Tesla’s poor stock performance has slashed Elon Musk’s wealth by $80 billion—another tumble like that could dethrone the world’s richest man

Success·WealthTesla’s poor stock performance has slashed Elon Musk’s wealth by $80 billion—another tumble that could dethrone the world’s richest manBy Preston ForeBy Preston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston Fore is a reporter at Fortune, covering education and personal finance for the Success team.SEE FULL BIO If the Tesla billionaire’s wealth drops by another $60 billion, Elon Musk will lose his crown as the richest person on the planet to Oracle’s Larry Ellison.Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesTesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has seen his wealth plummet by some $80 billion this year, thanks in part to a 20% decline in his electrical vehicle company’s stock

Now, just $60 billion separates Musk from Oracle’s Larry Ellison—and another Tesla tumble could see Musk dethroned as the world’s richest man

Elon Musk claims to have slashed billions of dollars worth of wasteful spending during his time as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—but his controversial role may have done more damage to his pocketbook than he anticipated

Musk’s wealth declines are largely tied to his 13% stake in struggling Tesla

Even after holders practically begged the billionaire to leave DOGE and focus on Tesla full-time, Musk’s return to Austin hasn’t been so glamorous

The electric vehicle company missed Wall Street expectations and experienced a double-digit percentage revenue decline in the second quarter of 2025

Tesla’s stock price is down nearly 20% this year

But holders are doing the opposite of pulling the plug on Musk; they’ve just awarded him a pay package worth some $29 billion—in what holders called a “critical first step toward” keeping “Elon’s energies focused on Tesla,” reports The New York Times

While Musk remains the No. 1 richest person on the planet, fellow members of the ultra rich Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg are tapping at the door to replace him at the top of the billionaire list

Musk’s climb to the top of the world 2024 was a standout year for Tesla

The company’s stock nearly doubled, with the market cap topping $1.4 trillion in December

Due to his sizable stake, the jump soared Musk’s wealth and seemingly cemented him at the time at the top of the billionaires after years of back and forth among billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates

According to The Washington Post, his es have received some $38 billion in contracts, loans, subsidies, and more

How Musk may lose his richest man title While Musk has lost the most wealth of anyone in 2025 so far, he’s not alone

Jeff Bezos is also in the red, losing $1.7 billion this year, largely thanks to Amazon’s struggling stock performance

Bill Gates has also lost a sizable amount of wealth—some $36 billion—but it’s been because of his ramped-up philanthropy efforts

On the flip side, Larry Ellison (+$102 billion), Mark Zuckerberg (+$56 billion), and Jensen Huang ($37 billion) have seen sizable wealth increases

The company’s newfound focus on AI helped earnings soar and contributed to a stock jump of over 50% this year

Ellison’s wealth has grown by over $100 billion this year—and it’s ly to only continue. “Oracle’s future is bright in this new era of cloud computing