Elon Musk earns another 15 billion USD in one day

The robotaxi test event in Austin has excited investors, helping Tesla’s stock increase 9% in one session and bringing Elon Musk a huge profit – consolidating his position as the world’s richest person.

Tesla’s stock jumped 9% in the first trading session of the week, equivalent to an increase of $ 27 / share, reaching $ 349 – the highest level in the past three weeks. The main reason is that Tesla launched the first test run of the self-driving car “robotaxi” in the city of Austin (Texas), where the company is headquartered.

This test, although limited – only deployed about 10-20 Model Y cars with the operator in the passenger seat – has made a strong impression on investors. According to experts from Wedbush, one of the most optimistic analysts on Tesla, the robotaxi has “far exceeded expectations” after experiencing it firsthand.

Not only did Tesla’s stock surge, the excitement spread to the broader market: The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both rose nearly 1%, as investor sentiment stabilized after geopolitical concerns related to Iran.

How Much Richer Has Elon Musk Been From This Event?

With 13% of Tesla’s outstanding shares—and another portion of the stock that’s still being settled from a compensation package—Elon Musk’s fortune increased by $15 billion in a single trading day.

That’s the biggest one-day gain for any billionaire on Forbes’ real-time rankings. Musk’s lead over the world’s second-richest person—Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison—has widened to more than $170 billion.

Notably, the rebound also helped Tesla’s stock regain all of the ground it lost in a steep decline on June 5, when Musk and President Donald Trump publicly sparred over federal spending.

Is Tesla’s Robotaxe Really a Breakthrough?

Despite the huge impact on the stock market, Tesla’s robotaxi is far from a “revolutionary hit.” The test fleet is just a regular Model Y, not the steering-wheelless “cybercab” that Tesla announced last year, which has yet to be officially released.

Currently, Tesla has deployed only a few dozen robotaxi vehicles, while Waymo (a Google/Alphabet subsidiary) has had about 100 self-driving cars operating in Austin since March. In the past, Tesla has also repeatedly promised fully autonomous technology, but has been plagued by safety concerns.

Some analysts say the investor reaction has been neutral, not really optimistic. Expert Tom Narayan commented: “Only time will tell whether this plan is successful or not.”

Where is Tesla’s market value now?

With a 9% increase in one session, Tesla added up to $85 billion in market capitalization – a figure equivalent to the combined value of Ford and General Motors (two traditional US auto giants).

This solidifies Tesla’s position as the world’s most valuable automaker, not only in the electric vehicle sector but also in the entire auto industry. The market has high expectations for the ability of self-driving technology to open up a new future for transportation, and Tesla is still the top name in this race.

Although the robotaxi test run is a positive signal, investors are still waiting to see if Tesla can realize its ambition of producing “hundreds of thousands” of self-driving cars by 2026 as Elon Musk once declared.

Factors to watch include: the development of a truly steering-wheelless “cybercab,” the licensing of commercial robotaxi operations in major states, and the ability to compete with rivals like Waymo, Cruise, and Chinese self-driving car companies.

Equally important are regulatory and public acceptance issues—will the public trust fully autonomous vehicles on the road?