Elon Musk's business empire: The companies behind the world's richest man

Key Points:

• Elon Musk, often called the "real-life Tony Stark," has built a vast business empire spanning electric vehicles, space exploration, brain-computer interfaces, tunneling, and social media, becoming the world's richest person with a net worth surpassing $500 billion in 2025.
• Musk's early successes include Zip2 and PayPal, which provided capital for founding SpaceX in 2002 and joining Tesla in 2004, where he retained large ownership stakes that fueled his wealth as these companies' valuations soared.
• SpaceX, initially a risky venture, recently went public with the largest IPO ever, valuing it above $2 trillion, and has expanded beyond rockets to satellite internet (Starlink) and AI, despite some divisions operating at significant losses.
• Tesla, under Musk's leadership since 2008, has grown into a leading electric vehicle and clean energy company, now focusing on autonomous driving and robotics, though it faces increased competition and political-related sales challenges.
• Musk's other ventures include Neuralink, developing brain-computer interfaces with ongoing clinical trials, and The Boring Company, which builds underground transport tunnels like the Vegas Loop, though it has faced regulatory and environmental criticisms.