Few business leaders have been as deeply embedded in popular culture as Elon Musk, the ambitious entrepreneur who has become a central figure in internet culture and amassed a fortune that has made him the world’s first trillionaire.

At a time when concerns about inequality are high and public attitudes toward the ultra-wealthy have soured, Musk has managed to retain a loyal following despite his stratospheric net worth and without the folksy persona that endeared other tycoons such as Warren Buffett to the masses.

While admirers view Musk’s no-filter style as part of his appeal, critics have accused him of wielding oligarch-like power, raised concerns about governance at his companies and objected to his increasingly partisan political interventions.

Still, SpaceX, the sprawling rocket, satellite and AI company that together with electric-car maker Tesla forms the centre of Musk’s empire, raised a record US$75 billion (S$96.4 billion) in its initial public offering on June 11, highlighting investor enthusiasm for his business ventures.

Prior to the share sale, Forbes pegged his net worth at roughly US$780 billion, far ahead of the man next in line, Alphabet co-founder Larry Page.

“The second richest person has been hovering around US$300 billion, so about less than one-third of what Musk can potentially be worth tomorrow,” said Matt Durot, deputy editor at Forbes Wealth.

“And only one other person, (Oracle founder) Larry Ellison, has ever been worth $400 billion.”

Most of Musk’s wealth now rests with SpaceX, where he holds a stake worth roughly US$866 billion. Along with Tesla and the rest of his properties, his net worth will exceed US$1.1 trillion when the stock begins trading on June 12, according to Reuters calculations based on company filings. The tally includes stock components that would vest over time.

Musk became a household name through Tesla and SpaceX before expanding his influence with the US$44 billion acquisition of social media platform Twitter in 2022. The deal gave him a direct chan...