To put this into context, it’s only been about a century since John D. Rockefeller became the world’s first billionaire back in 1916. What was once an unimaginable figure has now become far more common among the ultra-rich.
Fast forward to today, and there are an estimated 3,028 billionaires across the globe in 2025 — a figure that’s continued to grow year after year as the global economy expands and tech fortunes rise.
To put it another way, those 3,028 individuals hold more wealth than the combined economies of Germany, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom — which are the third through sixth largest economies in the world.
So, the fact that Elon Musk, who already boasts a personal net worth of roughly $482.2 billion, has been approved for a potential $1 trillion payout is nothing short of extraordinary.
How big is a trillion dollars, really?
Before figuring out how much that would mean per person, it helps to understand just how enormous a trillion actually is. Even the difference between a million and a billion is already hard to grasp.
In terms of time, a million seconds adds up to about 11 and a half days. But a billion seconds? That stretches out to nearly 31.7 years.
And if you take it one step further — a trillion seconds — you’re looking at an astonishing 31,709 years. That’s longer than the entire span of recorded human history.
And if you want to see what the number looks like written out, here it is: 1,000,000,000,000 — a million times a million. That’s how massive a trillion really is.
Now, just imagine if Elon Musk’s $1 trillion payout was evenly divided among everyone on the planet. How much would each person actually receive?
How much money would everyone get?
As of now, the global population sits at about 8,231,613,070 people. If Musk’s current net worth of $482.2 billion were combined with the potential $1 trillion payout and then split evenly among everyone, each person would receive roughly $180.06.
If that same sum were divided only among residents of the United States — where Musk now lives — which has a population just under 348 million, each person would receive approximately $4,259.
Of course, Musk doesn’t have that trillion dollars in his bank account yet, and the deal depends on meeting a set of extremely ambitious goals laid out by Tesla shareholders.
However, reaching those targets is far from guaranteed. Musk’s behavior and public image have at times hurt Tesla’s reputation — from his tense relationship with former President Donald Trump to his outspoken support of far-right political figures.
So while the plan is officially in place, there’s still a long road ahead before Musk can actually claim the title of the world’s first trillionaire.
