AI, Tesla, DOGE: Here’s how Elon Musk’s bold bets are reshaping his $300bn empire

Elon Musk’s net worth recently surpassed $334 billion, thanks to the US Elections, a surge in Tesla’s valuation, and high-risk innovative AI investments.

2024 is working well for Musk as his wealth has climbed by more than $70 billion since 2023. Amid an array of revenue streams and changing markets, Musk is possibly hinting at early-stage investments.

Musk has made early-stage bets

Elon Musk has accumulated the most wealth than any individual in history. In the past week, his net worth surpassed $334.3 billion, as per Forbes. Musk has added close to $70 billion to his wealth as he hints at investments that have a return of 20,000% over the years.  Elon Musk reposted financial commentator Jon Erlichman’s list of most successful early-stage investments.

The list includes major names like Bitcoin, Tesla, Nvidia, and other tech and retail giants. Musk has exposure to the first 3—Bitcoin, AI, and Tesla.

$5,000 investments that are worth +$1 million:

Bitcoin: 9 yrs ago
Nvidia: 10 yrs ago
Tesla: 14 yrs ago
Netflix: 16 yrs ago
Apple: 20 yrs ago
Amazon: 22 yrs ago
Starbucks: 32 yrs ago
Microsoft: 33 yrs ago
Costco: 35 yrs ago
Nike: 37 yrs ago
Walmart: 40 yrs ago
Disney: 50 yrs ago

— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) November 26, 2024

Tesla’s spike in valuation, AI initiatives, and the US elections are the major drivers of Musk’s wealth this year. After all, Musk has also made an early bet on Trump.

Since 2023, Musk has expanded his footing in the AI industry with a 54% stake in xAI. As per Forbes, the current valuation of the company is reportedly $50 billion. However, a closer look at his wealth creation strategies indicates a direct connection between AI and risk investment.

Musk founded xAI in 2023 addressing the wave of generative AI solutions. It was built with the focus to make AI more secure and transparent. It had an edge because it was built to function with X (formerly Twitter) and facilitate new conversational options. Also valued at $210 billion, SpaceX is another feather in his hat. It facilitates commercial space launches and Starlink subscriptions. It is worth noting that his financial portfolio includes the 7 companies he co-founded.

Tesla is the crown jewel of Musk’s portfolio

Tesla stock witnessed a post-US election surge to the tune of 40% due to 2 main reasons —Musk’s close relationship with Donald Trump and how the new regime would favor businesses.

For investors to think that Musk can demand strong legislative support from the Trump regime is fair.  In addition, autonomous driving technology upgrades have also increased investor confidence in Tesla, pushing its market value.

Musk owns about 12% of Tesla stocks. And Erlichman underlined it took only 14 years for $5000 to become $1 million for Tesla investors. Do the math!

Bitcoin and DOGE diversify Musk’s portfolio

Bitcoin inched towards $100K over the last weekend. In one year, Bitcoin has returned around 150%. While Tesla holds close to 9,720 BTC, Musk’s personal exposure to the risk asset is possibly significant but unknown.

In addition to Bitcoin, Dogecoin is speculatively another potential winner in Musk’s portfolio. DOGE has returned close to 400% over the last year, as per CoinGecko. Considering his well-known affiliation with the Dogecoin project, Musk’s appointment to Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would have more than one benefit for the billionaire. Musk is supposed to cut through the government bureaucracy and optimize spending. But reports present a strong case of conflict of interest. Musk’s close relationship with Trump and the White House, could potentially give favorable treatment to his companies.

 A New York Times article from October stated, “That would essentially give the world’s richest man and a major government contractor the power to regulate the regulators who hold sway over his companies, amounting to a potentially enormous conflict of interest.”

Musk can monetize opportunities at their early stages. And of course, they are unconventional.  We see him consistently do that since the start of his journey, creating wealth as a by-product. Whether it was selling Zip2 and Paypal and then later investing in Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and OpenAI, his unconventional bets have paid off.

However, Musk has walked the fine line between risk and innovation that would be unsustainable for a smaller player. The biggest takeaway from Musk’s diversified portfolio is his ability to balance risky innovation with steady financial growth. And these are not straightforward copy trades.

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