Updated 22 October 2026. Forbes’ real-time profile puts Elon Musk’s net worth at $989 billion on Thursday 22 October, up $64 billion or 6.92 percent since 5 p.m. ET on the prior trading day, after SpaceX (SPCX) closed up 7.79 percent at $159.31 and Tesla (TSLA) up 3.41 percent at $386.47 on Wednesday (Forbes, StockAnalysis). Bloomberg’s index, as reported by Benzinga, had him back above $1 trillion intraday on Wednesday from $921 billion at Tuesday’s close. Both stocks are lower before Thursday’s open: SpaceX $154.75, down 2.86 percent, and Tesla $372.24, down 3.68 percent, at 09:08 ET after Tesla’s Q3 call pushed its robotaxi and Optimus timelines into 2027. Verdict: at the premarket prices the same Forbes share counts are worth about $960 billion, so Thursday opens roughly $29 billion below the headline. Reference levels into the close: $915 billion below, $1,013 billion above.
Key facts
- Forbes, 22 October: $989 billion, up $64 billion (6.92 percent) since 5 p.m. ET of the prior trading day, rank number 1. Forbes counts about 38 percent of SpaceX including options and nearly 11 percent of Tesla, excluding the unvested 2018 award (Forbes profile).
- Bloomberg, 21 October: about $1.01 trillion intraday on Wednesday, from $921 billion at Tuesday’s close, a gain of about $85 billion, with SpaceX at $163 at 10:00 ET; Benzinga estimated the SpaceX move alone added about $79 billion (Benzinga, KuCoin). Bloomberg’s last confirmed closes before that were $966.5 billion on 13 October and $1.04 trillion on 5 October. Bloomberg marks at the New York close, so its Wednesday close figure was not available at the time of writing.
- Wednesday closes: SPCX $159.31, up $11.52 or 7.79 percent from $147.79, market cap $2.16 trillion, 52-week range $104.83-$225.64; TSLA $386.47, up $12.76 or 3.41 percent from $373.71, market cap $1.53 trillion (StockAnalysis).
- Thursday premarket at 09:08 ET: SPCX $154.75, down $4.56 or 2.86 percent; TSLA $372.24, down $14.23 or 3.68 percent (StockAnalysis). Benzinga had Tesla down 4.86 percent at $367.70 earlier in the session.
- The arithmetic: the Forbes holdings file used on our 20 October page carries 4,766,475,230 SpaceX shares, 350,000,000 options struck at $8.40, 395,620,252 Tesla shares and $23.966 billion of private assets. At Wednesday’s closes those are $759.3 billion, $52.8 billion, $152.9 billion and $24.0 billion, which sum to $989.0 billion and reproduce the Forbes headline. At the 09:08 ET premarket prices they sum to about $960.1 billion. FinanceFeeds calculation.
- SpaceX Q3, reported Tuesday 20 October: revenue $14.6 billion, up 161 percent; net income $4.4 billion against a $1.1 billion loss a year earlier; operating income $2.8 billion; Q1 2027 revenue guidance $33-$37 billion, about 58 percent above consensus; Starlink 13.6 million consumer subscribers; backlog $63 billion (Yahoo Finance, Motley Fool transcript). Covered in our SpaceX results page.
- Tesla Q3, reported Wednesday 21 October: non-GAAP EPS $0.48 against $0.45 expected; revenue $28.05 billion, flat; free cash flow $1.53 billion; operating income down 56 percent; 2026 capex guidance cut to about $20 billion; unsupervised customer vehicles around Q2 2027, Optimus external deliveries around end-2027 (Electrek, Investing.com transcript). Covered in our Tesla results page.
- Sensitivity: at the premarket prices a 1 percent SpaceX move is worth about $7.9 billion to Musk, including the options, and a 1 percent Tesla move about $1.5 billion. SpaceX is about 82 percent of the total. FinanceFeeds calculation.
Why two indexes, and why they disagree by $20 billion
Forbes and Bloomberg count the same man and the same two stocks but not the same shares. Forbes marks about 38 percent of SpaceX including options and nearly 11 percent of Tesla at the last official close, and its $989 billion is Wednesday’s close, not a live Thursday quote. Bloomberg applies its own stake estimates and discounts, and the “roughly $1.01 trillion” that Benzinga and KuCoin reported was an intraday reading taken while SpaceX was at $163, about $4 above where it finished. The two figures are not in conflict; they are different photographs of the same afternoon. What neither index has printed yet is Thursday, and Thursday opened lower on both stocks.
The reason is Tesla’s call, not SpaceX’s. SpaceX’s print was the larger number and the bigger stock move, as our desk covered on Wednesday: $14.6 billion of revenue, $4.4 billion of net income and a Q1 2027 guide 58 percent above consensus. Tesla then beat on earnings and cash but moved unsupervised FSD to Q2 2027, Robotaxi revenue to late 2027 and Optimus volume to 2028, and the stock gave back Wednesday’s gain after hours. SpaceX is drifting with it in premarket, which is the usual pattern when the two names trade on the merger question Musk declined to reopen on the call.
