Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has surpassed Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and becomes the world’s second-richest person in the world just a week after he overtook Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to become the 3rd richest person as Tesla’s shares continue to soar. 
The value of Elon Musk’s electric car company Tesla rose in value following the announcement that it would join the S&P 500 index of leading US companies, driving its market value closer to $500bn.
The 49-year-old Elon is now reported to be worth $128 billion {£95bn} as he owns 20% of all of the company’s shares, which have now risen by more than 675% since 25 November last year, when they were valued at $67.27 (£50.33) each.
Tesla’s share price is currently valued at $521.49 (£390.20) a share, and if the growth continues, Musk could net a bonus deal worth a record $55.8bn. To trigger the maximum payout he has to build Tesla into a $650bn company by 2028, The Guardian reports.
At the moment Tesla is the most valuable car company in the world by share price, with a market value of over $494bn {£370bn}.
Elon Musk debuts as the second richest man in the world behind the world’s first tri-billionaire, Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos who remains at top of the Bloomberg richest list with a net worth estimation of $182bn (£136bn).
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