Raja Dunne (Lead Nitrate Processor)

In simple terms: Tesla = short-term wealth swings, SpaceX = long-term value, and everything else = optional upside. Tesla’s stock price moves can instantly add or remove tens of billions from Musk’s net worth, which is why it dominates any ranking charts.

Tesla is overwhelmingly the biggest contributor to Musk's net worth - it typically represents 60-70% of his total wealth. SpaceX is the second largest at 20-30%, and the remaining 5-10% comes from his other ventures. Here's the breakdown: Tesla: $150-200 billion (depending on stock price) SpaceX: $50-80 billion (based on private market valuation) xAI: $8-12 billion Neuralink: $6-10 billion The Boring Company*: $3-5 billionThe exact percentages change daily with Tesla's stock price movements, but Tesla has consistently been the dominant driver of his wealth growth and fluctuations. What's interesting is that while SpaceX is incredibly valuable, it's privately held so its valuation doesn't change daily like Tesla's does. This makes Tesla the primary determinant of his ranking in the billionaire indexes.

Honestly, I think politics can be a double-edged sword for someone like Musk. On one hand, advocating for favorable policies for EVs or space exploration could boost his companies' valuations. On the other hand, controversial tweets or political stances sometimes spook investors, causing temporary dips in net worth. It's a rollercoaster effect rather than a long-term shift.

2024 was a massive year for Musk's wealth growth, with several key drivers pushing him past $400 billion. The biggest factor was Tesla's incredible stock performance - the stock rose about 75% that year as Tesla achieved several milestones: Record deliveries - Over 2.1 million vehicles delivered Cybertruck production ramp - Finally hitting volume production Energy storage growth - Megapack business expanding rapidly Full Self Driving progress - Wider release of FSD v12Meanwhile, SpaceX's valuation jumped from $150 billion to $180 billion as Starlink became profitable and they secured major government contracts. xAI also launched and immediately reached a $10+ billion valuation amid the AI boom. The combination of all these companies hitting inflection points simultaneously created this wealth explosion. It was really the first year where all his major companies were firing on all cylinders at the same time, creating this compounding effect on his net worth.