His fortune is estimated at 358 billion dollars, up compared to the beginning of April despite the poor performances of its Tesla and Spacex flagship companies.
Sometimes you have to know how to dissociate man from his fortune. Despite the turbulence encountered, Elon Musk remains the richest man in the world with a fortune estimated at 358.5 billion dollars according to our Forbes classification, up to the beginning of April. His commitments as well as his questionable entrepreneurial choices have undergone some of her babies, including Tesla.
Long symbol of green innovation and industrial disruption, the car manufacturer today crosses an area of strong turbulence. The first quarter of 2025 was the worst since 2022: deliveries have dropped worldwide, and in Europe, sales plunged 38 %, leaving room in Volkswagen at the top of the electric vehicle market. In France, the decrease reached 36.8 %, a hemorrhage explained both by the rise of Chinese byd-which offers vehicles half cheaper and often more technologically advanced-and by the growing disamance of European consumers vis-à-vis a musk perceived as increasingly aligned with populist nationalisms.
The delay in new vehicle platforms, the aging of certain flagship models such as the Model 3, the promises not held on autonomous driving, and a sometimes erratic communication of the boss do nothing. The demonstrations organized before the Tesla dealers, especially in California and Germany, are a sign: Musk is no longer seen as the hero of progress, but sometimes as an authoritarian and disconnected figure.
Make on diversification
In the sky too, Musk’s trajectory darkens. The last three launches of SpaceX ended in spectacular failures, with starship rockets exploding before reaching the orbit. These technical setbacks come even though the company multiplies promises around the inhabited flight to Mars and future contracts with NASA.
-But the discontent also rises in the environmental field. Located in Texas, the SpaceX launch base is accused of impact protected natural areas. Ecologists have filed a complaint, highlighting the laxity of the federal authorities and the opacity of the environmental evaluation process. The image of SpaceX as a “visionary” company gradually gives way to that of a brutal firm, ready to sacrifice everything in its race towards the stars.
Faced with these challenges, Musk is focusing on diversification, especially with XAI, his startup specializing in artificial intelligence. She a new nugget in artificial intelligence, aims to compete with Openai (which he co -founded before moving away from it) and Deepmind. The goal displayed: to create an artificial intelligence “truly beneficial to humanity”, but also completely independent of progressive ideologies or technological giants of Silicon Valley which it accuses of political biases. He also continues to pilot Neuralink, who obtained the authorizations necessary to test his brain implants on humans, as well as The Boring Company, which continues its urban tunnel projects, although these remain largely at the experimental or very localized stage.
Techno-Populiste
On a purely personal level, Elon Musk is also in difficulty. Since entering the Trump administration as DOGE Director (Department of Government Effectiveness), he has changed as a promoter of austerity and excessive state rationalization. Result: waves of dismissals in the public service, abolition of social programs, and massive protests in several democratic states.
This proximity to the republican power, added to his frequent interventions on X (ex-Twitter), where he does not hesitate to support controversial figures such as AFD in Germany or to attack major media, has weakened his businesses internationally. In Europe in particular, where environmental and ethical issues are central, Musk is now perceived by part of opinion as a techno-populist oligarch. A colossus, of course. But a colossus with clay feet.
Read also: Despite the uncertainties, Bernard Arnault maintains his sixth place in the billionaire classification