What the premarket does to the number
Run the Forbes counts at the 09:08 ET quotes and the fortune is about $960 billion: SpaceX shares $737.6 billion, options $51.2 billion, Tesla $147.3 billion and the private line $24.0 billion. That is $29 billion under the Forbes headline and $40 billion under a round trillion. For the Forbes figure to print $1 trillion at Thursday’s close with Tesla unchanged from premarket, SpaceX needs about $162.55, which is roughly Wednesday’s intraday high rather than its close. The trillion is therefore a SpaceX question, and SpaceX has no scheduled catalyst on Thursday; the Tesla analyst notes and the Nasdaq 100’s reaction to Wednesday’s after-hours earnings slate set the tape.
Elon Musk net worth into Thursday’s close: bull, base and bear
| Scenario | Net worth (Forbes basis) | What has to happen | Anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear | $915 billion | SpaceX gives back all of Wednesday’s results-day gain and Tesla’s post-earnings selling extends through the session. | SPCX at Tuesday’s $147.79 close and TSLA at $347, the downside level on our Tesla results page; the Forbes counts give $914.5 billion. About 7.5 percent below the $989 billion headline. |
| Base | $955-$990 billion | The premarket losses hold or partly close and the headline stays below $1 trillion on both indexes. | The 09:08 ET premarket mark of $960.1 billion to Wednesday’s $989.0 billion close (Forbes counts at StockAnalysis prices). |
| Bull | $1,013 billion | SpaceX retakes Wednesday’s intraday high and Tesla buyers treat the margin and cash beat as the turn. | SPCX at $163, Benzinga’s 10:00 ET Wednesday quote, and TSLA at $400, the Morgan Stanley and Jefferies target and the upside level on our Tesla page; the Forbes counts give $1,013.3 billion. |
The bear case sits below the current Forbes figure and below the premarket mark. These are reference levels computed from the verified StockAnalysis quotes and the Forbes share counts, not forecasts, and they are FinanceFeeds’ arithmetic rather than either index’s published number.
What to watch on Thursday
- SpaceX at $162.55: the level at which the Forbes counts cross $1 trillion with Tesla at its premarket price.
- Tesla at $373: Tuesday’s close; holding it makes the quarter a round trip for the stock and about a $1.5 billion-per-percent question for the fortune.
- Bloomberg’s Wednesday close: the index marks at the New York close, so its official figure for 21 October lands with Thursday’s update.
- The merger committees: both boards formed special committees on Tuesday; any filing on terms changes which stake the market values.
Quick take: Forbes shows Elon Musk at $989 billion after Wednesday’s SpaceX and Tesla closes, and Bloomberg had him back above $1 trillion intraday, but both stocks are 3-4 percent lower before Thursday’s open after Tesla’s Q3 call pushed its timelines out. The same share counts at premarket prices are worth about $960 billion. Expect $955-$990 billion on the Forbes basis. SpaceX back to $147.79 and Tesla at $347 opens $915 billion. SpaceX at $163 and Tesla at $400 opens $1,013 billion.
FAQ
What is Elon Musk’s net worth today?
Forbes’ real-time profile shows $989 billion on 22 October 2026, up $64 billion since 5 p.m. ET on the prior trading day. Bloomberg’s index was reported at roughly $1.01 trillion intraday on 21 October (Forbes, Benzinga).
Is Elon Musk a trillionaire?
On Bloomberg’s intraday reading on Wednesday, yes, at about $1.01 trillion. On Forbes, no, at $989 billion. At Thursday’s premarket prices the Forbes share counts are worth about $960 billion, so he opens below $1 trillion on both bases.
Why did Elon Musk’s net worth jump on 21 October?
SpaceX rose 7.79 percent to $159.31 after Q3 revenue of $14.6 billion, $4.4 billion of net income and Q1 2027 guidance of $33-$37 billion, and Tesla rose 3.41 percent to $386.47 ahead of its own results (StockAnalysis, Yahoo Finance).
Why is it falling on 22 October?
Tesla fell 3.68 percent to $372.24 in premarket trading after its Q3 call moved unsupervised FSD, Robotaxi revenue and Optimus volume into 2027-2028, and SpaceX fell 2.86 percent to $154.75 alongside it (StockAnalysis, 09:08 ET).
How much of Musk’s fortune is SpaceX?
About 82 percent. Forbes counts about 38 percent of SpaceX including options; at Wednesday’s close that is roughly $812 billion of the $989 billion, with Tesla about $153 billion and private assets about $24 billion (Forbes, FinanceFeeds calculation).
How much does a 1 percent move in SpaceX change his net worth?
About $7.9 billion at the premarket price, including the options. A 1 percent move in Tesla is about $1.5 billion (FinanceFeeds calculation from the Forbes share counts).
Sources: Forbes real-time profile (net worth, change, stake descriptions, 22 October 2026); StockAnalysis (SPCX and TSLA closes, premarket quotes at 09:08 ET, market caps, 52-week range, 21-22 October); Benzinga and KuCoin (Bloomberg Billionaires Index figures of $921 billion and about $1.01 trillion, SpaceX $163 quote, 21 October); Yahoo Finance and Motley Fool transcript (SpaceX Q3 results and guidance, 20 October); Electrek and Investing.com transcript (Tesla Q3 results and call timelines, 21 October); SEC Schedule 13G and Forbes holdings file via our 20 October page (share counts).
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Stock prices are volatile. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.
Other Articles
