---
title: "Elon Musk Is Now Officially the Wealthiest Person on Earth"
description: "According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now the richest man in the world, beating out incumbent Jeff Bezos."
date: "2021-01-07"
modified: "2021-01-07"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-richest-person-earth"
categories:
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "Future Society"
  - "The Industrialists"
tags:
  - "elon musk"
  - "jeff bezos"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Elon Musk Is Now Officially the Wealthiest Person on Earth

![According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now the richest man in the world, beating out incumbent Jeff Bezos.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/elon-musk-richest-person-world.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Top Dog

Earlier this morning, [we reported](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-poised-richest-person-world>) that mercurial billionaire Elon Musk was approaching the extraordinary milestone of becoming the wealthiest person on Earth. Now, just an hour later, it appears that he's already accomplished that goal, as [*Bloomberg* reports](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/musk-close-to-surpassing-bezos-as-world-s-richest-person?sref=YfHlo0rL>).

According to *Bloomberg*'s [Billionaire Index](<https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/?sref=YfHlo0rL>), surging Tesla shares inflated Musk's net worth to a dizzying $188.5 billion as of Thursday morning.

## Tesla Bump

Tesla share prices rallied another 4.8 percent following an already immensely successful year. Share prices surged 743 percent in 2020 alone, [according to *Bloomberg*](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/musk-close-to-surpassing-bezos-as-world-s-richest-person?sref=YfHlo0rL>).

According to the Index, Musk is now worth $1.5 billion more than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Bezos has held the top position since October 2017.

## Shifting Sands

The news also comes after Musk [blew past Bill Gates’ net worth](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-just-became-the-second-richest-person-in-the-world>) on the Index late last year.

Investors predict Tesla's gravy train will keep going this year, especially now that Democrats have taken control of both houses of Congress. The Democratic Party has been far more inclined to advocate for the electrification of cars than Republicans, and that will likely mean boom times for Tesla.

**READ MORE:** [Elon Musk Surpasses Jeff Bezos to Become World’s Richest Person](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/musk-close-to-surpassing-bezos-as-world-s-richest-person?sref=YfHlo0rL>) \[*Bloomberg*\]

**More on the saga:** *[Elon Musk Poised to Become the Richest Person in the World](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-poised-richest-person-world>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)