Nearly two and a half years later, 12 companies are now members of this club:
NVIDIA: US$4.7 trillion
Google/Alphabet: US$4.2 trillion
Apple: US$4.0 trillion
Microsoft: US$2.6 trillion
Amazon: US$2.4 trillion
SpaceX: US$2.0 trillion
Broadcom: US$1.8 trillion
Tesla: US$1.4 trillion
Meta Platforms: US$1.4 trillion
Micron Technology: US$1.4 trillion
Berkshire Hathaway: US$1.1 trillion
Eli Lilly: US$1.0 trillion
Together, these 12 companies are worth approximately US$28.0 trillion, representing more than 18% of the market capitalization of publicly traded companies worldwide, estimated at US$151.9 trillion at the end of 2025 by the World Federation of Exchanges.
Even more interesting, the planet now has its first individual whose net worth exceeds one trillion dollars: Elon Musk.
Indeed, Musk is the largest shareholder of two companies on the trillion-dollar list: Tesla and SpaceX. The latter has recently made a remarkable stock market debut with a market capitalization approaching US$2.0 trillion. Until very recently, Musk’s fortune was estimated at US$1.2 trillion, derived primarily from his holdings in SpaceX and Tesla. It is worth noting that his wealth was estimated at more than US$210 billion in February 2024.
What does US$1.2 trillion mean?
In figures, it is written as follows: US$1,200,000,000,000 or 1.2 × 10¹² dollars.
To put such a number into perspective, it must be compared with other values and measured against a reference point. Elon Musk’s wealth represents:
Nearly half of the entire Canadian economy (US$1.2 trillion / approximately US$2.5 trillion projected by the IMF for 2026).
A scale comparable to Switzerland’s GDP (US$1.15 trillion, according to the IMF), and not far from those of Saudi Arabia (US$1.39 trillion) and the Netherlands (US$1.45 trillion).
More than four Royal Banks (US$1.2 trillion / US$282 billion).
Nearly 30 million Tesla Model Y vehicles, the company’s most popular model, whose base price is US$41,000.
Two-thirds of the U.S. federal government’s fiscal 2025 deficit (US$1.2 trillion / US$1.8 trillion).
If Musk decided to donate 1% of his fortune, he could give nearly US$16,000 to each of the approximately 750,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States ((1% × US$1.2 trillion) / 750,000).
One trillion dollars defies comprehension. That is why it requires concrete points of comparison.
Philippe Le Blanc, CFA, MBA
Chief Investment Officer at COTE 100
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