Contra
Musk has a long history of failed predictions, including multiple overly-optimistic promises about sending humans back to the Moon or setting up a colony on Mars. He has been predicting humans would reach Mars in the next ten years as early as 2011, repeating similar claims at least 19 times in interviews and on social media over the years, a New York Times review found. In 2017, he announced plans for SpaceX to begin flying private citizens around the moon by 2018—a trip that never happened.
Big Number
1 billion. That’s how many SpaceX shares Musk would receive if the company reaches a market cap of $7.5 trillion and builds a colony on Mars with at least 1 million inhabitants, according to the company’s S-1 filing. Analysts have already cast doubt on the lucrative pay package, with one previously telling Forbes the cost of maintaining a Mars colony could eat into the company’s profits from its Starlink internet satellites.
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Forbes Valuation
We value Musk’s current net worth at $934 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the world. He briefly became the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s initial public offering, but the company’s falling share price has brought Musk’s fortune below that mark in recent weeks.
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