Tesla’s Downturn Slashes Musk’s Fortune by $160 Billion

Tesla’s shares have plummeted 62% from their high, significantly reducing Elon Musk’s net worth by approximately $160 billion. The Tesla CEO, who once topped the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in November 2021 with a fortune estimated at $340 billion, has seen his wealth dwindle to about $178 billion.

The stark drop in Tesla’s stock, from a peak of $415 to $157, has been the primary factor driving Musk’s financial decline. This tumble has also cut Tesla’s market capitalization from over $1.2 trillion to under $500 billion. Given Musk’s 13% stake in Tesla, this stock slump has had a profound impact on his financial standing.

Moreover, 2022 has been a particularly challenging year for Musk compared to his billionaire counterparts. Starting the year with a $229 billion fortune, he has lost $51 billion, or 22% of his wealth, dropping to third place behind LVMH’s Bernard Arnault and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos in the wealth rankings. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is also close to surpassing him.

Tesla’s struggles are multifaceted. Over the past weekend, Musk announced a reduction of more than 10% of Tesla’s global workforce, citing a drop in electric vehicle demand. The company has also been delivering fewer cars than anticipated and has implemented price cuts that may affect its profitability. Moreover, competition from Chinese companies like BYD, which is backed by Warren Buffett, adds to Tesla’s challenges, compounded by Musk’s concerns about the impact of rising interest rates on consumer demand.

Despite the downturn in Tesla, Musk’s overall fortune is diversified with significant holdings in SpaceX, where he owns an estimated 42% stake, and in X (formerly Twitter), where he holds approximately 79%.

In a landscape where he was once the definitive leader, Elon Musk’s financial journey has become emblematic of the volatile nature of wealth dependent on market-driven enterprises.