Elon Musk, Founder of SpaceX [AFP Yonhap News Archive Photo]It is highly anticipated that Elon Musk (54), the world's richest man, will become humanity's first 'trillionaire' with the listing of SpaceX, the space and aerospace company he founded.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk's net worth is estimated at $971 billion (1,476 trillion won) as of the 12th. The index stated that his net worth increased by $274 billion from the previous day, as the value of his SpaceX stake was assessed at the IPO price of $135 per share.

The New York Times (NYT) reported that Musk's SpaceX holdings are valued at approximately $690 billion based on the IPO price, and his Tesla holdings at about $279 billion.

Musk will maintain 84% of the voting rights even after SpaceX goes public, through measures such as dual-class shares.

Excluding restricted stock units (96 million shares) tied to performance conditions, Musk holds about 11% of Tesla's shares.

If the stock price of SpaceX rises even slightly after its IPO, Musk will become a trillionaire.

This marks the birth of a trillionaire, a concept unprecedented in human history, so much so that the word itself is unfamiliar. The 'trillion' here, of course, is based on U.S. dollars.

Even before the SpaceX IPO, Musk had already gained fame as the world's wealthiest individual. The combined assets of those ranked second, Larry Ellison (founder of Oracle), third, Larry Page (co-founder of Alphabet), and fourth, Sergey Brin (founder of Google), do not measure up to Musk alone.

While Musk is known as the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, he also founded The Boring Company, a tunneling startup, and Neuralink, a brain implant manufacturer. He also established the AI startup xAI, which recently merged with SpaceX.

His influence grew further in 2022 when he acquired social media platform Twitter for $44 billion. This acquisition provided him with a channel to directly reach hundreds of millions of Twitter users, and he has since voiced his opinions on various issues such as politics, immigration, government spending, and freedom of expression.

Musk has maintained a strong base of support, even without the humble demeanor of figures like Warren Buffett, during a time of growing concerns about inequality and a worsening public perception of the ultra-rich.

While his admirers find his candid style appealing, his detractors point out that he wields oligarchical power, has problematic corporate governance, and is increasingly engaging in politics in a biased manner.

Musk's foray into politics, particularly his appointment as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under former U.S. President Donald Trump last year, caused significant controversy.

Dissatisfied individuals staged protests and boycott campaigns in response to his actions at the time, leading to a decline in Tesla's sales in several markets in the U.S. and abroad last year.

 [AFP Yonhap News Archive Photo]

Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, to a Canadian mother and a South African father.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, he became CEO of Tesla in 2008, convinced that electric vehicles combining high performance and software capabilities could reshape the global automotive industry. The automotive industry credits Tesla's success and its market capitalization exceeding $1 trillion for spurring traditional automakers to transition to electric vehicles.

He subsequently founded SpaceX, but the company is still facing financial difficulties, and a significant portion of its valuation is expected to take years or decades to be commercially realized.

As CEO of Tesla, Musk has simultaneously drawn controversy and praise.

Bob Lutz, former Vice Chairman of General Motors (GM), stated, "Musk has revived the world's respect for American ingenuity in automotive engineering."

Investors worry about Musk's often unconventional behavior, but they acknowledge his ability to transform ambitious ideas into some of the world's most valuable companies, offsetting these drawbacks.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, who had a protracted legal battle with Musk in the past, recently described Musk in a conversation as "the Edison of our era," and praised him in a CNBC interview last year as "the Einstein of our era."