Elon Musk added roughly $190 billion to his wealth in 2025, when he and the world's other richest 500 individuals combined to add $2.2 trillion to their collective coffers, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Bloomberg reported the historic surge pushed the collective net worth of the top 500 to $11.9 trillion, driven by booming markets across stocks, commodities, and crypto — with much of the momentum accelerating after President Donald Trump's election victory in 2024.

Bloomberg noted the rally was only briefly interrupted in April, when tariff fears sparked a sharp sell-off and the biggest one-day wealth wipeout since the pandemic.

Big Tech led the charge as artificial intelligence optimism lifted megacap stocks.

Bloomberg said a quarter of the year's gains came from just eight people, including SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, Alphabet co-founder Larry Page, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Musk remained the biggest name on the list and finished 2025 as the world's richest person with roughly $623 billion, according to Bloomberg's index.

Bloomberg said Musk's year was defined not only by tech and markets, but also by politics.

He became a major player in Washington after donating nearly $300 million to Trump's reelection effort and spending much of early 2025 in the capital spearheading government cost-cutting initiatives.

That political spotlight came with backlash.

Bloomberg reported Tesla shares were hit during that period, partly due to consumer blowback over Musk's political activity.

But the billionaire's fortune rebounded after he left the White House following a public falling-out with Trump. Since then, the two men seem to have repaired their relationship.

A recent insider share sale at SpaceX helped make it the world's most valuable private company and pushed Musk's wealth above $600 billion for the first time, Bloomberg said.

Tesla investors also approved a new compensation package that Bloomberg noted could put Musk on a path to becoming the world's first trillionaire if ambitious performance targets are met.

While Musk posted the year's biggest gain, Bloomberg said Ellison briefly overtook him in September as Oracle shares surged amid aggressive AI infrastructure expansion.

Oracle stock later slumped about 40% from its peak, but Ellison still finished with an estimated $249.8 billion net worth and a $57.7 billion annual gain, according to the index.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index also highlighted how the wealth boom went global.

The S&P 500 rose about 17% through Dec. 30 but was outpaced by a 22% jump in the U.K.'s FTSE 100 and a 29% rise in Hong Kong's Hang Seng.

Commodities also soared, with precious metals posting one of their best years in decades, Bloomberg said.

For conservatives who argue markets thrive when Washington prioritizes growth, deregulation, and American energy dominance, the Bloomberg figures will be read as validation: Confidence surged, capital flowed, and innovation, especially in AI, helped fuel one of the biggest wealth expansions on record.

The same data will also intensify debate over how to balance prosperity with accountability, as working families continue demanding policies that keep inflation down, wages rising, and the economy expanding for everyone.

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