Elon Musk ended 2025 as the world’s richest person after a year marked by political turmoil, business volatility and global controversy (31/12). The tech billionaire moved between Washington power circles and corporate crises while expanding his wealth and influence.

White House Role and Breakdown With Donald Trump

Musk began the year working closely with US president Donald Trump in Washington DC as the informal leader of the “department of government efficiency” (Doge). His time in the White House triggered widespread backlash, including outrage over gestures made during Trump’s inauguration and his aggressive push to cut federal agencies.

Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair: “Elon’s attitude is you have to get it done fast. If you’re an incrementalist, you just won’t get your rocket to the moon.”

By June, Musk and Trump publicly fell out. On X, Musk wrote: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.” The post was later deleted, and Musk left his government role in May amid policy disputes.

Tesla Sales Decline and Legal Challenges

Tesla faced global sales declines during 2025 despite Musk securing approval for a massive compensation package that could make him the world’s first trillionaire. Protests targeted Tesla dealerships across the US, with demonstrators linking the brand to Musk’s political actions.

The company also faced mounting legal pressure. A Florida jury awarded more than $200m in a lawsuit tied to an Autopilot crash, while California regulators warned Tesla could be banned from selling cars in the state if it failed to address claims of misleading marketing.

SpaceX Expansion Despite Starship Failures

SpaceX strengthened its position with the US government, gaining approval to increase rocket launches across several states. This occurred even as its Starship rocket suffered repeated explosions, including one incident that scattered debris across the Caribbean.

Mexico pursued legal action after an explosion allegedly harmed endangered sea turtle hatchlings. Despite setbacks, Starlink continued to dominate satellite coverage in low Earth orbit.

xAI, X and Corporate Turmoil

In March, Musk announced that his artificial intelligence company xAI had acquired X in an all-stock deal valuing the social media platform at $33bn. The Grok chatbot, developed by xAI, generated repeated controversy for promoting conspiracy theories and antisemitic content.

xAI also faced protests and a lawsuit in Memphis, Tennessee, over claims that its data centers polluted historically Black neighborhoods. During the year, several senior executives departed from Musk’s companies, including leaders at Tesla, X and xAI.

This article is based on two original reports from The Guardian, titled Elon Musk’s 2025 recap: how the world’s richest person became its most chaotic, published on 31 December 2025, and Forbes, titled Elon Musk’s Net Worth Ends 2025 At $726 Billion—More Valuable Than Belgium, Oracle, More, published on 31 December 2025.

PHOTO: BLOOMBERG/AI DRAGO

This article was created with AI assistance.