
Source: Quantum
Elon Musk set several records this year.
His business took off, with Tesla, SpaceX, xAI and Neuralink all hitting new valuation highs.The success of these companies has made Musk’s net assets exceed US$450 billion (about RMB 3.28 trillion) for the first time, more than US$200 billion (about RMB 1.46 trillion) higher than Jeff Bezos, the world’s second richest man, Amazon.RMB).
Musk used his money and influence to help Donald Trump win his second summary term, and he also became a powerful figure in American politics.As one of the closest advisers to the president-elect, he is now preparing to make a comprehensive reform of the U.S. government.
The situation for X seems to be worse after Musk acquired and reshaped the Twitter (now X) platform for $44 billion.
Let’s take a look at Musk’s 2024 through the charts (all data are as of Friday, December 20):
1. Charge ahead
Tesla’s stock price has soared 85% this year, pushing the electric car maker’s market value to exceed $1.4 trillion (about 10.22 trillion yuan) for the first time.Although Tesla’s stock price subsequently declined, it remained near its all-time high.
The automaker benefits from the market’s popularity with artificial intelligence, which is using it to develop self-driving cars and humanoid robots — coupled with a strong U.S. economy and a Fed rate cut.
Investors also bet that Musk’s business will benefit from his close relationship with Trump, which could lead to looser regulation, government subsidies, tariff exemptions, and more.
2. Looking up at the stars
According to the price paid by SpaceX and its supporters for employee shares in the latest acquisition offer, the company’s valuation has nearly doubled from $180 billion (about 1.31 trillion yuan) late last year to this month’s350 billion US dollars (approximately RMB 2.55 trillion).
Musk’s rocket, spacecraft and satellite communications companies have made several technological breakthroughs this year.For example, the company used a pair of giant mechanical “chopsticks” to catch the returned Starship first-level booster from the air in October.
3. Changes in destiny
In the spring, as Tesla’s stock price plummeted, Musk’s net assets also fell, falling below $170 billion (about 1.24 trillion yuan) at the lowest point.
But on December 17, as Tesla’s stock price hit a new high and SpaceX’s valuation reached US$350 billion (about RMB 2.55 trillion), the market value rebounded by more than US$300 billion (about RMB 2.19 trillion),It reached an unprecedented US$486 billion (approximately RMB 3.55 trillion).
4. The Rise of Robots
Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI was not established until July 2023.
However, after completing its Series B round in May, the company was valued at $24 billion (approximately RMB 175.2 billion).The valuation reportedly rose to $50 billion (about 364.9 billion yuan) in November, meaning the Grok chatbot maker is roughly worthy of Monster Beverage.
5. X Descent
It’s still tricky to judge X’s health, a social media company formerly Twitter, which Musk took in 2022.One approach is to use Fidelity’s monthly estimate of the value of its shares in the business.
Data from the mutual fund giant suggests that X’s valuation has dropped sharply since Musk’s acquisition.The tech billionaire fired most of the company’s employees and relaxed content reviews to support greater space for speech, which triggered churn from advertisers and thus hit the company’s revenue.
Anyway, Musk recently posted on X that the platform has about 1 billion active users, although about 40% of them are logged in only during important world events.
6. Trump train
Musk is one of the most expensive people in the U.S. presidential election, investing more than $270 million (about 1.971 billion yuan) in support of Trump’s campaign for president, advertise against the Democratic Party and promote conservative views.
He played the lead role in Trump’s victory and became one of the president-elect’s closest advisers and co-head of the newly formed government efficiency department, which shows that his investment in the election has paid off.
7. Cultivate intelligence
Musk’s neurotech company Neuralink was valued at $8 billion this summer (about 58.386 billion yuan), up from around $2 billion three years ago (which is equivalent to 14.596 billion yuan today).
The brain-computer interface developer hopes that people with quadriplegia can control computers with their minds.This spring, Musk released videos of the first patient to receive his brain implant.