Elon Musk is now the second richest man in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Tesla and SpaceX founder, whose fortune is inextricably tied to the stock price of his electric automotive company, overtook Microsoft founder and one-time richest man Bill Gates.
Musk is now worth an astonishing $USD 147 billion ($AUD 197 billion), despite losing some $USD 10.3 billion overnight ($AUD 13.8 billion).
READ MORE: Elon Musk warns employees Tesla's stock could 'get crushed like a soufflé under a sledgehammer'
His personal wealth now pales in comparison to just one other person on earth: Amazon founder and the richest human on Earth, Jeff Bezos.
Despite the stratospheric rise of Tesla, it does not hold a candle to Amazon, which is currently blessing Bezos with a personal fortune worth $USD 182 billion ($AUD 243.9 billion).
Bezos also holds the title of the richest man in modern history (when adjusted for inflation, which really only extends to "modern history" around 1999 – it's near impossible to weigh an Egyptian Pharaohs wealth against that of a free market operator).
READ MORE: Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 60 satellites into orbit
Despite his rapid ascent among the uber-rich, Musk is infamously cautious of bragging.
A week ago he warned that Tesla's stock could be "crushed like a soufflé under a sledgehammer", warning employees that such growth could not be sustained.
"[Car manufacturing] is a tough Game of Pennies — requiring thousands of good ideas to improve part cost, a factory process or simply the design, while increasing quality and capabilities," Musk wrote.
"A great idea would be one that saves $5, but the vast majority are 50 cents here or 20 cents there."
Tesla's stock is now worth more than five times as much as the Volkswagen Group, which is the world's largest automaker in terms of new sales.
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