Elon Musk: The Trillionaire That Lasted Eleven Days
He was worth more than 1000 Billion Dollars for less than two weeks, then it came crashing down
On June 12, SpaceX began trading on the public markets, and for the first time in human history a person was worth more than a trillion dollars. Elon Musk held the title for eleven days.
By June 23 the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put his fortune at $957 billion — under the line. The fall erased $363 billion from his peak of $1.32 trillion, most of it gone in a broad market selloff that drove SpaceX stock to roughly $154, a 31 percent drop from its high. Tesla slid with it.
The trillion was never cash. It was a number the market hung on two companies — one that had just opened its books to public shareholders for the first time, one that has been a referendum on Musk’s politics for two years. SpaceX rang the bell on June 12 at a valuation that briefly made Musk the richest human who has ever lived. Eleven trading days reminded everyone what “public” means: the number moves, and other people decide which way.
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