The wealth of Tesla Inc(NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk continues to soar in 2026, reaching new milestones and making him so rich that he could buy every MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL team.
A new look at Musk's wealth compared to the former world's richest man, Warren Buffett, shows just how rich the billionaire is.
The merger of SpaceX and xAI has boosted the wealth of Musk and taken him closer to being the world's first trillionaire.
Elon Musk Vs. Warren Buffett
Bloomberg estimates that Musk is worth $676 billion, ranking as the richest person in the world. The Tesla CEO has added $57 billion to his wealth in 2026.
Musk is more than two times ahead of the world's next richest person, with Google co-founder Larry Page ranking second at $278 billion.
While being worth more than double the second-richest person is a significant milestone, here's another one to put Musk's wealth into perspective.
Musk is 453.7% richer than Buffett thanks to his year-to-date gains.
The merger of SpaceX and xAI valued the company at $1.25 trillion, boosting Musk's wealth thanks to his near 42% ownership of the combined company. Not helping Musk's wealth is Tesla stock with shares down 5.45% year-to-date.
The potential SpaceX IPO that could value the company at more than $1.5 trillion and a new pay package for Musk from Tesla that could award him nearly $1 trillion in Tesla shares could add to Musk's wealth this year and going forward.
Berkshire Hathaway stock is up 0.5% in 2026, but Buffett's wealth has fallen due to his continued philanthropic efforts and calculations taking into account his annual donations of his wealth to charitable causes.
Buffett Pushed Further Down the List
For years, Buffett ranked in the top 10 of the world's richest people, a list he once topped in 2008.
Buffett is now down to 12th place after being passed by three Walmart heirs. Here are the Walmart heirs ranking ahead of Buffett and their year-to-date wealth gains:
9. Jim Walton: $153 billion, +$17 billion
10. Rob Walton: $150 billion, +$16.5 billion
11. Alice Walton: $150 billion, +$16.7 billion
Walmart shares are up 12.8% year-to-date in 2026 and are up 23.5% over the last 52 weeks.
Barring any major changes, Musk is likely to rank significantly ahead of Buffett for some time, as the former Berkshire CEO continues to donate his wealth away and Musk continues to get richer.
Photos: Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, courtesy Shutterstock
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