How Much Does Elon Musk Make a Day: The Shocking Truth

Elon Musk is everywhere—launching rockets, building electric cars, and tweeting through it all. With companies like Tesla and SpaceX under his belt, it’s no surprise people are curious about his massive fortune. And one question keeps popping up: how much does Elon Musk make a day?

It’s the kind of thought that hits while you’re sipping coffee before work or stuck in traffic. While most of us budget by the month, Musk’s wealth shifts by the second. In this article, we’ll break it down into real numbers—and show just how wildly different his “daily income” looks from ours.

Calculating the Numbers: A Look at His Net Worth

Elon Musk’s wealth doesn’t come from a traditional paycheck. In fact, he takes no base salary from companies like Tesla. Instead, his net worth is tied almost entirely to the value of the companies he leads—especially Tesla and SpaceX. That means his fortune can rise or fall dramatically depending on how the stock market and private valuations perform.

As of 2024, Musk’s estimated net worth fluctuates between $200 billion and $250 billion, according to sources like Forbes and Bloomberg. Because his income isn’t fixed, we calculate how much he makes in a day by looking at the average change in his net worth over time.

Breaking It Down: Daily, Hourly, Even Per Second

To truly grasp just how massive Elon Musk’s earnings can be, it helps to break things down—day by day, hour by hour, even second by second. It turns an abstract billion-dollar figure into something almost tangible (and a little mind-blowing).

Let’s say Elon Musk’s net worth increases by $100 billion over the course of a year, which isn’t unheard of based on past years of Tesla stock surges and SpaceX valuation jumps. That would break down like this:

• Per year: $100,000,000,000

• Per day: about $273,972,603

• Per hour: roughly $11,415,525

• Per minute: around $190,258

• Per second: just over $3,171

That means while you’re brushing your teeth, Musk could be “making” close to $10,000. In the time it takes to watch a TikTok, he’s pocketed enough (on paper) to buy a new car.

Of course, it’s important to remember—these aren’t literal paychecks hitting his bank account. The numbers are tied to the changing value of his investments and company holdings, which rise and fall with market shifts. But even as estimates, they highlight the astonishing scale of his wealth and how quickly it can grow.

And on some record-setting days, Musk has gained billions—yes, billions—in a single 24-hour period. In November 2021, for example, his net worth reportedly jumped over $36 billion in one day due to a major surge in Tesla stock. That’s over $1.5 billion an hour, or roughly $420,000 per second. Talk about moving at rocket speed.

Where the Money Comes From

Elon Musk’s wealth doesn’t come from a traditional salary—instead, it’s closely tied to the value of the companies he owns or leads. His fortune is a complex web of stock holdings, equity in private ventures, and performance-based compensation plans. Let’s take a closer look at where the money actually comes from:

1. Tesla

Musk’s largest source of wealth is Tesla, the electric vehicle company he’s helped turn into a global powerhouse. He owns a significant percentage of Tesla stock, and its value has skyrocketed over the years.

Musk doesn’t earn a salary from Tesla—instead, he has a compensation plan that rewards him with stock options based on performance milestones like revenue targets and market capitalization. When Tesla stock rises, so does Musk’s net worth, often by billions in a single day.

2. SpaceX

Though SpaceX is privately held, Musk owns a large stake in the company, which has steadily increased in valuation thanks to government contracts, satellite projects, and ambitious goals like Starship and Mars colonization.

In 2023, SpaceX was valued at over $140 billion, making Musk’s equity in the company a substantial contributor to his overall wealth—even if it isn’t as liquid as public stock.

3. X (formerly Twitter)

In 2022, Musk acquired Twitter (now called X) for roughly $44 billion. While X hasn’t turned a major profit under his leadership, Musk’s ownership gives him influence over another large platform and adds to the overall value of his business empire.

It’s less about daily earnings and more about long-term potential—especially if the platform’s value increases.

4. The Boring Company

This tunnel-digging venture might sound like a side project, but The Boring Company has raised hundreds of millions in funding and aims to revolutionize urban transportation.

Musk owns a significant portion of the company, which contributes to his net worth, though on a smaller scale compared to Tesla and SpaceX.

5. Neuralink

Focused on developing brain-machine interfaces, Neuralink is still in early stages but represents another forward-thinking company with potential.

Musk is a major backer and co-founder, and while the company isn’t a major contributor to his wealth yet, it adds to his portfolio of innovation-driven ventures.

6. Other Investments and Interests

Musk also has his hands in other projects—from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency. He’s influenced the price of Bitcoin and Dogecoin with single tweets, showing the sheer impact of his name.

While these aren’t primary sources of income, they occasionally add or subtract billions from his net worth.