company SpaceX by some employees and investors. Forbes used the price set in the transactions to estimate a higher total value for the company, which in turn boosted its calculation of Musk’s stake.
Just hours earlier, Forbes had placed Musk’s net worth at around $US500 billion.
Musk’s wealth is primarily tied to his holdings in electric carmaker Tesla and SpaceX.
Unlike Tesla, SpaceX is privately held, meaning its value is not determined by a public share price. In such cases, valuations are based on financing rounds or employee stock sales and can vary significantly from eventual market value.
Based on the price employees were able to sell their shares, Forbes calculated a total SpaceX value of $US800 billion, up from its previous estimate of $US400 billion.
With Musk owning roughly 40 per cent of SpaceX, Forbes’ revised valuation boosted his estimated net worth to $US677 billion.
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