Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s net worth has increased by over $82 billion in 2020 after a 480% increase in stock price so far this year.
Musk, who helped found Tesla in 2003, is the company’s largest shareholder, and as CEO, helps oversee the company’s day-to-day operations. 2020 has been especially rewarding for the South African-born CEO, who has helped the company establish itself as the electric vehicle tech leader by a considerable margin during the year.
With advancements in battery production, EV tech, and manufacturing techniques, Tesla has seen its share price explode from $86 to over $500 in just over eleven months. Tesla has also reported five consecutive profitable quarters, which has helped its performance on Wall Street.
As for Musk, his considerable wealth has already grown substantially this year. According to Forbes, Musk was worth $24.6B in April 2020, when a steady climb in price per share began and lasted until July. After a short drop in mid-August, TSLA shares once again skyrocketed until August 31st, when the automaker announced a 5:1 stock split to make shares more affordable for retail and younger investors.
As a result of the split, TSLA has overtaken AAPL as millennial’s go-to stock, and the automaker has experienced overwhelming popularity among retail investors.
Musk’s proverbial climb up the World’s Richest list has been monumental, although it is important to highlight the fact that his worth has nothing to do with cash. The CEO doesn’t accept a paycheck from his employer, and under California Law, his minimum salary is left in a Tesla-owned bank account, which is untouched.
Musk’s net worth growth has inspired some politicians, like Bernie Sanders, to ask CEO’s with exponential growth in wealth throughout the year to pay a one-time tax. The bill, which would have required Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and the Walton family to pay billions, was never passed.
Bernie Sanders wants Elon Musk to pay a one-time $27.5 billion tax
Musk is set to, once again, surpass Zuckerberg on the list after the surge in stock price added $7.6 billion to his net worth over the past two days. Tesla stock has surged nearly $100 in the past two days, or around 25%, based on the report that the electric automaker’s inclusion in the S&P 500 index. TSLA will join the S&P on December 21st.
As of the end of trading hours on Wednesday, Musk is worth $106.9B, but this number will likely grow based on TSLA’s increase in value during Thursday trading hours. At the time of writing, TSLA shares were up $14.27, or 2.93%, to $500.91 per share.
