Connect with us
tesla tsla elon musk tesla tsla elon musk

Lifestyle

Elon Musk’s Rise to Riches: How quickly the Tesla CEO Climbed the Wealth List

Elon Musk custom Tesla-branded Nike shoes (Credit: DMCustomSneakers via Instagram)

Published

on

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the Richest Person in the World. But how did he get there? It wasn’t easy, but Musk’s rise to riches was quick as Tesla climbed in market capitalization, which fueled the CEO’s net worth gain.

Musk officially passed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos for the number 1 spot on January 7th, after Tesla’s stock surged to over $789.00 a share, sending the Tesla frontman’s net worth to astronomical levels. Musk’s net worth sat north of $190 billion at the time.

It wasn’t always that way, though. Musk and Tesla had to overcome several bottlenecks throughout the years. Lack of funding, production issues, and general challenges in starting a company were things that Tesla had to overcome. Luckily, it did. It is the most valuable car company on Earth, and it is the sixth-most valuable company ever.

However, three years ago, Musk wasn’t even close to being the richest person in the world. He only had a net worth of $19.9 billion, which was 147% shy of Bezos, who enjoyed a $131 billion fortune at the time, Uswitch data shows.

In 2020, Musk’s net worth climbed to $129.8 billion, and he passed long-standing names on the list like Buffett and Gates. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had fallen behind the Tesla CEO. However, Bezos and Amazon were flourishing, especially as in-store shopping had slowed and online deliveries of consumer goods grew, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advertisement

Fast forward to 2021, and Tesla has continued to surge upward. Fueled by the news of the company reaching its 500,000 vehicle delivery and production guidance that it set for 2020, the stock continued to become more expensive, only fueling Tesla’s valuation.

Tesla reaches 500,000 production and delivery goal for 2020

Now, Musk sits at the top of the list, 5.2% richer than Bezos, who held the #1 spot from 2017 to 2021.

Incredibly, Musk, who didn’t seem to give much thought to his new title, immediately went back to work as many challenges lie ahead. Tesla plans to open two new production facilities in 2021 in Texas and Germany, and the company also has plans to begin operations in India.

Tesla has become incredibly popular worldwide, and its vehicles are dominating sales figures everywhere. Data from the EV Sales Blog shows that the Model 3 is the main reason for Tesla’s global success as its affordable price point and superior EV tech continues to inspire people to switch to an EV. It was the most popular vehicle in Norway in December 2020, a country with a higher market share of EVs in 2020 than gas-powered cars. It was also China’s most popular electric vehicle, selling over 116,000 units within the first 11 months of the year.

Advertisement

Moving forward, Musk’s mission hasn’t changed since his early days at Tesla. The focus still remains on accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy, and thanks to the company’s lineup of sustainable cars, the mission has been an overwhelming success thus far.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Comments

Lifestyle

Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday. 

A Chance Meeting

The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.

“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.

Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.

Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease. 

Advertisement

“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.

Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.

Surprisingly Partisan

While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.

Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Tesla owner highlights underrated benefit of FSD Supervised

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has been pretty open about the idea of FSD being the difference maker for Tesla’s future.

If Tesla succeeds in achieving FSD, it could become the world’s most valuable company. If it doesn’t, then the company would not be able to reach its optimum potential.

FSD Supervised’s safety benefits:

  • But even if FSD is still not perfect today, FSD Supervised is already making a difference on the roads today.
  • This was highlighted in Tesla’s Q4 2024 Vehicle Safety Report.
  • As per Tesla, it recorded one crash for every 5.94 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology.
  • For comparison, the most recent data available from the NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) showed that there was one automobile crash every 702,000 miles in the United States. 

FSD user’s tale:

  • As per an FSD user’s post on social media platform X, FSD Supervised was able to help him drive a relative to a medical facility safely even if he was exhausted.
  • During the trip, the driver only had to monitor FSD Supervised’s performance to make sure the Tesla operated safely.
  • In a vehicle without FSD, such a trip with an exhausted driver would have been quite dangerous. 
  • “This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.
  • “The convenience of sending the hospital’s address directly from my iPhone to my Tesla while still inside my house, then just a single button press once inside, and 40 miles later we were precisely in front of the hospital’s admissions area.This experience really underscores just how transformative this technology can be for society,” Tesla owner JC Christopher noted in his post.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Tesla Optimus “stars” in incredible fanmade action short film

Published

on

Credit: @SoKrispyMedia/YouTube

There are few things that prove an enthusiast’s love towards a company more than a dedicated short film. This was highlighted recently when YouTube’s SoKrispyMedia posted a 10-minute action movie starring Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, as well as several of the company’s most iconic products. 

The video: 

  • Shot like a Hollywood action flick, the video featured a rather humorous plot involving a group of thieves that mistakenly targeted a Tesla Model 3 driver. 
  • The Model 3 driver then ended up speaking to Tesla for assistance, and some high-octane and high-speed hijinks ensued.
  • While the short film featured several Tesla products like the Model 3, Superchargers, and the Cybertruck, it is Optimus that truly stole the show.
  • Optimus served several roles in the short film, from an assistant in a Tesla office to a “robocop” enforcer that helped out the Model 3 driver.

Cool inside jokes: 

  • The best Tesla videos are those that show an in-depth knowledge of the company, and SoKrispyMedia definitely had it. 
  • From the opening scenes alone, the video immediately poked fun at TSLA traders, the large number of gray Tesla owners, and the fact that many still do not understand Superchargers.
  • The video even poked fun at Tesla’s software updates, as well as how some Tesla drivers use Autopilot or other features without reading the fine print in the company’s release notes.
  • The video ended with a tour de force of references to Elon Musk products, from the Tesla Cybertruck to the Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower, which was released back in 2018.

Check out SoKrispyMedia’s Tesla action short film in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Continue Reading

Trending